Bible Study With Jairus

Bible Study With Jairus - Numbers 10

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 10- Moses’ Extended Family, God’s Presence in Battle, and Preparing for War

Numbers 10 covers many topics: how to blow the trumpets (vs. 1-10); how to set out (vs. 11-13); marching order as they set out (vs 14-28); Moses pleading with Hobab (vs. 29-32); and the leading of the ark (vs. 33-36). What is the relationship of these to each other?

I believe that the pieces are closely linked. The theme of this connection is the relationship between God's presence and doing battle for God. Let’s look at some of the background before connecting all the pieces.

Hobab...Father-in Law or Brother-in-Law?

When first reading Numbers 10, many people are confused about the name of Moses’ father-in-law. Numbers 10:29 says, "Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law..." This section is very confusing. The meaning in the ESV is "Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, is the son of Reuel the Midianite," because Judges 4:11 mentions "Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses." But when I first read it, I  read it that Moses' father-in-law was Reuel, and he had a son named Hobab. Someone else pointed out that this understanding was not consistent with Judges 4:11. It seemed to her that the father of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, was called Reuel. But I said that when Exodus 2:18 was talking about Moses helping to water the flock of the daughters of a Midianite priest in the wilderness, it was mentioned that their father's name was "Reuel." This proves that Reuel is not Moses’ grandfather, but rather Moses’ father-in-law himself. When Exodus 3:1 mentions Moses' father-in-law, the name used is "Jethro.”

 

So what is the name of Moses' father-in-law? There is an explanation that "Jethro" is just a title, like the title of the Midianite priest, and "Reuel" is the name of his father-in-law. In Judges 4:11, the word "father-in-law" in "Moses' father-in-law Hobab" is the same as "brother-in-law" in the original Hebrew text. Therefore, some Bible translation scholars also advocate that the father-in-law in Judges 4:11 be translated as "brother-in-law."

Because there are different translations in the different English Bible versions, we often find certain words translated differently. For example, NRSV, Darby Bible Translation, King James, ESV, and others have translated Judges 4:11 into "Moses' father-in-law Hobab.” But there are also many versions, including the New Living Translation, NIV, Good News Translation, New Heart English Bible, American Standard Version, English Revised Version, World English Bible, and more which have translated it as "Moses' brother-in-law.” It can be seen that theologians have different understandings or ideas on how to translate this verse.

My inspiration is that Hobab is Moses' brother-in-law. Why? I will give an example to prove my guess. First, let us look at Exodus 18. Exodus 18 tells how Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, heard of the great things God had done for Moses and for the Israelites, so he  brought Moses' wife and two children with him to the mountain of God. Moses then testified to his father-in-law again of how God saved the Israelites. Jethro’s reaction to Moses’ news is recorded in Exodus 18:9-12 (ESV):

 “And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.”

Looking at these verses, we can see that Jethro praised Jehovah and offered sacrifices to God. To use a common phrase among Christians, Jethro seems to have received salvation and accepted God's salvation when he heard Moses' testimony. Exodus 18:13-26 then records that Jethro gave Moses advice. He told him to appoint chiefs of thousands and hundreds, etc. to help him judge the people. Please note that verse 18:27 (ESV) says, "Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country."

What we should focus on here is the place and time when Jethro came. He might have come to Mount Sinai, the place where Moses set up the tabernacle, sometime in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. Exodus 16:1 (ESV) recorded that the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. After Moses let his father-in-law depart (Exodus 18:27), Exodus 19:1 records that the Israelites came to the wilderness of Sinai "on the third new moon" in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. The NIV says “on the first day of the third month” instead. And Numbers 10:11-13 (ESV) mentions, "In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses."

The book of Numbers records that they had been traveling from the wilderness of Sinai on February 20 of the second year. Perhaps they made stops along the way. Perhaps they were still in Sinai in March, when Jehovah descended on Mount Sinai. Exodus 19 records Moses going up the mountain to meet with God, where the Lord spoke to Moses for a long time and promulgated the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). Moses stayed with God on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18). Then, in Exodus 31, the Lord commanded Moses to build the tabernacle. After Moses went down the mountain, he found that the Israelites broke the law by worshipping the golden calf. Later, he went again to Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 34:28). Chapter 35 begins to record the details of the construction of the tabernacle. In Exodus 40:2 (ESV), the Lord says to Moses: "On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting." It can be seen that Moses was setting up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month of the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. The record of leaving Egypt ends here. It was mentioned that the clouds covering the tabernacle guided the Israelites' movement. When the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out. The book of Numbers is a continuation of the records here. It continues to record the journey of the Israelites.

I guess that Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, left during the period around February 20, the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. Plus this was also recorded in chapter 16 before Jethro came in Exodus 18. The Israelites were in the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, around February 15. If this was recorded in chronological order, Moses’ father-in-law may have come to see Moses after February 15th. On February 20th, the Israelites began to “set out for the first time”. Perhaps the wilderness of Sinai was large and they had walked for quite a long time.

Although we don’t know exactly when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came, we can guess from the above verses that he may come around February 15-20. How does this prove that the Hobab recorded in Numbers 10:29 might be Moses' brother-in-law, rather than his father-in-law? If he was his father-in-law, there would be no need for Exodus 18:27: "Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country." In Numbers 10, if Moses had begged for his father-in-law to not leave him, why didn't he prevent his father-in-law from leaving in Exodus 18? He encouraged it! We should also consider the distance Jethro would have had to travel to reach Moses’ camp. At that time, transportation was inconvenient. It is unlikely that Jethro would leave and come back that soon. This makes no sense!

 

Furthermore, we read that Moses' father-in-law was old and he had praised and offered sacrifices to Jehovah. So Moses was also comfortable with his leaving, knowing he would have a proper burial in his own country. It is very difficult for people to leave their hometowns when they are old, so Jethro likely would not have wanted to travel further with Moses. So Moses did not think it necessary to stop his father-in-law from leaving. However, when Moses' father-in-law came, he might have brought Moses' brother-in-law Hobab with him and stayed with Moses for a few more days. When Moses was encamping, Hobab might have said that he hoped to go back to his own country like his father, Jethro. That’s why Moses begged him to stay. Why? My guess is that, although Hobab wanted to return to his hometown, he was still young. The Bible does not record if he knew Jehovah, so if he went back, he might not be able to enter the kingdom of God peacefully like his father. Thus Moses hoped that Hobab could embark on a difficult but promising journey with him so that Hobab's family could be saved. Moses may have thought that he could still convince him to spend part of his time travelling with the Israelites.

Moses’ Heart for Others

Numbers 10:31-32 tells us, “Thus Moses begged Hobab and said, ‘Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.’” Some people think that Moses does not trust God enough here but I disagree. Wherever Moses went, he had the presence and leading of the cloud. He did not necessarily need the help of Hobab. But if Hobab left Moses, he would not necessarily be able to enjoy the presence of God. The issue was not that Moses needed Hobab.. Rather, he was worried that Hobab would wander away from God.

 

The Line of Hobab

Of course, the Bible does not record in Numbers 10 whether Hobab agreed to Moses’ request, but other verses suggest that Hobab did walk with Moses. Judges 1 tells the story of Judah going up first to fight. It is especially recorded in verse 16: "The descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.” From this verse, we can see that Hobab may have agreed to Moses’ request, and thus received God’s blessing while dwelling with the tribe of Judah. Judges 4:11 says, "Heber the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses (or brother-in-law), and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh." The descendant of Hobab, which is Jael, killed Sisera, Israel’s enemy. Part of Hobab’s line became warriors to fight for God. Since Hobab followed Moses and took this arduous journey, he had also received great blessings.

 

I heard Chuck Pierce, a prophet in the United States, say that the word for “peg” in the passage where Jael hits Sisera's head is the same word in the Hebrew text as the word “and” in Genesis 1:1 (“God created the heavens and the earth”). This tent peg is made of wood. It represents that when Christ was crucified on the cross, the heavens and the earth were linked together, and the power of God's enemy Satan (represented by Sisera) was removed. God used the descendant of Hobab to show his power.

Directions for War: Then and Now

When I was reading Numbers 10:1-10, the Holy Spirit highlighted verse 8 to me:

"The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations."

The two trumpets that Jehovah had Moses make had specific instructions for blowing the trumpets, and only the sons of Aaron, the priests, could blow them. What does this mean? This is signifying the presence of God. A priest is a person who serves God and gets to enter into His presence. Christians today must first be priests to draw near to God and minister to God Himself, and then enter into His presence before we can hear and release His words. The words of God are represented by the trumpets here, and these trumpets will lead us into battle.

When two trumpets were sounded, all the Israelites would come. When only one trumpet was sounded, only the leader would come. When a trumpet blast was sounded, the tribes camping on the east were to set out. At the sounding of a second blast, the camps on the south were to set out. Numbers 10:9 says, "When you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies.” It can be seen that blowing the trumpets was indeed for war purposes.

 

I have made several observations about some people’s pursuit of spiritual warfare in the Pentecostal Movement. Some people I personally met have limited life and spiritual experience, but they often claimed that they engaged in spiritual warfare against enemies all day. I personally encountered these kinds of people. They would see demons in every place and under every situation. I also saw that they were deceived by the enemy in the end. I felt that they had a good heart, but their focus was misplaced. Our focus should not be centered on spiritual enemies. Rather, we need to focus on the Lord.

 

The secret of spiritual warfare is not to fight, but to rest and enter into God’s presence. Only by entering the presence of God and the richness and fullness of God's life can you overcome the enemy. However, this does not mean that spiritual warfare is not real. Many evangelical brothers and sisters ignore the reality of spiritual warfare and do not dare to be in contact with the spiritual realm or pursue spiritual gifts. The purpose of our pursuit of God is not just to have His presence for the sake of having it. After we enter into God's presence, we will naturally enter a spiritual battle.

 

This is also true in the second section of the chapter (vs. 11-13). The leading of the cloud is also the presence of God. In the third section (vs. 14-28), the order of the seven camps of the twelve tribes shows preparations for war. The tribes in the east set out first. After the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, carried them away. The tabernacle represented God’s presence. When there was war in the Old Testament, the people had to walk with the ark and exalt it to win. This is proved by the later experiences of Moses and the experiences of the Israelites in the book of Judges. Then the camps on the south side set out before the Kohathites, who carried the objects of the sanctuary. After they arrived, the Gershonites and Merarites would set up the tabernacle and would directly put the objects of the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies into the tabernacle. This was to bring in or maintain God's constant presence.

Do you see the cycle? God’s presence brings in spiritual warfare. But it is with God’s presence that we see victory in war. The purpose of war is to bring in more of the presence of God. It is a circle. On the one hand, there is God’s presence. On the other hand, there is victory in wars with the help of God.

 

Here is where we begin to see connections between the pieces of the chapter. This is all recorded before Moses begged Hobab. My inspiration in this is also to signify the theme of God's presence and war. The process of the Israelites leaving Egypt is a process of manifesting the power of God. Along the way, it is like testifying to the Gentiles. They let the prostitute Rahab (Joshua 6) and Gibeon (Joshua 9) etc. be able to join the army of God. This is a natural result of God's presence. Hobab may have been heard-headed, but he was still subdued and attracted by God's presence. Thus, in the end, he may have followed Moses embarking on a journey and a battle of leaving his home.

How can the presence of God not attract people? If we really have the presence of God, our relatives will follow us. I found this true in my own life. It was not me, but the presence of God in my family that drew my realtives to Him. Like Hobab, they joined us in the army of God. Therefore, from this perspective, Hobab could not have left Moses in this place. If he left, I believe it would have been an insult to the presence of God.

The Importance of Like-minded Friends

Of course, I do not deny that Moses had his weaknesses. We can imagine Moses' moods. Suppose that Hobab was Moses' brother-in-law, and may have lived with Moses for nearly 40 years. Moses might have said to Hobab, "Look, God put the burden of leading the Israelites on my shoulders. I already told God to kill me. I can't bear it, but God still won’t listen. Although God commanded me to lead the Israelites in leaving Egypt and performing miracles for them, they complain constantly (Numbers 11 records that the Israelites were complaining about God, and God burned some of them to death). Look at my brother Aaron and sister Miriam. They are also helping me, but they are jealous of me in their hearts (Chapter 12 records this story). I have only a few like-minded people. We have lived together for 40 years. You are someone I may be able to rely on. Please help me out."

This is only my imagination. However, the Israelites had just left Egypt and had not had much time to build trust with Moses. Moses and his brother and sister had not lived together for a long time, so they were not familiar with each other. I don't believe that Moses needed Hobab to lead them into camping in the wilderness. For one, the cloud of God led them. Also, Moses had lived in the wilderness for forty years, so he himself may have been familiar with the wilderness. What Moses needed was a like-minded person. Picture the situation of the church today. What many pastors lack is not the presence and leading of God, but like-mindedness from fellow church members. Thus, many times God's call cannot be fulfilled. I think Paul also had the same feeling; he repeatedly reminded brothers and sisters to be like-minded (Philippians 2:2).

In order to win the battle, we need the presence of God and support from like-minded members of the body of Christ.

Final Thoughts

In the last section (vs. 33-36), it is recorded that Moses was praying to exalt the ark. This shows even more clearly that our inspiration may be right. Wherever there is the exaltation of the ark, there is the presence of God, there will be victory in battles, and enemies will also be scattered. The result of the victory in battles will naturally bring more of the presence of God, and will also bring more people of God into His kingdom.

I will repeat the last two verses here to serve as inspiration for us all.

And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

I pray that in your spiritual journey, you will be filled with the presence of God and surrounded by like-minded people so that you can win the battles you face. Let the name of Jehovah be exalted! May His glory fill the whole world in order to bring more people into the kingdom that He has prepared for us.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Acts 19

Bible Study with Jairus – Acts 19

 

Acts 19 begins with a story about how Paul supplied the needs of Apollos' ministry.  Those who were ministered to by Apollos only knew John's baptism and weren't aware of the Holy Spirit.  Is there a deeper spiritual meaning here?  If so, what spiritual insight can we glean for our walk with the Lord?

 

The spiritual insight is that John's ministry introduces Jesus Christ, and Jesus' ministry baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  In other words, John introduced Christ, and Christ introduced the Holy Spirit.  This is the full gospel.  If we only talk about one aspect and not the other, it will cause Christians to have a one-sided understanding of the truth, leading to division in the church.

 

Why did Apollos only know John’s baptism? Acts 18:24 mentions that Apollos was a native of Alexandria.  Alexandria is a port city located on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt.  If Apollos lived in Alexandria, then it would be very interesting.  Imagine how influential John's ministry was in Israel.  Many Jews had repented and been baptized.  Even the unbelieving Pharisees came to join in the fun, and John criticized them, telling them to produce fruit in keeping with repentance (NIV, Matthew 3:8).  Even Apollos, who was in Alexandria, Egypt, was influenced by John's ministry, so it is evident that John's ministry had significant influence.

 

John had two crucial messages.  The first was that you have to repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near (NIV, Matthew 3:2).  The second is that he was not Christ.  He just baptized people withwater for repentance.  But after him would come one who is more powerful than him – Jesus Christ.  He would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. (NIV, Matthew 3: 11).

 

His two messages are very clear and definitive.  But it is like a stone thrown into the lake, creating a ripple.  This expanding ripple eventually becomes weaker and weaker.  By the time John's ministry reached Apollos, only one of his two messages seemed to be passed along.   When Paul arrived at Ephesus, he found that the disciples who were saved under Apollos' ministry weren't baptized in the Holy Spirit, nor had they even heard of the Holy Spirit.

 

Of course, Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (NIV, Acts 19:6).

 

Please pay attention here.  The Bible did not record that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Nor did it mention that Paul helped Apollos to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.  It only noted that Paul placed his hands on people who had been ministered to in Apollos' ministry, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  Did all of Apollos’ disciples receive the Holy Spirit?  Obviously not.  If yes, then Paul wouldn't talk about the church's divisions at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:12, saying that some people followed Paul, and others claim to follow Apollos.  

 

I suspect that one reason for the divisions in the church at Corinth was because of the second aspect of the truth - the question of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Among which, speaking in tongues is definitely an important point of disagreement.  Paul is teaching and putting the fullness of the Holy Spirit into practice.  He said that he speaks in tongues more than everyone else (NIV, 1 Corinthians 14:18).  Although he repeatedly urged the church not to speak excessively in tongues, he was not totally opposed to speaking in tongues.  But amongst the people saved under Apollos' ministry, was there someone who didn't speak in tongues?  Did they have a different understanding of this truth?  I feel that in addition to those who experienced Paul laying his hands on them and accepted his teachings, there may have been some of Apollos' disciples who did not advocate speaking in tongues. Plus, those who supported speaking in tongues had various fleshly behaviors. They also had reasons to oppose them in the matter of speaking in tongues.

 

So we have a clue here that there is a very close relationship between what kind of spiritual life a Christian will live in the future as to when he/she is first saved and what kind of spiritual teaching he/she accepts in the beginning.  On the other hand, the ultimate cause of the division of the body of Christ lies in the difference in teaching or the understanding of God's truth.  If the body of Christ wants to be united but can't come to an agreement regarding truth, it would be tough to find unity. 

 

I was saved in the Local Church movement associated with Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. When Witness Lee started his ministry in Los Angeles, he tried to meet with a Pentecostal group in hopes of unity.  But ultimately, there was a dispute over the issue of whether or not to speak in tongues. The two sides refused to give in to the other, and unity wasn't realized. Overall, as far as Protestantism is concerned, one of the most significant factors that led to their division is how to treat the baptism of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, etc. There are some estimates that Charismatic Christians probably equal the number of evangelical Christians, which is about 600 million people. There are about 1 billion Catholics, amongst which more than 100 million of them have accepted the charismatic experience.

 

In general, people classify the American Charismatic Movement into two categories. The first category is the traditional Pentecostal Movement, which advocates that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The traditional church doesn't accept this, thus producing Classical Pentecostal denominations like the Assembly of God and others.  The second category is often referred to as the Charismatic Renewal. This kind of renewal does not encourage people to be separated from their original denomination.  They believe that speaking in tongues is just one evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, this is widely accepted by the mainstream American churches, affecting many groups, including the Anglican Church, the Methodist Church, and even the Catholic Church. They accepted the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, without leaving their current denomination.

 

The United Theological Seminary in the United States, where I am studying now, belongs to the Methodist Church.  Because I am participating in the new semester's Intensive learning of the Ph.D. program in Dayton, Ohio, I have come into contact with some Methodist believers. Some accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit, though not the majority.  But they are meeting with other men and women who haven't experienced this in church.

 

Let's look at Apollos' experience. He accepted John's baptism but did not accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  The disciples in his ministry didn't accept the Holy Spirit either.  They had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit.  Acts 18 did mention that Aquila and Priscilla helped Apollos to understand the way of God more accurately.  But it did not explicitly mention helping Apollos to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  And at the beginning of Acts 19, Paul returned to Ephesus to meet the disciples who had received help from Apollos' ministry, and they hadn't heard that there was a Holy Spirit.  There are good reasons for us to speculate that Apollos did not accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

 

An important part of John's ministry was to reveal that Christ wants to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  But why is it that this part is ignored and distorted?  This reminds me of Jackie Chan's movie "Around the World in 80 Days."  When British officials discussed that a Chinese man had robbed the bank, the message was passed on. In the end, the original message that was passed turned into a totally different message saying that someone else robbed the bank.  One of the reasons is that the character (Jackie Chan) deliberately passed the wrong message in the middle, causing the following information to be all wrong.  This was a movie, but it also happens in actual spiritual experience.

 

These are the enemy's tactics.  He would keep people from accepting John's baptism by thwarting the message of repentance.  Unfortunately for him, the people believed that John was sent by God and kept coming to him to be baptized.  Tactic number two was to bring the Pharisees and Sadducees who tried to pass themselves off as repentant people ready to be baptized, but John saw right through them and harshly criticized them.  The enemy's last tactic was to hold John's ministry in high regard while downplaying Jesus' ministry. John's disciples could establish a new religion and stir his disciples to challenge the Lord by asking Him: "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast? (Matt. 9:14).  In the end, John was martyred. The Israelites believed he was a prophet sent by God, and John's ministry of repentance was raised up, downplaying or ignoring the message that Jesus was greater and would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Why?  Because Satan wants the most important message to be obstructed.

 

Satan's tactics are the same in today's church as it was in ancient times.  He still strives to downplay the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the teaching that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.  It is often said that speaking in tongues is the least among the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  This seems to make sense, but when you analyze it carefully, it's not entirely true. For example, why is it that the "least important" gift causes the body of Christ to experience the "biggest" division?  Why is almost half of the body of Christ divided into two factions by this teaching?

 

I often say that no doubt, speaking in tongues is the least gift.  Speaking in tongues can be likened to two sides of a mountain ridge with a tiny spot at the top representing speaking in tongues.  You can only see the side of the mountain you are on if you haven't climbed to the top of the mountain.   Those who don't accept speaking in tongues are stuck on this side of the mountain with a limited view.  They accept the truth of God on this side of the mountain.  But since they haven't climbed to the top of the mountain, they can't see what's up there or what's on the other side, so they don't get the full view.

 

Those who accept speaking in tongues have climbed the mountain, seen the view from the top and gone over to the other side.  Though the top, which represents speaking in tongues, looks small from the bottom side of the mountain, those who have climbed to the top get the whole view, not just half.  It's a more well-rounded view.  Those who don't climb to the top have a limited perspective and don't see the whole picture. This analogy is not limited to speaking in tongues.  It includes all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

 

Apollos only knew John's baptism, although Aquila and Priscilla helped him understand more about God's way.  Paul also helped some of Apollo's disciples accept the Holy Spirit's fullness, but it did not completely solve this problem.  Apollo's lack of understanding of the truth laid the seeds for the future division of the church at Corinth.  In addition to the flesh, the most significant cause of the church's division is the difference in teaching and understanding the truth.  Therefore, I have always believed that the body of Christ cannot be united in the understanding of the truth of God, making it difficult to have true unity.

 

This problem still exists in today's church.  There are still some members of the body of Christ who are like Apollos.  They only know John's baptism.  They may be full of eloquence, very knowledgeable in the Bible, had been instructed in the way of the Lord, spoke with great fervor, and refuted their opponents in public debate (these are all descriptions of Apollos in Acts 18-19).  Still, because of their lack of understanding of the truth, it foreshadowed the later Corinthian church's difficulties.   Of course, we can't attribute all of the responsibility to Apollos. The disciples at Corinth who sinned and the fleshy believers who pursued speaking in tongues and other gifts also caused the Corinthian church's difficulties.

 

John's ministry was not like this at first.  In addition to teaching the baptism of repentance, he said that Jesus would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. Similarly, the Bible's teachings are not only about the baptism of repentance; they also include the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Although it's necessary to repent to receive the life of God, it is equally important to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, to get the power and the reinforcement of the Holy Spirit.

 

For quite some time, I've heard people talk about convergence, meaning that God not only wants us to be holy, but He also wants the church to be powerful.  If the church isn't holy, it cannot be the salt and light, therefore losing its testimony.  If the church is not powerful, the world will fall into the hands of the power of evil forces.  Holiness and power need to converge together. The church needs to be a witness of God in these two aspects.  One night, the Lord appeared to me in a prophetic dream. He said to me that the two rivers would converge together.  But He did not tell me what the two rivers were. I'm always trying to understand the meaning of the Lord's words. One thought I had is that holiness and power will converge together.  The teachings I received at the Local Church Movement were mainly about growing in holiness.  Later, the Lord led me to learn and pursue the gifts and power in the Pentecostal Movement.  My understanding is that the Lord will lead me to learn how to combine holiness and power.

 

Paul said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. (NIV, 1 Corinthians 3:6).  Although Apollos has an insufficient understanding of the truth, he made significant contributions. Acts 19 has primarily recorded how God did extraordinary miracles through Paul.  When his handkerchiefs or aprons were laid on the sick, their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them (NIV, Acts 19:11-12). There are a growing number of churches where people are weak, sick, and overcome by evil spirits.  We need to grow in the power of the Spirit like Paul so that sickness is healed and evil spirits are driven away.

 

Because of Paul's mighty power, many who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.  The total came to fifty thousand drachmas. (NIV, Acts 19:19).  A drachma is worth a day's wage.  This is huge!  Later in Ephesus, Paul caused a riot by coming against the businesses that made statues and idols.  If we were to visit Taiwan or mainland China today, where idols are prevalent, there's a good chance we wouldn't cause a riot.  Why? We don't pose the same threat to the enemy as Paul did. The greater the threat, the greater the opposition from the enemy.

 

Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California, said that half of the people in the body of Christ do not believe in healing, and the other half believe in healing, but they can't demonstrate it.  This is the state of the church today. We must admit that God's power is real and that we have the same power as Paul did. Our unbelief, misunderstanding, or ignorance towards the baptism of the Holy Spirit will hinder us from knowing and gaining the power of God.  Why is it then that many charismatic people believe and boast that they have this power, but in reality, they don't?  The answer is self-evident. Because these people who are pursuing power lack holiness.  It's dangerous to give a gun to a child who is still not mature enough. The gun is powerful, but without proper handling, it can be very dangerous. It's not that God doesn't have power, but that those who pursue holiness don't pursue power, and those who pursue power are not pursuing holiness.  Therefore, God won't be able to trust and give His power to them.

 

However, times are changing. The prophetic words of God have said many times that the age of convergence will come.  God longs for our lives to develop in balance, for us not to just pursue holiness but also power.  When we grow into balanced truth and in the spiritual stature of Christ, God will release His power through us.

 

 

If we are arbitrarily trying to drive out evil spirits without God's authority and power, we may end up being subdued by the evil spirits like the seven sons of Sceva.   God's power and authority is real, but we must appropriate it by faith in Jesus.

 

The church that I was saved in paid more attention to growing spiritually and devalued pursuing the gifts of the Spirit.  Their reason was that pursuing gifts would lead people to neglect spiritual growth and holiness.  There are preachers who say that the pursuit of healing will hinder spiritual growth in a Christian's life.  I understand what they are saying and have observed people in the Charismatic movement paying more attention to the outward healing of the body while lacking inward spiritual growth.   In my experience, we need a balance of both so that our spiritual lives will be complete and fulfilling.

 

Here is a metaphor I often use to explain what we talked about above.   Our inner spiritual life in the Lord is like water.  Our gifting in the Lord is like a water pipe.  In our initial walk with the Lord pursuing gifts overemphasizes our water pipe, almost like putting the cart before the horse.  New believers need to focus more on the inner spiritual life and growth so that living water can flow through the pipe.   However, if the living water reaches a powerful level and the pipe has not been enlarged to handle it, the flow will be limited.  In China this was a problem.  They designed a drainage system that didn't take flooding into account.  As time passed, the pipes got clogged with leaves and debris, and when the flood came, the pipes couldn't manage it.  We also experience debris and blockage in our spiritual lives and must continuously expand the gifts to allow the living water to flow correctly.

 

This is a dialectical relationship.  The Bible specifically mentions the relationship between the measure of grace and the gift.  We can compare grace to the pursuit of life and the gift to the pursuit of power.  Romans 12:3 (NIV) says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you."  Here is a measure of faith.  We can see it as a measure of life.  We will do things according to how much faith God gives us and how deep our spiritual life will be. Don't stretch yourself too much.  For example, perhaps the measure of your faith can only accommodate inviting one person to live in your house as a guest.  But you invited ten people all at once.  You might get overwhelmed, and instead, not be willing to serve in the future. Ephesians 4:7 says, "But grace gives us personal measure according to the gift of Christ."  In other words, God gives you more grace when the measure of the gifts He gave you is large.  If God gives you a gift of lifting 200 pounds, He'll also give you a physical makeup that can withstand 200 pounds.

 

On the one hand, our measure of life and faith limits our gifts.  For example, take a child. His vital capacity is limited, his cardiopulmonary function is limited, and the distance he can swim is limited, just as his gift is limited.  To this extent, the measure of life limits the measure of gifts. But we have heard many testimonies from parents that when a child has asthma symptoms, his cardiopulmonary function is not strong enough, so they insisted on teaching him to swim.  This is like a constant practice of our gifts.  Slowly, the measure of his gift expanded; that is, his swimming ability increased.  And gradually, his cardiopulmonary function improved, and his asthma disappeared.  So at this level, the expansion of the measure of gifts gradually expands the measure of life.  This is a process of dialectical development.  Evangelical pastors who are opposed to learning about gifts are sometimes like the parent with the child who has asthma. They are always worried about what to do if the child has an asthma attack while he is swimming.  What if he drinks the water?  What should I do if he drowns?  It's like what many people, who oppose the pursuit of the filling of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, often say.  If we open ourselves to the spiritual world, what should we do if evil spirits come in?  Their confidence in Satan's destruction is far greater than their faith in God's protection.  These thoughts come from unbelief and not wisdom.  I want to call on evangelical pastors and teachers to re-examine their understanding of speaking in tongues and gifts of the Holy Spirit in prayer, to see if there is a lack of understanding in the truth as well as a lack of faith.  We should do this instead of blindly blaming the Charismatics for letting the evil spirits come in.

 

In other words, the pursuit of spiritual life is like pursuing a new wine, and the pursuit of spiritual gifts is like pursuing a new wineskin.  We are pursuing new wine and a new life, but our new wine can't be stored properly if we don't have a new wineskin.

 

Dear pastors and fellow believers, we have reached the moment where we need to grow further and pursue more gifts.  Let's expand the measure and measurement of our gifts.  Expand the measure of our water pipes.  When the measure of your gifts has expanded, and your gifts and power have grown, you will see exponential growth in your life, and the abundant life in you can be imparted to others.  

 

If a child says to his father, "I will build a house for you.  I want to develop the gift of being a designer."  The father will say, "Son, you are still young.  You should give yourself time to grow up.  Do well in school first.  Then after you grow up, you can study architecture so that you can build a house for me."  But if the child grows up and is ready to build the house, if the father still opposes it, it is no longer normal.

 

In conclusion, those who don't know the baptism of the Holy Spirit and oppose speaking in tongues have not fully grown up in their spiritual lives.  Though they may seem more mature than some Charismatic Christians who blindly pursue gifts and lack depth in their spiritual lives, they are operating in fear.  They are afraid of hurting themselves or others in this pursuit.  Has God given us a spirit of fear?  No!  It is a strong, powerful, and sober-minded Spirit.  Anything that comes from fear is from Satan because fear incorporates unbelief and disobedience.  The key to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues and other gifts is faith and obedience. There is no other method or secret.  I experienced breakthroughs within the framework of evangelical teaching.  It took a long pursuit for me to have breakthroughs in faith and obedience and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  I hope this information is a blessing to you.

 

Bible Study With Jairus - Deuteronomy 14

Bible Study with Jairus – Deuteronomy 14

A Picture of Growing Sanctification

 

Have you ever wished you had a greater capacity to take in God’s love and pour out God’s grace? Have you prayed with the psalmist that God would enlarge your heart? (Psalm 119:32) The more we dedicate ourselves to God, the more he can expand our capacity. The greater our capacity to display God’s glory, the more God’s glory will be revealed to the world until the earth is filled with his glory (Habakkuk 2:14).

In Deuteronomy 14, God’s holy people were instructed to eat clean food and live holy lives. In the same way, we as New Testament believers must walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1). We must walk with God according to the measure of our faith, not beyond our own measure. However, our capacity for faith can continue to expand through our continuous dedication to God.

 

Holy people live holy lives and eat holy food.

The first topic addressed in this chapter is the topic of cutting. Deuteronomy 14:1 says, “You are the sons of the Lord your God. You shall not cut yourselves or make any baldness on your foreheads for the dead.”[1] Cutting oneself or shaving one’s forehead was practiced by idolaters in Canaan. God did not want his people to participate in this idolatrous practice. Instead, he wanted them to remember they are chosen by God: "a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." (Deuteronomy 14:2). But what practical spiritual meaning does this have for Christians today?

When we as Christians do sinful, unclean things, it’s as if we are cutting our souls. We harm ourselves and hinder our spiritual growth. Sometimes, our sins even cause physical pain.

In my job translating subtitles, I have watched many movies and TV dramas. When I was a young Christian, I wasn’t bothered by foul language or the sensual images that I saw while translating these movies. But as I grew spiritually and God’s calling on my life became more clear, I began to feel conviction. God was raising the bar for my sanctification. I started to feel uncomfortable when I heard foul language on the movies. But because this was my job and it provided good income, I didn’t know what to do. I asked God for wisdom and guidance.

One day, I had a prophetic dream. I saw myself scrubbing green feces off my clothes, scraping them into the toilet. But the stains were very difficult to remove. I also saw a filthy pool up ahead. In the pool, a man was swimming while looking at his iPad or his phone. The pool was very dirty and disgusting.

In my dream, I heard the Holy Spirit speaking. Foul language contaminates our souls and is difficult to remove, just like the green feces on my clothes. Many people are completely immersed in the filth but can’t feel anything. This powerful image shocked me. I decided not to work on these tasks anymore. Although I suffered financial losses, I treasured a clean soul even more than my income.

We can try our best to pursue the gift of prophecy, but if our souls are contaminated by filthy pictures or words, we are harming ourselves, just like Deuteronomy 14 discusses. We are slicing and cutting our hearts and souls. Just like repetitive cutting causes scars and callouses, repetitively seeing filthy pictures and words can scar our imagination. We can become calloused to the point that we no longer clearly hear the words of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we want to pursue the gift of prophecy and hear the voice of God more clearly, we must keep our souls holy and undefiled.

How does the concept of "not shaving your forehead" relate to the Christian experience? Paul says that a woman’s hair is her glory (1 Corinthians 11:15). When a person shaved his or her forehead, they were unable to manifest the glory of God. Today, we can learn that we should manifest God’s glory everywhere we go. We must not fall short of the glory of God.

How can we do this? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” What we ingest can bring glory to God. Deuteronomy 14:3-20 distinguishes clean animals that can be eaten and unclean animals that cannot be eaten. As Christians, we’re aware that we not only ingest physical food, but we also ingest a steady diet of media and information. What we eat will eventually be integrated into our bodies or our souls. What are we feeding our souls? Are we binge-watching Netflix, or binge-reading the word of the Lord? Are we living by the word of the Lord, rather than by bread alone? (Matthew 4:4). Are we meditating on the Lord’s word and prayer, like chewing the cud? Are we chewing on the Lord's words in order to grow in sanctification? When we eat clean foods, we will naturally manifest God’s glory more.

The Israelites were not allowed to eat anything that had died naturally, but sojourners or foreigners could do so (Deuteronomy 14:21). How do we understand this? This is not difficult to understand. The more sanctified we are, the less comfortable we feel with eating unclean foods and doing unclean things. According to the New Testament, we must walk worthy of our calling.

Growing in our capacity

The second half of verse 21 says, "You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.” This verse is very puzzling. I’ll share my thoughts on this passage. The mother’s milk is used to feed the young goat. Using the milk to boil the goat violates a very basic and nurturing principle of life.

If you break the eggshell that protects the growing chick, you will kill it. When a chick hatches, it will peck through the eggshell by itself. In the same way, it’s cruel to use mother’s milk to boil a baby goat. You would be killing a young life with the food that should have been used to feed it.

In addition, boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk may have been practiced by the seven Canaanite nations while they were worshipping idols. Furthermore, this passage may be teaching a principle about spiritual immaturity. If an immature person stops drinking spiritual milk (1 Peter 2:2) and uses it incorrectly, they may die.

As Christians we must be true to ourselves and not pretend that we have reached a level of spiritual maturity that isn’t true. God permits us to serve God according to the measure of faith we have (Romans 12:3). Don’t be too eager to accomplish something that lies outside the capacity that you currently have (Philippians 3:16). Don’t pretend or lie. If we go beyond our capacity, we may burn ourselves out.

Ananias and his wife in Acts 5 pretended to be more dedicated to God than they actually were. God severely disciplined them. This is an extreme case, but it demonstrates that pretending does not please God. Peter told them that they didn’t have to give all the money from the property,  but they should not pretend they did.

In the same way, many Christians don’t want to tithe. If this is the case, they should pray and ask God for his help in this area. However, some Christians who have no desire to tithe still want to pretend that they love the Lord. This is wrong. It is hard to say that you love the Lord when you don’t tithe. The Lord Jesus clearly said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21). God does not want our tithe or money; he wants our hearts.

Many Christians say, “I don’t want to donate money. But I can provide free goods or services for the church, or actively preach the gospel.”

Is this considered a tithe or offering? God commands us to actively preach the gospel and serve the church, so this is still not a replacement for tithing. God wants you to tithe to help you overcome your love of money.

If you’re struggling with tithing, tell God honestly, “I really can't overcome the love of money. I can't do it now. God, please expand my capacity slowly.”  This pleases God. God will help expand your measure gradually. As God expands your capacity to give, you will begin to tithe willingly, from the heart.

In Choo Nam’s book, Heaven is So Real, Choo Nam shares her thoughts on tithing. She says God told her that if Christians don’t tithe, they will be disciplined for their disobedience.[2] I believe that this testimony is true. But even if it is not, we should still tithe according to the principles given in the Bible.

I know how hard it is to do this! Many Christians may not be capable of tithing. But if we really love God, our values will change and this practice will become easier. We will overcome the love of money until we love God even more than we love money.

Tithing is just the beginning.

Deuteronomy 14:22-29 also teaches additional principles about giving to support the Levites including tithes. Tithing is only one step towards sanctification. God wants us to give above and beyond tithing.

How much should a New Testament Christian give? Watchman Nee said that in the New Testament we should give 100%, not 10%. Because Jesus bought us with His blood, we all belong to Him. We belong to God 100%. After we give everything to God, we then appropriate some of His abundance to use in our daily lives. He also said we should “…follow the word in 2 Corinthians 9:7, which says that each person should give according to the order of God. He may donate a half, a third, a tenth, or a twentieth of his income.” [3]

If you understand this spiritual principle, you can understand the mistakes made by the Israelites, especially the Pharisees. They believed that once they tithed, their money was theirs to use as they wished. Since they had already tithed, they saw no need to financially support their parents. The Lord Jesus said, "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." (Luke 11:42). The Pharisees thought that tithing was enough. They completely misunderstood God’s purposes in the area of tithing.

God’s work is constantly expanding in capacity. In the Old Testament, the Levites were set apart for the priesthood. In the New Testament, every Christian is a priest. Unbelievers are not set apart to God as priests. In the Old Testament, there was a difference between clean animals and unclean animals. But in the New Testament, God revealed to Peter that all foods were clean. The Gentiles were not accepted in the past, but they are accepted today.

Cleansing and sanctification is a process. Something that used to be unclean becomes clean. Someone who used to be rejected becomes accepted. God’s work is constantly expanding. We should never settle for the capacity, measure, or level of giving we currently have. We should always be open to more.

It is wrong to think that tithing is enough, or that the Levites are the only priests of God. The Levites were priests at first. Then all Israelites were priests to the Gentiles. Now, all Christians are priests. Non-believers who are currently not priests may be saved tomorrow and become priests of God as well.

God wants us to continually grow in sanctification so that more people, Jew and Gentile alike, will join God’s holy priesthood through Jesus Christ. It is never acceptable to say, “I already gave yesterday, so I don't need to give today.” You can’t say, “My spirit is saved and I am delivered from hell. I don’t need God’s continued sanctification, renewal, and change. I don’t need to offer my body as a living sacrifice.” It’s also wrong to say, “Since I’ve already given 10% to God, I can use the remaining 90% on myself.”

Instead, we must allow the life and glory of God to continue to expand our hearts. Giving 10% is only a foretaste. We need to dedicate ourselves 100% to God. Whether material tithing or spiritual dedication, there is a process of gradual and continual expansion.

If you say, “I can’t overcome the love of money today. I still can’t tithe,” look for light and inspiration in God’s word. Don’t simply read the text of the Bible. Instead, look for light and inspiration in its pages. God’s truth can illuminate the dark places in your heart and fill you with God’s light. The light of God’s word can impact you and shock you, leading to a breakthrough. If you say, “I still can't overcome the love of money,” pray and ask God to expand your capacity. God will certainly help you.

Growing in sanctification

How many Chinese are Christians? Is it one-tenth? This 10% who are believers represent the Levites. We are the first to be sanctified. We want to reflect God’s glory so that more people can see His light and come to know Him. We must experience renewal and change in order to manifest God’s glory more and more. We must experience more sanctification so that more Chinese people can be sanctified.

Tithing is just one example of sanctification. If we are unable to surrender to God in these practical ways, God will not occupy a very big space in our hearts. It will be difficult for God to manifest Himself through us. We will hinder God's work of sanctification, both in our own hearts and in the hearts of others around us.

It is important for us to obey God externally, but it is even more important for us to obey God on the inside. If we are willing to surrender to God in tithing, this proves that our love for God surpasses our love for money. Our giving not only supplies funds for the work of God, but it also shows that we are free from the love of money. This allows God’s presence and glory to shine through us.

Expectations for Chinese Christians

If we want to change China today, we must start with ourselves as Chinese Christians. We can start by obeying God, allowing God to change us, tithing, dedicating ourselves to God, and growing in sanctification. You and I cannot do this on our own, but we can pray to God and ask for His help. Only when we ingest God’s word can real change happen. We must take in God’s word, chew on it, and allow it to change us and others around us.

When we live in the Holy of Holies, we can bring others into the very presence of God. If we live in the outer courtyard, we can only bring others into the outer courtyard. The degree to which we experience sanctification and closeness to God determines the degree to which we can bring others close to God. We must increase our dedication, expand our capacity, become more holy, and manifest God’s glory.

I shared this message in a Chinese Bible meeting, but the same principles apply to every Christian. If Christians in the United States continue to sanctify themselves and dedicate themselves to the Lord more and more, it will bring about social changes.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

[2] Choo Thomas, Heaven is So Real! (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2003), 213.

[3] Watchman Nee, Watchman Nee's Testimony (Anaheim, CA, 1991), 29.

Spiritual Encounters with Chinese Jews

Spiritual Encounters with Chinese Jews

By Sean Song

 

Since the beginning of my prophetic dreams in 2015, I frequently have been taken in the Spirit to China to meet various people. In these encounters, I observed services and meetings of Chinese believers. I also traveled to different cities to meet all kinds of people. Many of these encounters were accompanied by a mysterious person. I believe it was either the Holy Spirit or angels that took me on these trips. During several of these trips, I encountered descendants of Chinese Jews, and this stunned me. I was even told in several dreams that I personally am a descendant of a Chinese Jew. After praying about these encounters, I believe God is prophetically calling the remnants of the Jews in the East to be part of the great revival that is to come in China, and the future revival to the Middle East and Israel.

 

Encounters with Chinese Jews

I have never personally met any Chinese Jews nor am I aware of any possible connections with my own Jewish heritage, so these encounters shocked me at first. However, I will let these dreams speak for themselves. They are recorded below in chronical order.

 

On May 19^th, 2016, I dreamt of visiting a few different places, one of which was my hometown village. In this dream, the mysterious person who accompanied me told me that the two daughters from my uncle’s family are Jewish descendants. Their father is my father’s cousin. Their grandfather is the older brother of my grandfather. I grew up with these two ladies in the same village. Naturally, I was surprised after being told about their Jewish heritage. I wondered if I was also a Jewish descendant. Just then my grandmother (my father’s mother) appeared and told me that one of our ancestors is a Jewish woman. My grandmother also mentioned that one of our male ancestors was a sinful man who committed sinful acts with this Jewish woman. My grandmother did not mention the identity of this man, but I made note that she specifically said we were born of a Jewish woman and are therefore Jewish descendants according to Jewish tradition.

 

Right then, the two small Jewish girls appeared in my dream, but I conversed with them as if I did not know where they came from. I left them my US phone number and asked them to visit me if they ever came to America. Then my third aunt (my father’s younger sister) appeared in the dream, and we started to discuss the heritage of these two Jewish girls. I said to my aunt, “These two Jewish girls do not look Jewish at all, do they?” I meant that they looked more Chinese in appearance. I continued speaking to my aunt, “You look more like a Jewish person or foreigner than them!” Upon saying this, her face suddenly impressed me. I noticed that her face did have foreign or non-Chinese features to it. When I woke up from the dream, I was reminded that in real life, my aunt’s appearance is indeed different than the normal Chinese people I grew up with.

 

On October 22, 2016, I was taken in a dream to another place in China to participate in a service with a lot of people. When the service was about to close, I noticed two Jewish rabbis. One was young and the other old. The younger rabbi started in a closing prayer. Although I don’t understand Hebrew, I knew in the Spirit that he was praying in Hebrew. His prayer seemed so cumbersome though. When he was halfway finished, he asked to restart his prayer and the older rabbi agreed to let him pray again. I did not know what he was praying about, but I felt he was learning to pray or minister under the older rabbi. It was clear, however, that he was not very good at it.

 

On April 26^th, 2017, I was taken to Beijing. Most of my encounters with people there were with Chinese Christians. One man interestingly told me he was a descendant of the Jewish people. I boldly commented back to him in the dream, “Me too. I have always thought that I was one of the descendants of the ten lost tribes of Israel. I am also a Chinese Jew.”

 

On September 4, 2017, I dreamt I was taken to my childhood village. There I encountered another villager who claimed to be a Chinese Jew. I have never met this person in real life. To my surprise, he told me in English that he was Jewish. Of course, his identity stood out to me because of the several dreams I had prior about my Jewish lineage. Before I knew it, I was interviewing him in Chinese. He said he became a Red Revolutionist in his lifetime, and he loved China. Nonetheless, he was happy to tell me about his Jewish identity and eventually his life story. He wanted his story to be passed on to next generation. This was why I was asked to interview him.

 

The Amazing Stories of the Kaifeng Jews

At first, these dreams puzzled me because I was not aware that any Jews lived in China before the twentieth century, nor did I think I had any personal connection with them. I knew that many Jewish people fled from Europe to China during World War II to escape Nazi rule, but I was not aware of any Jewish communities in China before that. Therefore, I started to search the internet for Chinese Jewish communities. I found stories about a group of descendants named the Kaifeng Jews who were immigrants who lived in China. A small group of them eventually moved back to Israel in 2016. However, due to Israel’s immigrant policy and the fact the Kaifeng Jews were almost assimilated into Chinese culture, they had to formally convert to become Jewish.

 

I went on to read more stories of the Kaifeng Jews, and what I found was astonishing to me. When the Italian Jesuit priest, Matteo Ricci went to China in 1582, he found favor with a Chinese emperor. At the time, one of the Kaifeng Jews, Ai Tian, had gone to Beijing to take the imperial examination. While there, he heard that someone from the West believed in the same monist God that he did, so he went to visit Matteo Ricci. Upon seeing a picture of Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist, he misinterpreted it as Rebecca and her two sons. He thought Matteo Ricci was a Jew, and Matteo Ricci thought Ai Tian was a follower of Nestorianism, which came to China in the sixth century.

 

Later, Matteo Ricci found out Ai Tian was a Jew, and this is when the West discovered the Chinese Jewish community that had been in China for over 1000 years. The Kaifeng Jews started to live in the city of Kaifeng since at least the Song dynasty (AD 960-1279). Ricci and Ai Tian started having more interactions, and Matteo Ricci wanted to convert them to Christianity. Ricci even tried to find their Torah to prove that European Jews tampered with the manuscript regarding the coming of Jesus. To his dismay, the Kaifeng community did not convert to Christianity and the Torah they found among Kaifeng Jews was the same as the European manuscripts used at that time. Ricci’s people did take advantage of the opportunity to record a drawing of their temple along with many other stories. Several stones in Kaifeng describe how the Chinese Jews came to China. One of the stones suggests that some Jews received divine instruction to come to China even though many scholars suspected they came either by the Silk Road or Sea Route for doing business. Through historical records, we know the Kaifeng city was flooded and invaded many times during and after the Song dynasty, and many Jews fled North. Their community started to dwindle, and all their manuscripts were sold to western missionaries. One reason for this was also because the old rabbi there died, and his son was unlearned in Hebrew and other traditions.

 

An Unexpected Journey of Emotional Healing

The dream I had earlier about the two rabbis makes more sense in light of the history of the Kaifeng Jewish community. I was not aware of the historical reality of the older rabbi who died and his younger son who was inept to carry on Hebrew tradition. Although I still don’t know about any personal familial connection to the Kaifeng Jews, my hometown was only 196 kilometers north of Kaifeng. My village is one village away from the boarder of the Henan province where Kaifeng is. My grandmother was born in the village that bordered the Henan province. Though it’s now part of another province, our hometown was part of the Henan province (before the 1900s) that now governs Kaifeng.

 

Interestingly, one famous Chinese celebrity, Song Dandan, openly claims that she may be a descendant of the Kaifeng Jews. Her mom is from the Henan province where Kaifeng resides. She explained that she was bullied as a child because her skin was white, and her nose was pointy. She hated the fact that her skin was so white. She was even given the nicknames “Romania girl” and “golden monkey.” Her experience is not unique. As I grew up, I realized that my skin was whiter and more different than some of my villagers and classmates. One student always picked on me for this. He gave me the nickname “little white face” which in Chinese represents a man who sells himself to women to survive.

 

I really hated that name and I asked him to stop, but he wouldn’t. I had fights with other students who beat me up. This emotional trauma caused me to hate my skin color. I wanted to be black or darker. I tried to tan myself, but that did not work. I later read news that one can have lighter or white skin color due to premature birth. This worsened my perspective and caused me to believe I was born prematurely. I even asked my mother if this was true. Although she denied it, I still believed the lie that I was born weak. I likened “blackness” or “darker skin” to “strong” and “powerful,” while “white” meant “pale” and “weak.” I even recall discussing with a female high school classmate our desire to swap skin color because she was not happy with her dark skin, and I was not happy with my lighter skin. This was a large emotional burden I carried growing up. Years later I told this story to my African American fitness coach in Washington DC, and he laughed at me for being discriminated against for my "whiteness" in China. We soon became friends.

 

I don’t have evidence that I am also a descendent of any Chinese Jews besides what has been revealed to me in these dreams. I even did a DNA test once and it only shows I am Chinese. However, if my dreams are true, this could be emotionally healing to me. I felt so awful about myself and my skin color when I was a child. It would be comforting if I did have some Jewish lineage and to know I was not born prematurely.

 

A Prophetic Remnant

I don’t think these prophetic dreams are solely personal. They are also meant to sound a prophetic bell for the end age. Isaiah 43:5 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.” (NRSV) God is calling His remnants from all over the world to come back to Israel. Even though only a small number of Chinese Jews embarked on a journey to become a Jew by conversion, I feel there are more descendants of Jews spread among the Chinese that may not be aware of it at all. Take me for example. As a Chinese person, I never thought of the remnants of Jews in China until I had these prophetic dreams. Whether man knows it or not and whether the world acknowledges it or not, the Lord knows His people and is calling His people back to Israel and Himself. I recall other encounters with Jesus like when I received my calling to be part of the coming Chinese revival, and I felt then as I do now that God is calling His remnant of people in China to be converted to Christians.

 

One of the Chinese men I encountered in these dreams was a brother who served in a church. He also told me he is a Chinese Jew. Many Jewish people from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union converted to Christianity because they did not have a strong religious mindset. Yet, they became a very important part of the churches in modern Israel when they immigrated to Israel. Likewise, I feel some of these Chinese Jews will become Christians too. Lest I forget that I was also shown in another prophetic dream that the great revival coming to China will eventually spread to the Middle East. I also believe many Chinese Christians will be sent out as missionaries to Muslim countries and Israel. Among them, it’s possible that Jewish descendants may come back to Israel in a different way. Maybe they will be part of the end of age revival in Israel and help usher in the return of Jesus Christ.

 

How exciting it is to imagine and see Israelite families saved. Though there are different ideas about how the whole household of Israel will be saved, I believe there will be a great revival in Israel in the end age. I hope the descendants of Chinese Jews play their parts in it. If it is true that God divinely instructed some Jews to go to China, there must be a great plan of God for them in the end of this age.

 

Bible Study with Jairus -1 Corinthians 10

Bible Study with Jairus -1 Corinthians 10

 

In 1 Corinthians 10, we read a beautiful description of Jesus’ presence with the Israelites in the wilderness. The verse says that the Israelites “all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ."[1] (1 Corinthians 10:4, ESV)

 

This verse is beautiful, but it puzzles me. Why couldn’t the Israelites sense the presence of Christ, their spiritual Rock? Even now, looking back on the wilderness wandering accounts, we as believers don’t recognize the presence of Jesus with the Israelites. How could Paul be so confident that He was really with them?

 

Perhaps the Israelites were unable to see Jesus walking with them, just like the disciples did not recognize the resurrected Christ the first time they saw him. Whether walking to Emmaus or fishing on the seashore, the disciples had a hard time recognizing the resurrected Christ. Perhaps in the same ways, the Israelites were unable to recognize Christ, the spiritual Rock who accompanied them.

 

Eyes to See

We don’t directly read in the Old Testament that the spiritual Rock that followed the Israelites was Christ. The Israelites themselves couldn’t feel His presence. They did not believe. They rebelled, worshiped idols, were sexually immoral, tested Christ, and complained. They didn’t trust his presence with them. Just like the disciplines were unable to see the resurrected Christ when He was walking with them to Emmaus, the Israelites were also blinded. For various reasons, they were unable to recognize Christ as he walked with them to the Promised Land.

 

When the Lord Jesus explained the prophecies about himself to the disciples on to the road to Emmaus, their hearts burned within them. When He broke the bread during their meal with him, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. The story of the Lord walking with the disciples to Emmaus and opening their hearts and eyes is a beautiful picture of the spiritual Rock described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10.

 

The Israelites in the wilderness needed their eyes to be opened to the presence of Jesus, who had been there all along. The Israelites could not have deep fellowship with God or recognize his presence, because they were communing with demons and living in greed, immorality, and idolatry.

 

Paul warned the believers in Corinth to learn from the Israelites’ mistakes. The Corinthians in Paul’s day were falling into the same trap. They needed to let go of their fellowship with demons and idols and embrace constant fellowship with the body and blood of the Lord. Only then would their minds and spiritual eyes be gradually opened so they could recognize the Lord's presence among them.

 

 

The same is true for Christians today. The resurrected Christ has been among us this whole time, but we often don’t recognize his presence. We must sever our attachment to our idols and increase our connection with Jesus’ body and blood. As we do, Christ’s presence will fill our lives. Our minds and spiritual eyes will be gradually open, and we will see the resurrected Christ.

 

Seeing Spiritual Reality

In verses 1-4, Paul draws back the curtain and shows us what was going on behind the scenes during the wilderness wanderings. The Old Testament record tells us the daily events that happened in the physical realm. But in 1 Corinthians, Paul reveals what was happening in the spiritual realm—things that the Israelites could not see and that we can’t read about in the Old Testament text.

 

Why could Paul see this spiritual Rock, but the Israelites couldn’t? Paul says, “The natural person is not able to understand all things because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15). Paul is a spiritual person, so he can perceive these spiritual realities.

 

What Paul described in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 is a spiritual reality. He is not just inventing a parable or metaphor. Instead, he’s revealing the behind-the-scenes reality. When the Israelites were traveling through the sea and following the cloud, they were being baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. That is the spiritual reality. When the Israelites ate manna and drank water from the rock, they were eating spiritual food and water. This spiritual water came from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock is Christ (verse 4).

 

Let’s focus on the word, “followed,” a word that the Holy Spirit highlights when we read this passage. How exactly did Christ follow the Israelites? Did the Israelites carry a rock, just like they carried the ark of the covenant?

 

No, I don’t believe they did. Paul says that Christ was the spiritual Rock that followed them. Paul never says that he was visible. Most likely, he was an invisible spiritual Rock. When Moses struck the rock as the Lord commanded, perhaps this spiritual Rock joined with the physical rock to produce water.

 

In the material realm, the Israelites saw Moses striking a physical rock. They saw water gushing out of a physical stone. But in the spiritual realm, the water was spiritual water gushing out of Christ, the spiritual rock.

 

An example may help you understand. When we lay hands on people and pray in church, the action means much more than simply placing hands on someone’s head. Instead, it means that Jesus Christ is spiritually placing his hands and his power on someone’s life. Many people who have prophetic gifts and gifts of healing testify that the Lord can lay hands through our hands to heal the sick. These gifted people sometimes can see into the spiritual realms. But since we don't have our spiritual eyes open, we often can’t see these spiritual realities. It’s important to open our spiritual eyes and our minds.

 

A Veiled Heart

In verses 5-11, Paul described a veil that covered the Israelites’ hearts. The people were full of greed, idolatry, immorality, and grumbling. They tempted Christ and distrusted his promises. They were disciplined, and their hearts were covered with a veil of darkness and confusion. The veil over their hearts kept them from seeing Christ, the spiritual Rock that was following them. Paul says that “to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.” (2 Corinthians 3:15-16).

 

If we still can’t understand that Christ was the spiritual Rock who was following the Israelites, then there’s a possibility that we have a veil over our hearts, just like the Israelites in the Old Testament. Sins like idolatry and greed blind our hearts to God’s presence. Like the disciples walking to Emmaus, our minds need to be opened by Christ so we can see Christ in the Old Testament. The breaking of bread, which is fellowship with Christ’s blood and body, opens our spiritual eyes so we can see the spiritual rock in the Old Testament.

 

When Christ opens our eyes, we can also see that the resurrected Christ is with us in our lives today. Christ was not only with the Israelites in the Old Testament, but he is with us every day (Matthew 28:20). How many Christians can truly see the resurrected Christ? Often, our hearts and minds are blinded and veiled by idols and sins. We need to sever our relationship with idols and strengthen our fellowship with Christ's blood and body. Then, our eyes will be opened to see the presence of the resurrected Christ.

 

The Way of Escape

1 Corinthians 10:11-13 says, "Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

 

Here, Paul encouraged the Corinthians to learn from the history of the Israelites. God allowed trials that would test the Israelites and see if they would remain true to him. When prophets performed signs and tried to convince them to worship false gods, the Israelites were being tested (Deuteronomy 13:1-4). Would they remain true to God?

 

In the same way, the wilderness wanderings were a test for the Israelites. A test is not an end, but a means. The purpose of the test is to make our faith more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7).

 

Rather than passing the test through faith, the Israelites stumbled and rebelled. Paul challenged the Corinthians to respond differently to their trials. The culture of Corinth provided a test for the Corinthians. Their city was full of immorality and idolatry. Would they stay true to God?

 

Paul promised that their tests would not be more than they could bear. The trials would not overtake them. God would provide a way of escape, according to their ability. He will do the same for us.

 

What is this way of escape? Paul explains this concept in verses 14-22. We can escape sin when we cut off our fellowship with idols. First Corinthians 10:21 says, “You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” The essence of the table is fellowship. Paul asked the Corinthians to cut off their fellowship with idols. When someone is joined to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her. In the same way, when we are joined to the Lord, we become one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). We should not be unified with idols, but with Jesus.

 

Having fellowship with idols will put a veil in our hearts, making us unable to see the resurrected Christ. At the same time, our union with sin can increase our ability to perceive sins. As we fellowship with Christ through His blood and body (represented by the bread), we cleanse ourselves of sin, get rid of our filth, and become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). In this way, we cultivate an atmosphere of God's presence. This is the secret to opening our minds and spiritual eyes so we can see the spiritual Rock. He followed the Israelites in the Old Testament, he appeared as the resurrected Christ in the New Testament, and he is still with us today.

 

Seeing Christ in others

In verses 23-33, Paul discusses food sacrificed to idols. Paul says that in the Lord, all foods are clean. In one way, it makes no difference whether or not you eat a particular food. But Paul also explains that different believers have different weaknesses, temptations, and convictions.

 

One believer may have completely overcome the temptation to eat food sacrificed to idols, so they see no problem with eating meat. However, other believers came from an idolatrous family environment. They believe that once they are saved, they should never again eat food sacrificed to idols. Their consciences are weaker. Because of this, Paul recommends that stronger believers should not touch food sacrificed to idols. He asks the mature believers not to eat these foods so as not to hurt people with weak consciences.

 

A person who has recently been set free from idolatry is still operating in the “sin consciousness” thinking mode. Many new believers have the same experience. They feel like they’re walking on thin ice. They are very fearful of falling back into sin or stumbling back into the worship of idols.

 

When I first learned to drive, I was so nervous that I held the steering wheel with both hands. I wanted to avoid any and all potential danger. I was so afraid of losing control of the vehicle that I was hypervigilant. But once I got good at driving, I relaxed. I became so comfortable with driving that I sometimes use only one hand. Other people use no hands, and only nudge the steering wheel with their knees when they need to! In the same way, people with a weak conscience are very vigilant about avoiding sin, while people who are more mature feel more relaxed.

 

Mature believers know that God has cleansed every food and drink. They are not so worried about what they eat and drink. They are free from idolatry—so free that they don’t even let their thoughts be enslaved with worry about idols. Idols are nothing. Because God has made everything clean, these mature believers don't care about idols at all. These believers are operating in "God Consciousness" instead of “sin consciousness.” They neither worship idols, nor do they fear eating food sacrificed to idols.

 

Paul asks the believers to enter a third stage of Christian maturity, the "Brother Consciousness" thinking mode. Although they are no longer afraid of eating foods sacrificed to idols, they must consider the feelings of their weak brothers. They must love their neighbors as themselves.  They should avoid eating food sacrificed to idols so as not to become a stumbling block to their Christian brothers and sisters.

 

Let’s consider the driving parable again. I may be very good at driving, but I should still be vigilant and considerate around a student driver. I can drive very fast with one hand on the steering wheel, but I should be mindful and courteous of other drivers. If I see a student driver running a red light, I must stop at my own green light to avoid hitting him or her. Even though I am not required by law to stop at the green light, I do it out of respect to the student driver.

 

When we love our neighbors as ourselves, not only can we see the resurrected Christ, but we can also see Christ in others. The Lord Jesus said that we often focus on the speck in another person’s eye but ignore the log in our own eyes (Matthew 7:3). We often despise our weaker brothers, even though in heaven their angels always see the face of His Father who is in heaven (Matthew 18:10). Jesus said that it is better to hang a millstone around our neck and be cast into the sea than to cause our brothers to sin (Luke 17:2). Like the Corinthians, we are not only blind to Jesus’ presence with us, but we are often blind to his presence in others.

 

There is still racism in the church, which shows that we as believers are still living in our flesh, just like the Israelites in the Old Testament. It also shows that we may still have idols in our hearts. Our minds have not been opened, and we cannot see the resurrected Christ.

 

When our minds and spiritual eyes are opened, we will not only see the resurrected Christ, but we will also see Christ in our African American, White, Asian and Hispanic brothers. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." We must not regard anyone according to the flesh. Instead, we should see Christ in them. The first thing we should notice about a brother or sister in Christ is that Jesus is in them—not the color of their skin.

 

Paul's words are based on his experience. When he thought that persecuting Christians was the same as serving God, he was regarding Christ according to the flesh. But the Lord Jesus told him that persecuting Christians is the same as persecuting Him. We are all members of Christ’s body, and He is our head. Paul not only learned to see Christ differently, but he also learned to see His children differently. Paul deeply realized that in Christ, all believers are new creations! If we still see people based on their color of skin, we are persecuting Christ just like Paul once did!

 

To solve the problem of racism in American society, the church needs to be a role model.  When the church becomes spiritually mature, she will be able to see the resurrected Christ. She will be able to see Christ in other believers. Christians will be able to live in love.

 

All external efforts to solve racism are useless until we open our minds and spiritual eyes to see the resurrected Christ and the "resurrected Christ" in others. Only this can bring revolutionary change. That’s why Paul especially prayed for us believers "to have the eyes of our hearts enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18).

 

Unity and Love

In verse 32, Paul said, "Never be a stumbling block to the Jews, Greeks, or the church of God." This sentence reminds us of the theme of the whole book of 1 Corinthians: love and unity. Paul is not opposed to eating meat and speaking in tongues. But if he knows his action will make his brother stumble, he will not do it. This is the "brother consciousness" thinking mode I mentioned earlier. We must continuously grow spiritually, moving past the "sin consciousness" mode and even the "God consciousness” mode to reach the "brother consciousness" thinking mode.

 

No wonder some people say that if we love God, we will love others. The Lord Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40). The apostle John also said, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:20-21).

 

This is Paul's burden in 1 Corinthians 10. He encourages the Corinthians who are at odds with one another to choose love. When we free ourselves from idols and fellowship with the blood and body of Christ, God will open our spiritual eyes and minds. We will be able to see the resurrected Christ. Instead of looking at outward characteristics, we’ll see Christ in our brothers and sisters. As we regard people according to the spirit rather than according to the flesh, we will see each other differently. Only then will we be able to truly love each other.

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 9

Bible Study with Jairus – 1 Corinthians 9

 

One of the themes discussed in 1 Corinthians 9 is Christian love and care. Paul continues to emphasize these themes throughout the entire book of 1 Corinthians. Before we have the right to shepherd and discipline others, we must first demonstrate our love and care for them. A nursing mother who has tenderly nurtured her children will be respected when she disciplines and educates them. When we first demonstrate love to others, they will be more likely to accept our teaching and help.

 

This chapter describes how Paul seized the opportunity to shepherd the believers he did not know well. Some of the brothers and sisters in the Corinthian church had not been trained personally by Paul, so he had to make an investment of love before he could make a withdrawal of teaching and accountability.

 

Love is patient. Paul's definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is not just a theory, but a principle he put into practice with the Corinthian church.

 

Paul builds a relationship with the Corinthians

 

When we read the Bible, it’s important to understand the feelings of the people involved and the relationship between the speaker and their hearers. Some of Paul’s letters were addressed to people he had personally trained. These people listened to him and opened up to him because they had experienced his personal love and care. Perhaps the members of Chloe’s household mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:11 knew Paul personally. They informed Paul of the situation in the Corinthian church. But others in the Corinthian church may not have known him well.

 

A working mother who can’t be at home with her children when they are small allows others to raise them. In this case, the children often feel closer to the nanny than they do to their mother. In the same way, Paul was a traveling preacher who had not built a long-term relationship with the Corinthians. As a result, the Corinthians felt closer to Apollos and others than they did to Paul.

 

 

Some members of the Corinthian church may not have been saved through Paul’s ministry. They were likely not trained by him either. They criticized him as being “base among them in person " (2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV). The word "base” in the original text is translated as "humble" in some versions. But this translation does not reflect the meaning of the original text. The original word is ταπεινός (tapeinos), which means "humble" and "timid". The New International Version and the New Living Translation translate the word as "timid". The Chinese recovery version translates it as "base", in an attempt to express the derogatory meaning of the original word. According to the annotation in the Recovery Version, it says the word "base" connotes "the pagans’ disdain for the humble virtues of the Christians back then." The Recovery Version Bible doesn’t cite this quotation, so I don't know its origin. Although this word has different interpretations in translation, the controversy itself opens a window of understanding. This word may have different meanings that help us understand the passage.

 

Second Corinthians 10:10 makes it clear that these believers were critical of Paul. The Recovery Version reads like this: "Because while his letters, someone says, are weighty and strong, his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible." The Chinese Union Version says, “For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.’” Clearly, these believers were criticizing Paul. They refused to open their hearts to Paul. This was one of the main reasons for the strife and competition within the Corinthian church.

 

I once heard a story about a Chinese parent in the United States who sent her first child to live with her mother in China because she was busy with work and with her second child. After the child returned to the United States, the parents noticed a distance in their relationship. The child didn’t feel close to her parents. For years, her parents had been absent, and she had lived with a doting grandmother. Now, the child threw tantrums and gave her mother a lot of headaches.

 

This is a normal reaction. When children grow up with absent parents, they feel like they are abandoned. Their hidden anger eventually comes out. Since the parents are away for such a long time, the children no longer feel close to them.

 

The same principles apply to the Corinthian church. The Corinthian church was established by Paul through the preaching of the gospel, but not every believer in the Corinthian church was saved by Paul's evangelism. They were likely brought to salvation by Apollos and others.

 

More importantly, the people in the Corinthian church were spiritually immature, like babies. Paul, who compares himself to a nursing mother (1 Thessalonians 2:7), was often not around. Apollos and others took care of the Corinthians while he was gone. They were like foster mothers who nursed and nurtured the young church. The church began to feel distant from Paul and to feel close to Apollos and the others.

 

Paul opens his heart wide

 

Let’s return to our example of the child who was sent to China. It was understandable that she felt angry after returning to the United States. She didn’t understand why her parents had left her. So, what should her parents do? They should spend even more time caring for her. They should work towards developing a close relationship with her, built slowly over time.

 

Perhaps when the Corinthians criticized Paul, they were expressing their anger about his absence in their life. Paul loved the Corinthian believers, even though they criticized him. Since he wasn’t around much, he must have regretted the fact that he wasn’t able to be with them constantly to take care of them. When he heard their complaints, he didn't respond in anger. Instead, he encouraged them and showed his love for them. Paul responded like a loving parent who wants to reestablish a bond.

 

In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul opens up and shares his testimony. He tells the Corinthians how he was called by the Lord to be an apostle (verses 1-3), how he gave up his right as an apostle (verses 4-15), how God entrusted him with a stewardship (verses 16-23), and how diligently he is running the Christian race (verses 24-27). In other words, Paul is demonstrating the great sacrifices he has made for God’s calling, including sacrifices he’s made for the believers in Corinth. Paul wants them to know that the reason he is running around like this is because of God’s calling on his life. But it doesn't mean he doesn't miss the Corinthians or care about them.

 

For example, Paul gave up his right to be financially reimbursed for his gospel ministry so he would not burden the Corinthians (verses 11-15). This was one of the sacrifices he made for the Corinthians. Perhaps the Corinthians felt that Paul was doing nothing to shepherd them. But in reality, he made frequent sacrifices for their sake. The Corinthians needed to recognize the sacrifices Paul was already making.

 

Paul spoke openly about his sacrifices so that the believers could see the depth of his genuine care and love. Those who doubted his care could see the sacrifices he had made on their behalf. I believe these words may have eventually touched the hearts of some of the believers who were against Paul.

 

Spiritual growth: the antidote to competition

 

There was a lot of competition and immaturity in the Corinthian church. Because the church lacked spiritual authority and Paul and Apollos were not permanent pastors, everyone in Corinth was competing. Any church that lacks spiritual authority will experience the same conflicts. A church with spiritual authority guides its members toward good behavior and submission. But in a church without authority, no one submits to anyone. The only solution to this competitive rivalry is love, spiritual growth and maturity.

 

Paul opened up about his experiences for two reasons. Not only did he want to demonstrate his love for the Corinthian church, but he also wanted to teach them how to achieve spiritual maturity. Paul’s spiritual maturity came not only through his election to apostleship but also through his willingness to grow spiritually through suffering. When we learn to obey God in the midst of suffering, God will work in our lives to bring about spiritual maturity.

 

Even the Lord Jesus himself learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). Paul said that he had the right to eat and drink (1 Corinthians 9:4) and to marry (1 Corinthians 9:9:5), but he gave up these rights for the Corinthians’ sake. The Corinthians continued to live in "gluttony" (1 Corinthians 11:21-22) and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 7:2), but Paul let go of these fleshly needs for the sake of the gospel. Paul said, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:27).

 

Paul's struggle and surrender

 

True authority comes from God's calling and our surrender to God. That's why Paul said he had no choice but to preach the gospel. Because of God's calling, he felt “obligated to preach.” (1 Corinthians 9:16 BSB) All who are called by God go through the process of struggle and surrender. Paul was no exception. While we don't know exactly how Paul struggled, we can see glimpses of the struggle in 1 Corinthians 9. Paul said, "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship.” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).

 

To some, this verse is confusing. Is Paul still struggling with God's calling? Perhaps he is. He used to be an active persecutor of Christians among the Judaists, a religious leader with very high status. Accepting God’s calling was equivalent to betraying his social class. He would also face great persecution. That’s why Paul may have wavered and struggled with God’s call on his life.

 

But in the end, Paul surrendered to the Lord. In the same way, our surrender to God's calling is the source of our authority and power! Paul exhorts the Corinthian believers to surrender more completely to the Lord and to submit to one another. As we do this, we as believers will unlock the authority and power of the Lord!

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 34-Entering Our God-Given Destiny

Entering Our God-Given Destiny

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 34

 

Have you ever thought that God’s rules and boundaries were limiting you? We may think that God’s borders are hemming us in. But in reality, the boundary lines God gives us are far greater than the boundary lines we have already reached. May God give us the courage, faith, and hope to reach the full measure of what he has in store for us. May we pray like Jabez - “May God enlarge our borders.” God will grant what we ask.

 

Spiritual Stagnation

 

Numbers 34 contains two key stories. In the first story, the Lord told Moses about the boundaries of Israel. In the second story, the Lord told Moses the list of leaders of the nine and a half tribes participating in the division of the land.

 

When you compare the map of the land that God promised to the Israelites with the land they actually occupied, you will find a surprising contradiction. God promised the Israelites land in the northeast, rather than the land on the east side of the Jordon occupied by Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh occupied land in the southeast after the Israelites defeated the Amorites and Ammonites. After seeing the land’s beauty, they did not enter Canaan, the land promised by God. They wanted to stay on the other side of the Jordon and pasture their large herds and flocks.

 

How did God feel about this choice? In the Scripture, God neither praised nor blamed them. He just kept silent. Moses was initially angry about this choice, but later accepted it. God promised  the land of Canaan, not this land. Although Moses tacitly consented to this plan, it was not ultimately God's will.

 

I believe these two and a half tribes missed out on God’s blessings. When they chose to stay in the land on the east side of the Jordon, they showed they were satisfied with the victory God had already given. They chose to stagnate in the achievement they’d already made. In Numbers 32, they asked Moses to give them "the land that the Lord struck down before the congregation of Israel.” (ESV Numbers 32:4)[1]. They admitted that the Lord had helped them acquire the land and achieve victory in battles. But they were unwilling to continue to risk or to enter the Promised Land. They underestimated God's promise.

 

Aren’t many Christians today the same? They are satisfied with the measure of spiritual success they’ve already attained. They know that they believed in the Lord and will go to heaven. That’s good enough for them. With this mindset, you will miss out on so many beautiful things worth learning, exploring, and working hard on. You miss out on many spiritual battles God wants you to win. Don’t stagnate where you are! Move forward into the fullness of God’s plans for you!

 

Entering God’s Destiny

 

The Israelites never reached their full potential. They never occupied the full extent of the land that God had promised them. Even during the time of David and Solomon, Israel never expanded fully into the boundaries God had promised. These boundaries - borders – represent the measure of destiny and blessing given to us by God. Many people are concerned about not going beyond the boundaries God has set for them. True, God sets limits in our lives to keep us safe. But for most people, the problem is not that we go too far. For most of it, we fail to expand into the full measure of God’s expectations and promises for us.

 

God has given us each a measure of grace. Paul specifically said "Don't boast beyond your measure." (2 Corinthians 10:13). But many times, people use this verse as an excuse to think small. Rather than pursuing God's calling and gifts, they confine themselves to a small measure God never intended for them. Only after arriving in heaven will people discover just how big were the blessings God had in store for them in this life, and just how few of them they have achieved.  I often pray that when I stand before God, my Heavenly Father will praise me with the words: “YOU OUTDID YOURSELF.” I want to live out God’s destiny and calling for me, even "going beyond" my own measure. This is my prayer.

 

God had assigned boundaries to each of the twelve tribes through drawing lots. Drawing lots may seem like pure chance, but it represented God’s decision. He drew boundary lines according to the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of the tribes. Nevertheless, God still gave the tribes a certain amount of freedom. For example, Caleb could choose to conquer the lands occupied by the toughest enemies.

 

God has given us grand and glorious promises! He wants us to understand the full extent of his blessings. Paul prayed that believers would have “the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:18). We need God to open our hearts and eyes so we can truly grasp the greatness of the rich and glorious inheritance He has prepared for us! In the Old Testament, God gave the land of Canaan as an inheritance. In the New Testament, God has given believers the inheritance of riches in Christ and spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm! (Ephesians 1:3).

 

God Knows us Personally.

 

Did you get bogged down by reading all the geographical names and details of Israel, as well as the names of the tribal chiefs? These are not just useless facts. They show that God is intimately acquainted with each one of us. God is not distant, far away, and difficult to please. Instead, Jesus says, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10). We have personal access to his throne room.

 

Even if you feel far from God, your Heavenly Father is conversing with your guardian angels, asking how you are doing today, where you are going, and what kind of comforting and encouraging words you may need today. Our Heavenly Father frequently discusses these things with our guardian angels. David said that God’s thoughts towards us are more numerous than the sand of the sea (Psalm 139:17-18).

 

Malachi 3:16 shows us that God thinks about us. “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.” Not only are believers’ names written in the Book of Life, but our experiences and achievements are also recorded. For example, David wrote in Psalm 56:8, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" Our tears and our sufferings are all recorded in God’s book.

 

In addition, Revelation 20:12 records, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done." God will judge each of us according to what we have done.

 

The Spiritual Significance of Your Name

 

God knows us. Paul said, “If anyone loves God, he is known by God.” (1 Corinthians 8:3). God also knew each tribal leader personally, by name, and each of their names has a meaning. "Caleb" of the Tribe of Judah means "loyal dog," which is often extended to mean, "servant of God."

 

As we discuss the names of the other tribal leaders, I will quote my translation of a passage from the "Comprehensive Interpretation of the Bible" website:

 

“The names are listed in order of the tribes, from south to north according to the land allocated to each tribe (Joshua 14-19). Except for "Caleb" (verse 19), the names of the other nine leaders are completely different from those of the leaders 38 years before (Numbers 1:5-15). Even their fathers are not the previous leaders. God recorded the names of these people and used their names to clearly demonstrate the faith of the new generation before Him: "Shemu-El" or “ Samuel” means "God's name"; "El-Idad" means "My God has loved"; "Bukki" is the abbreviation of "Bukki-Ah" (1 Chronicles 25:4), which means "The Lord has proven" or " "The Lord has emptied"; "Hanni-El" means "favored of God"; "Kemu-El" means "raised by God"; "El-Izaphan" means "My God has protected"; "Palti-El" means "God’s deliverance"; "Ahihud" means "Brother of Praise"; "Pedah-El" means "redeemed by God".

 

“Among these ten leaders, Caleb was already 80 years old (Joshua 14:10). There are seven people with "El" in their names, indicating that these leaders may have been born before the Exodus. They were about 40-60 years old at this time. Only “Bukki” is possibly derived from the name "Jehovah", indicating that he was probably born after God revealed his name "Jehovah" to Moses (Exodus 3:15). He was likely less than 40 years old.” [2]

 

This quote explanation specifically notes the names of the leaders mentioned by God. Except for Caleb, this is an entirely new generation of leaders. Even their fathers have never been mentioned before. These are not the same tribal leaders recorded in Numbers 1. They are leaders of a new generation, raised up by God.

 

What an encouragement! Can you imagine a tribal leader claiming these promises for himself?  “Our ancestors failed and were unable to defeat the enemy. Our ancestors’ failure to enter the Promised Land does not necessarily mean that we, the next generation, will be unable to do so. They lost the spiritual battle, but that does not mean that we will also lose! God has raised up new leaders to lead the Israelites into spiritual battle! As the younger generation, we must rise up for battle, defeat the enemy, enter the Promised Land, and fulfill the spiritual destiny He has given us!”

 

Can you see the parallel to modern-day America? We face many enemies all around us, like the Israelites of old. The previous generation left these enemies undefeated and unconquered. Now, they are coming to control us! But this does not mean that we will be unable to conquer the enemy. We may feel suppressed, but this is not necessarily God's will for us.

 

Many Old Testament Israelite kings chose to follow God, even though their fathers did not worship Him. And God helped them defeat their enemies. The younger generation in the United States must do the same. We must believe that God will help us, and that no one can stop us. We must rise up for battle and defeat the enemy. God will certainly help us. May the younger generation of the United States rise up as leaders and defeat the enemies that their parents’ generation was unable to defeat!

 

God is our Loving Father

 

God often treats us like a parent would treat a child. He has blessings in store for us and expectations for us to complete. But he will not force us to comply with them or take the steps he wants us to take. If we choose to ask for God’s help to defeat the enemy, trying our best to enter into God’s destiny for us through faith and hard work, God will help us. But if we give up, saying we don’t care, God will not rescue us from our own mistakes. The Bible tells us that God is good (Luke 18:19), while the enemy only wants to steal, destroy and kill (John 10:10). We must engage in spiritual warfare and not give up so easily. We must fight for our God-given blessings and ministries.

 

In the genealogy of Judah in 1 Chronicles 4, the author makes special mention of Jabez. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 says, "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!’ And God granted what he asked.” The name Jabez in Hebrew means "sorrow.” His mother had a hard birth, so she named her son Jabez. There must have been many difficult experiences in Jabez's life. But he called on God, asking Him to enlarge his borders. He asked for God’s presence to be with him and keep him from harm. And God answered his prayer.

 

May God enlighten the eyes of our hearts, as Paul said in Ephesians, so that we can see just how great is the inheritance God has given us. May we enter into the full destiny that God intends for us. May we pray like Jabez, “Enlarge my borders!” God will surely answer our prayers!

 

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

[2] The Original is Chinese and the translation is mine.

https://cmcbiblereading.com/2015/05/11/%E6%B0%91%E6%95%B0%E8%AE%B0%E7%AC%AC34%E7%AB%A0%E9%80%90%E8%8A%82%E6%B3%A8%E8%A7%A3%E3%80%81%E7%A5%B7%E8%AF%BB/

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 33

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 33

 

At first glance, Numbers 33 seems like a confusing list of meaningless facts. “Pi-hahiroth, Baal-zephon, Alush, Rephidim…” Why would God include so many cities and place names that are difficult to pronounce? What is the point?

 

If we look more closely, we will understand the importance of these facts. If we were familiar with the geography of Israel, we would reflexively understand that the Israelites were going in circles. It was as if they were detouring from Florida to New York and back to Florida. Because of their disobedience, the Israelites were experiencing God’s discipline. To readers familiar with the geography of Israel, this detailed record of cities and place names would clearly demonstrate that the Israelites were wandering in mind-numbing circles.

 

Rather than being a pointless list of names, this passage serves as a warning to future generations. There is a high price to not believing in God and rebelling against Him. We must draw lessons from what happened to the Israelites. We must obey God and have faith in Him, so that we can avoid God’s discipline.

 

Wandering in the wilderness

 

Verse 1 says, “These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.”[1] In verses two through forty-five, forty-two different stations are recorded. Under normal circumstances, it takes only 11 days to travel from Egypt to the Promised Land. But it took the Israelites 40 years.

 

When the faithless spies gave a bad report to the Israelites, they became fearful and refused to go into the promised land. In response, God disciplined them. He told them they would wander in the wilderness for forty years. He said, “According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.” (Numbers 14:34).

 

There were two reasons that the Israelites were disciplined by God. First, they were unbelieving. Hebrews 3:19 says, "So we see that they were unable to enter [the Promised Land] because of unbelief." The second reason is rebellion. Ezekiel 20:13 says, "The house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules."

 

Discipline and Surrender

 

After the wilderness wanderings were over, the Israelites may have been tempted to boast in God’s miracles. They may have recounted the daily manna, water from the rock, and wonderful signs that God sent. They may have been tempted to paint a rosy picture of their time in the wilderness.

 

But in reality, the time in the wilderness was a time of judgment. There was much death, judgment, and discipline during the Wilderness Wanderings. God sent fire on Nadab and Abihu. The earth opened to swallow Korah. Fiery serpents bit the people. Plagues and fire destroyed them.

 

In the same way, many people try to focus on the blessings and protection of God during the coronavirus pandemic. We share stories of God’s protection and healing. But we should not forget that there has been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears during the pandemic. There has been death and discipline from God.

 

In American churches today, few people view the pandemic as God’s discipline. Since they have been hurt by legalism in the past, they reject all statements about discipline. Though the discipline of the Holy Spirit is a truth in the Bible, there are few people in U.S. churches that talk about this.

 

Some Christians say that God’s wrath has been poured out on the cross; therefore His wrath will not come to us again. This is correct. But it does not mean that God will not discipline or even judge us.

 

I am not saying that everyone who is infected with Covid is being punished for their personal sins. I acknowledge that many have been accidentally infected. Others have unfortunately passed away due to the infectious nature of the disease, not due to their sin. What I mean is Covid is a judgment for humanity as a whole.

 

1 Peter 4:17 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God." “Judgment” in Greek is κρίμα (krima). When we ignore the fact of the judgment of God, we don’t feel the need for introspection and repentance. Though some American Christians emphasize prayer and repentance, many others do not. The depth of repentance in American churches is far from ideal.

 

Many Christians and churches have not yet surrendered to God. God is dealing with the church as a whole because we have not yet reached the point of total surrender. What is surrender? What are the characteristics of surrendering to God? How can we surrender to God? It’s mainly through repentance and prayer.

 

 

The Wilderness Test

 

In our individual lives, we often face a wilderness period in our pursuit of the Lord. After tangibly experiencing the presence of God, we often feel like we have entered a pitch-black cave. We are wandering through a trackless wilderness. One day, it feels like God is with us. The next, we feel abandoned. We often pray to God to remove these problems, but to no avail. It seems like God has no response at all when we pray to Him.

 

Has God abandoned us? No. He is right there with us. He’s using this suffering and discipline to teach us to obey. It’s as if he’s hiding behind us, watching to see how we will react. If we surrender to God, we will meet Him. But if we don't, He will hide His face from us.

 

Let me tell you a story of my own spiritual wilderness period. I was facing a major problem in my life. All I could do was pray. I prayed every day for a month, asking God to help me solve it. I constantly repented, confessed my sins, and rededicated myself to Him, asking Him to help me solve this problem. Finally, God answered my prayer.

 

Immediately, I felt like I was beginning to come down from the spiritual clouds. In the Bible, clouds often represent God’s presence and the atmosphere of heaven. Before the problem was solved, I was constantly in God’s presence, begging for his help. It was as if I was in the clouds. When the problem was solved, I felt that the glorious clouds of God’s presence were gradually diminishing. I realized that the problem had been a blessing in disguise, because my difficulty had driven me into the presence of God.

 

Will we allow the difficult wilderness experience to push us towards God, or away from him? At present, the church and all of humanity are entering a wilderness period. We’re tempted to blame others instead of reflecting on ourselves and following God more closely. When the pandemic broke out, our first reaction was to blame other countries or certain political figures. I do not deny that certain countries and politicians do have certain responsibilities. But spiritually, the correct reaction is not to blame others, but to reflect on oneself before the Lord. Otherwise, the trial will drive us even farther away from God.

 

When we refuse to reflect and repent, God will allow us to stay in this spiritual wilderness for a long time. Rather than removing the difficulty you face, God may allow them to increase. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years! The more they rebelled against God, the more he disciplined them. If we refuse to repent, we should not be surprised if we hear another variant of coronavirus appearing again. Rather than blaming others, we need to allow suffering to bring us closer to God.

 

Light overcomes Darkness

 

When we experience discipline, we often feel that God has left us. This experience is not unique to us. Even the Lord Jesus felt this way. When God placed the sins of mankind on Jesus, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Although many people have different interpretations of this verse, it can remind us that Jesus understands our pain. We often feel that God has forsaken us, that He doesn’t answer our prayers, and that he doesn’t hear our cries. Jesus understands that sentiment.

 

Trials can bring us closer to God. When God temporarily hides Himself, we can remember that Jesus understands our pain. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The darkness will come to an end. The wilderness wanderings will eventually give way to the Promised Land. On the other side of our trials, we will meet God.

 

Darkness before Dawn

 

Numbers 33:1-49 recounts the 42 stations that the Israelites passed through as they journeyed in the wilderness. The last paragraph of the chapter records God’s instructions about idols. God told Moses that when the Israelites entered Canaan, they must destroy all the figured stones, images, and high places in the land (51-52), and take possession of the land (53), according to their clans (54). He reminded the Israelites that if they did not drive the Canaanites out, they would face the Lord's punishment (54-55).

 

The two sections of Numbers 33 are closely related. The people of God must be cleansed and dealt with in the wilderness. Only then will God provide victory over the enemy. God’s modus operandi is still the same today. The church seems to be undergoing discipline and cleansing through political persecution and the pandemic outbreak. As a result, God will soon usher in an era in which our idols and high places will be demolished. God's chosen people are almost ready to enter the Promised Land. God wants to call the American church to higher ground. He wants to be with us so that He can lead us to our spiritual destiny.

 

Many people say that the church is experiencing labor pains, the painful period that precedes a great rebirth. A great revival is coming. No one can stop its arrival. Although the enemy is strongly opposing God’s work, the child will surely be born. The church has reached the edge of the promised land. Like Israel, we’ve wandered around the wilderness, full of sadness and tears, but we are about to enter the land of Canaan. Though it seems like the power of darkness has triumphed, God’s army will enter Canaan to discipline them. Idols, images, and high places will be destroyed! This is the darkness before dawn. Daylight is near. We must be hopeful for the future. We must see the light through the dark clouds above us!

 

Conclusion

 

Discipline and judgment are a means, not an end. The purpose of discipline is to bring repentance and salvation. But we must submit to God's discipline. When God is disciplining us, we must learn to cooperate with His cleansing work through prayer, repentance, and confession.

 

God is dealing with the church’s sin as a corporate body. We must repent, not just individually but corporately.

 

We need to grow in our faith. Although there is darkness covering the earth, the Lord will bring light (Isaiah 60). We will rise as an army of light. Faith is all we need in this dark age. When we stand firm in our faith in God, we will usher in a bright future. God’s intentions are still good. Let us not become disappointed and discouraged.

 

May God bless you.

 

 

 

 

[1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 29-Understanding the Repetition in Numbers

Understanding the Repetition in Numbers

Bible Study with Jairus – Numbers 29

 

Significance in Repetition

A woman in our Bible study had a question in regards to why there are so many repetitions, especially with the number of calves, rams, as well as the number of matching grain offerings and other sacrifices. Seeing as the Bible is very concise, such repetition must have spiritual significance. I believe that these repetitions have deeper significance. The repetition of these sacrifices in chapters 28 and 29 illustrates a progressive change, which is a process from quantitative change to qualitative change. When we continue to add up the number of sacrifices (which indicates our spiritual practice and dedication), it will eventually bring about a qualitative change and thus bring about the completion of God's will. In the spiritual sense, the different arrangements of these festivals and sacrifices are the timelines set by God for the body of Christ to continue to mature. Jewish festivals are the prophetic foreshadowing of God's will and time for the body of Christ to reach maturity.

In order for us to have a better understanding of the repetitive and cumbersome numbers in chapter 29, we must pay attention to a spiritual principle, which is to distinguish between what changes and what is constant.  The Bible has a spiritual principle that what remains unchanged is God's nature, and what changes is God's leading. When we read the Bible, it helps to receive insight from gifted teachers of the Word to better understand God's character. We also need to seek the help of the Holy Spirit and the prophets in order to discover the living guidance of God.

 

The Nature of God

God's nature is unchangeable regardless of the history of heaven and earth because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  Jesus Christ is the complete manifestation of God; hence God is also eternal and unchanging. However, when reading the Bible, it appears that God changes often. Some truths were revealed one way in the Old Testament, but they are interpreted differently when the Lord Jesus Christ comes. For example, the Jews insist that no work can be done on the Sabbath, but Jesus heals the sick on the Sabbath. Why is that so? God's character or nature did not change. It is God's mercy that allows Jesus Christ to heal people on the Sabbath. Being merciful is God’s nature or disposition. However, since Jesus came, God’s leading or guidance changed because the Sabbath belongs to the law, and the law was meant to teach the children of Israel. This was the type of discipline needed by the Israelites when they were only children (Galatians 3:24). The law was intended to introduce Christ because the fulfillment of the law is Christ (Romans 10:4). When Christ came, there was no longer a need to be strict about the Sabbath. God’s compassion did not change, but God’s guidance has changed in different ages. 

 

Changes in Repetitions

Let’s take a look at the cumbersome numbers and repetitions in Numbers 29 with this principle in mind and see which ones are unchanged and which ones are changed.

 

What remains constant is that no matter how many bulls, rams, or male lambs were offered, the number of grain offerings associated with each sacrifice remains the same. For example, if you offer a bull calf, the amount of fine flour mixed with oil you have to offer as a grain offering is three-tenths of an ephah (Numbers 29:3). If you offer a ram, the fine flour mixed with oil you have to offer is two-tenths of an ephah, and a one-year-old male lamb is one-tenth of an ephah. In other words, the amount of fine flour required decreased with the size of the sacrifice (from largest to smallest, bull calves, and rams, one-year-old Lambs). This did not change. It is also recorded in Numbers 28.14, “Their drink offerings shall be half a hin of wine for a bull, a third of a hin for a ram, and a quarter of a hin for a lamb.” It can be seen that the amount of wine that is required for different sacrifices remains consistent.  Numbers 28:5 also mentions that for a one-year-old male lamb, a quarter of a hin of oil mixed with fine flour is also used as a grain offering. However, the amount of oil used in the relatively large sacrifices such as rams and calves is not mentioned. We can assume that some of them also increase correspondingly and are proportional to the size of the sacrifice. Another constant is that if another male goat is to be offered as a sin offering, this is another thing that doesn't change. This is the same in the spring festivals such as the Passover, Festival of Unleavened Bread, Fesitval of Firstfruits, and Pentecost. It is also the same in the fall festivals such as the Festival of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Festival of Tabernacles.

 

So what changes? The number of bull calves, rams, and one-year-old male lambs changed with different festivals. The quantities changed. Although the fine flour and wine offered by each sacrifice remained the same, the total quantity of fine flour and wine for grain sacrifice increased. In addition, the sacrifice of a male goat as a sin offering per worship remains unchanged. However, if the number of days of worship increases, the total number of male goats also increases. For example, suppose the Festival of Tabernacles is held for seven consecutive days (Numbers 29:12), and one male goat is offered as a sin offering every day. In that case, the total number of male goats becomes seven.

 

Increasing Sacrifices

The number of sacrifices steadily increased since chapter 28. This increase symbolizes that if we spend extra time in communion and prayer with God, we offer more spiritual sacrifices (represented by the sacrifices of cattle and sheep), which will create a more intimate relationship with God.

Numbers 28 begins with the daily sacrifice of a burnt offering of a one-year-old male lamb in the morning and evening. Every Sabbath has to have a sacrifice in addition to the daily burnt sacrifice. This principle applies to all subsequent festivals where sacrifices are offered in addition to the daily sacrifices in the morning and evening. Two extra male lambs are offered every Sabbath. At the beginning of every new month, on the seventh day of the Passover, on the seventh day of the month, on the Festival of Trumpets, and on the Day of Atonement, two bull calves, one ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs are offered. Moreover, in all of the following festivals beginning at the start of each new month, a male goat is added as a sin offering. This includes the Festival of Tabernacles. However, on the previous days and for every Sabbath sacrifice, no male goat is presented as a sin offering.

We could say that, in principle, the number of sacrifices increased according to the order of the festivals. However, this does not mean that there are no twists and turns.  For example, on Passover, a total of fourteen bull calves, seven rams, and forty-nine male lambs were offered for seven consecutive days. And in the latter days of the seventh festival, the Festival of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement, the sacrifice returned to a bull calf, a ram, and seven one-year-old male lambs. However, at the Festival of Tabernacles, the number of sacrifices increased dramatically. The Festival of Tabernacles was also a seven-day festival. On the first day, there were 13 bull calves, two rams, and 14 one-year-old male lambs. The number of rams and the number of one-year-old male lambs were the same every day during these seven days. However, the bull calves decreased every day. Starting from the first day to the seventh day, there were 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, and 1, respectively. Hence, the total number of bull calves in seven days was 71, the number of rams was 14, and the number of one-year-old male lambs was 98. So many sacrifices were offered during this festival!

 

Symbolic sacrifices

In the New Testament, it says that our sacrifices are our praise and prayer (Hebrews 13:15), which is symbolized by the sacrifices of cattle and sheep in the Old Testament. The more spiritual sacrifices we offer to God, the greater our intimacy with Him will be. This festival was set up for the Israelites by God, and the number of sacrifices offered was prophetic indicators. The more sacrifices we offer, the more mature we become spiritually. When the Israelites of the Old Testament continued to offer more sacrifices along with the changes of the festivals throughout the year, their actions pleased God.

In the New Testament, this is a spiritual representation. It is a picture of the spiritual maturity of the body of Christ. It can also symbolize the spiritual growth of individual believers. For example, at the beginning of a believer’s spiritual journey, they may offer very few sacrifices. They may not attend church much, give little tithes, do only a little ministry work for the Lord and pray infrequently. However, as they grow spiritually, they may attend church more, give more tithes, pray more and become more involved in ministry. As their spiritual life matures, they offer more spiritual sacrifices to God. These sacrifices may be offered through praying, serving, evangelizing, bearing fruit, or shepherding the church as well as many other areas. The body of Christ is made up of a group of believers, and as it grows spiritually, the more sacrifices they offer to God as a whole. One day, when the body of Christ is fully mature, she will present herself to God as a flawless bride. This is the greatest dedication and spiritual sacrifice.

 

Decreasing Sacrifices

During our study, we noticed that there was a small decline in the number of sacrifices on the Festival of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement and a large increase during the Festival of Tabernacles at the beginning of Numbers chapter 29. Why was there a temporary decline and then an increase afterward? My guess is that it is a sign that the church will also experience a decrease, weakness, and then revival. Our experience as Christians can be similar in comparison. When we first believed in God, we may have been very fervent for Him. However, our passion for God may slowly fade when we face the temptations of the world and cause us to leave our first love. Hence we need to continue to repent and deepen our dedication to the Lord so that we can always live in the fellowship and love of God. In other words, the growth of a believer’s spiritual life is often not a straight line but a process of arduous repetition and fluctuation.

A man in our Bible study asked why the sacrifices for the last eight days of the Festival of Tabernacles decreased every day. I replied that sacrifices are means, and worshiping God is an end, so that is the result. Over the years, many people have focused on the means or the process but ignored the results or the end. For example, fasting and prayer are means. The Pharisees fasted and prayed but were criticized by the Lord because they exalted these means and did not get actual results. David also said at the beginning of Psalm 51 that God would not delight in sacrifice; otherwise, he would offer it. Later on, David also said that God does not despise a broken spirit and a contrite heart. This was the spiritual sacrifice. In the end, David said that he would offer sacrifices in Jerusalem. When we have a contrite heart in addition to sacrifices, it is the unity of our outward form and inward content.

 

Freedom in Christ

Israel had already offered more than seventy bulls at this time for the Festival of Tabernacles and could not offer them endlessly. At the same time, the purpose of sacrifice is to form a habit, just like our various spiritual practices in the New Testament. The goal is for us to establish a spiritual habit. After we have established strong spiritual discipline, we can experience freedom in the Holy Spirit.

There is a quote by Confucious that creates a good picture to explain our Christian experience of spiritual freedom. Confucius said, “ At fifteen, I had made up my mind to give myself up to serious studies. At thirty, I had formed my opinions and judgments. At forty, I had no more doubts. At fifty, I understood the truth in religion. At sixty, I could understand whatever I heard without exertion. At seventy, I could follow whatever my heart desired without transgressing the law.”[1]

This means that by the time he reached 70 years old, he would be free from the outward rules. Even though in Chinese culture, we did not have the law of the Old Testament like the Jews, a lot of Biblical wisdom can be found in the writings of Confucius. To mature in living in the Spirit, as Romans 8 talks about, we must build up healthy spiritual habits and continue to exercise these habits as Confucius did. If we keep exercising our spiritual muscles, we will eventually be set free from the law be able to overcome in Christ. This is what Paul talked about in Romans 8.

 

When I first became a believer, I read three chapters of the Old Testament and one chapter of the New Testament every day according to the teachings of the Local Church Movement so that I could finish reading the Bible once a year. In addition, I read Witness Lee's Life Study every day so that I could complete all of the 1,984 lessons in five years. I persevered and continued to read according to this schedule. My wife saw me reading like this every day, and yet after reading, my spiritual life did not change much. Seeing that I didn't have any revelation when I read the Bible, she joked, saying, "An apprentice monk reciting scriptures/saying what one does not mean.” This is a famous saying among Buddhists to make fun of monks who are not very gifted and devoted to the study. What she meant was that I was simply reading for the sake of reading. Her comments didn’t bother me, and I continued to persevere and read the New Testament and the Old Testament once a year and insisted on finishing all of the Life Study messages within five years. I also read other spiritual articles on a regular basis.

One day when I was leading our Bible study, my wife was surprised to find that the Holy Spirit often spoke revelation from the Bible through me. She asked me why the Holy Spirit spoke through me so often. I told her it was because I persevered and continued reading the Bible and other spiritual articles and offered my sacrifices every day. Hence day by day, I accumulated quantitative changes, and after some time, a qualitative change occurred. This is a spiritual principle. Anyone who perseveres as I did will experience qualitative change because God takes delight in those who persevere. God will reward us in His timing. The result of my perseverance was that when the time came, the Holy Spirit started to give me revelation through my accumulation of reading.

 

Spiritual Exercises

A woman in our Bible study said that her daughter was anxious about her exams, so we talked about how to help her handle her anxiety. I told her that everyone experiences anxiety, but the key is to learn spiritual exercises such as calling on the name of the Lord and exercise finding peace by living in the Spirit. Anxiety is a sign that we are not communing with God. Communion with God brings peace, and we need to try our best to enter that rest. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”

When I was in the Local Church Movement, I was taught to call on the name of the Lord. This teaching encouraged us to call or meditate on the Lord’s name every morning for at least half an hour.  In addition to the morning, we should call on the name of the Lord loudly in any environment because the Bible tells us that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). I often practice this. For over ten years, I tried my best to persevere and call on the name of the Lord every morning and pray for more than half an hour. I even practiced calling on the name of the Lord frequently throughout the day. I used to worry about things quite often. However, when I would feel anxiety coming over me, I would stop everything and call on the Lord’s name for ten minutes or more. I found that this was an excellent way to live in the Spirit and be free from all the worries. The Bible tells us, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". (Philippians 4:6:7).

Calling on the Lord’s name is the easiest way to pray because the name of the Lord is Amen (Revelation 3:14), which is also the Word of God. In the beginning, the Lord was the Word of God. (John 1:1). When I kept practicing like this every day, I kept accumulating quantitative changes. Slowly, a qualitative change occurred within me, and I now live in joy and peace instead of anxiety and fear. The woman’s daughter I mentioned previously was still worried. Aside from the pressure of the external environment, she lacked spiritual training. When we offer sacrifices every day, such as calling on the name of the Lord and Praying, it pleases God. On the other hand, by strengthening our spiritual muscles, we can overcome anxiety by resisting the enemy’s attacks. Our spiritual life can be symbolized like the male lamb, growing into a ram and finally growing into a bull calf, just like those 71 bull calves on the Festival of Tabernacles.

 

Growing in Maturity

Whether it's praying, reading scriptures, waiting on the Lord, or other spiritual exercises, it takes time for them to accumulate.  Our maturity will grow as we continue practicing these things.

A prophetess named Donna Rigney shared that she often played worship music in the morning and waited on God. After she had entered into the Spirit, God would give her all kinds of experiences where she encountered Him. The Lord Jesus often appeared to her, took her to visit different places in heaven, and told her many things about the future. When a host interviewed her, he asked her how long would it take before someone could have this type of experience. She said that when she first started, she would have to wait for a long time. However, after she had practiced for quite some time, sometimes she would enter into a spiritual experience of encountering God as soon as she sat down. From this, we can see that even the experience of entering the Spirit takes a long time of practicing, and quantitative changes will bring about qualitative changes. In my experience, this was true in the matter of calling on the name of the Lord. When I first practiced this, it took me more than half an hour to enter into the peace of God. But since I have practiced for so long, now I can instantly enter into the peace of God if I call on the name of the Lord when I have trouble.

I started actively pursuing the gift of prophesy in 2015 and began to have prophetic dreams. Whenever I dreamt in the night, no matter how late it was, I would immediately record them at the expense of my sleep. Every night before I went to bed, I prayed that God would speak to me through dreams.  I practiced this for several years and recorded many dreams and visions. I wrote them down and sent them to some publications that spread prophets’ words through media publications. They did not publish the articles at first. However, I persisted in writing and submitting articles, and finally, they published some of my testimonies and dreams. Over the past few years, I have been actively trying to serve the Lord in various ways, especially in mainstream Christian churches in the United States, but the door has never been opened. However, I persevered in writing and translating my Bible studies as well as my dreams and visions. Slowly God opened a door for me. A man who attends our Bible Study commented that from his observation, it was a qualitative breakthrough that I was able to publish articles in these publications.

 

I have cited a few personal examples above in an attempt to illustrate that any spiritual exercise requires time and repetition to build a habit and sufficient strength. Just like when we are working out, when we continue to train our muscles, they will become stronger and even have muscle memory. Strong muscles help us have a strong body. Similarly, Christians also need to see the spiritual reality behind the representation of Jewish festivals and various sacrifices. That is, we must build good spiritual habits, exercise our spiritual muscles, and build up our spiritual muscle memory through repeated practice. Whenever we face worries and fears, we can exercise our spiritual muscles and faith to resist all the attacks of the enemy. When we keep practicing, our spiritual lives will gradually mature. As the body of Christ practices in this way, her stature will grow and mature into Christ, who is the Head. (Ephesians 4:15).

 

 

[1] http://www.myreading.cn/index.php/post/665.html

Numbers 18

Drawing Near to God

Bible Study with Jairus- Numbers 18

Numbers 18:1-5

“So the Lord said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. “

Responsibilities of Leadership

Aaron and his sons were given the job of carrying the iniquity of the sanctuary and the priesthood. Let’s look more closely at this phrase. What does it mean to bear the sins of the sanctuary and the priesthood? Why should Aaron and his sons and the people of his tribe (the Levites) bear the iniquity of the sanctuary? And why should they also carry the sins of their own priesthood?

Ordinary Israelites were not allowed to come near the sanctuary or the Holy Place. Simply approaching these holy places would incur sin and guilt. Ordinary Israelites were allowed to move around in the outer courtyard, but they could not enter the sanctuary. Ordinary Levites, who were not priests, could serve in the sanctuary. For example, the Kohathites could carry the items of the sanctuary; the Gershonites could carry the things in the tabernacle; but neither were allowed to touch the items of the sanctuary. Nor could they serve as priests in the sanctuary (Numbers 4). Aaron, his sons and the Levites needed to bear the iniquity of the sanctuary because they were in charge of ensuring that ordinary Israelites did not touch holy things.

Following the incident with Korah and his followers, God set out strict rules for Aaron and his sons to follow. Though God didn’t directly punish Aaron for what happened with Korah, he had a serious warning for the priests and Levites. Perhaps Aaron and his sons had not been vigilant in guarding the gate to the house of God. Korah received severe discipline because he was envious of the privileges of the priesthood. If these things happened again, Aaron and his sons would need to bear the iniquity of their priesthood.

Perhaps Aaron and his son had been apathetic in enforcing sanctuary rules. Aaron’s lax control may have led his sons Nadab and Abihu to offer unauthorized fire, causing them to be burned to death by the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). Had they entered the Holy of Holies? Probably not. The golden altar of incense, from which they took fire to add to their own censer, was in the sanctuary just outside the Holy of Holies. A veil separated the sanctuary from the Holy of Holies. They were very close to the Holy of Holies and may have had the intention of entering the Holy of Holies. They took their own censer, added incense, and offered strange fire. God’s severe discipline to these two men was a warning to Aaron. In this passage, the Lord warned Aaron again that if ordinary Israelites entered the sanctuary without permission, Aaron, his sons, and all the Levites would be held responsible. They needed to bear the iniquity. If a Levite became a priest without authorization, not only did this Levite sin, but Aaron and his sons also sinned.

Using a modern example, if you are the leader of a business or organization and others are disobedient to you, of course they need to be held accountable. But on the other hand, you may also have some problems that you need to deal with regarding your leadership skills. After the Lord disciplined the people who rebelled against Aaron, he also dealt specifically with Aaron and his sons in this passage.

 

Drawing Near to God

When the Lord Jesus was crucified, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was torn in two, from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51). Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh." (ESV) These verses tell us that since Jesus Christ took away our sins on the cross, we can now enter into the Holy of Holies with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). In the Old Testament, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year. But in the New Testament, through the blood of Jesus, we can enter into the Holy of Holies with confidence. In the Old Testament, only specially chosen people could become priests. But in the New Testament, we all are the Lord’s royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9-10).

In the New Testament, God wants us first to break free from our flesh and sin, going from the outer courtyard to the Holy Place. To enter the Holy Place is to experience the transformation and renewal of the soul. In the Holy Place, we serve and draw near to God to find grace and mercy.

The strict regulations of the Old Testament law code seem to be inconsistent with the experience of the New Testament. However, when we think in the spirit, we can find some important principles that apply to our spiritual experience today.

We can compare the outer courtyard to a fleshly Christian. Although he is saved and a Christian, he still has a lot of sins and filth in the world. His life and spiritual situation are far from God. Hebrews 10:19-22 mentions Christians who are still in the outer court, not taking advantage of the opportunity to enter the Holy of Holies: “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,  by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (BSB)

Although the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sins, we still need to repent and confess those sins so we can enter into a closer relationship with God. In this way, we will have a powerful, close relationship with God and experience answered prayer. It’s not that God never hears the prayer of immature believers; in fact, he does. But sometimes, years after becoming a believer, we discover that our prayers are being hindered because of sin in our lives. It’s not that God doesn’t hear your prayers, or that he doesn’t want to answer. Instead, he wants you to confess your sins and repent, to take away these sins of the flesh so that you can get closer to Him. In other words, although you can come before God through the blood of Jesus Christ, your sin and uncleanness cannot be brought near to Him. Because of your sin and uncleanness, you can only stay in the outer courtyard.

Worshiping God in the sanctuary can be compared to a Christian who has dealt with sin and filth and is actively serving God. Although you are enthusiastic, God will not always let things go your way. For example, you want to be the leader of a certain group in the church, but another brother or sister also wants the same position. In the end, the pastor or elder chooses another person instead of you and you feel really upset. This is the modern equivalent of being a priest. Yes, the New Testament says that we are all priests. But when you really want to serve in a position of ministry, there are many requirements you must meet. Many times, you want to serve in a certain way, but God does not bless your ministry. Maybe this means that although you want to be a priest, God allows other people to get in your way, like Aaron and his sons in the Old Testament. It is not that God wants to hinder you from serving Him. Instead, He wants you to become holier before serving Him.

Serving God in the Holy of Holies can be compared to a Christian who removes the sins of the flesh and the rebellion in the soul, experiences how the cross deals with the flesh, and has an intimate fellowship with God. Although the veil was removed by Jesus on the cross, we often still need to go through a spiritual breakthrough, especially the breaking of the flesh, before we can enter the veil and have an extremely intimate fellowship with God through the Spirit.

Aaron represents the spirit and the Holy of Holies; the Levites represent the soul and the sanctuary; the Israelites represent the world and the outer courtyard.

Aaron's two sons were killed because they entered the Holy of Holies without being redeemed and made holy. God called Aaron and the Levites to be responsible for keeping guard. They must not allow ordinary Israelites go near the tent of meeting. Aaron and his sons acted as the guards of the Levites, who were not allowed to come into the Holy of Holies. After we are saved, we still have sins of the flesh in our souls. All of these need to be dealt with and redeemed before we can come nearer to God.

Verses 4-6 state that the Levites are God’s gift to Aaron and his son, to perform the service of the tent of meeting. Metaphorically, our spirit or inner man are like priests to Jesus, the High Priest, who lives in our heart. Our spirit or spiritual inner man should follow Jesus and help Jesus to serve God. Meanwhile our soul should help our spirit to serve God. The soul was given to our spiritual new man as a gift by God.

But very often, our soul does not serve the spirit. It does not focus on spiritual things of life and peace. Instead, it focuses on the flesh, which is death (Romans 8:6). In other words, our soul sometimes helps the flesh to sin. Our soul needs to make the right choice, and our spirit needs to guide and direct our soul in its choices.

 

Pure Gifts to God

Numbers 18:8 tells us that all the contributions offered by the Israelites were given to Aaron. Even though the Israelites offered their gifts in the outer courtyard, their offerings were still acceptable to God. After we receive salvation, sin still lives in our lives. But we also have a part of us that is consecrated. We may commit sins during the week, but we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness. On Sunday, we serve in the children’s ministry. Our offering pleases God because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, even though we still sin from time to time. These offerings are still consecrated, and God will remember them.

The holy offerings of the Israelites were given to Aaron for his daily food. In the same way, when you actively give your offering and serve on Sunday, you are helping the pastor to minister. Your service will become the pastor’s (or fellow member’s) spiritual and practical food. The Lord Jesus also said that His food is to do the will of Him who sent Him (John 4:34). Although your spiritual life is still in the outer courtyard, your service will become the spiritual food the pastor needs, and it will also become an aroma that will please God.

 

Redemption and Surrender

Numbers 18: 15-17 says, “Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem.  And their redemption price (at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs.  But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” ESV

Why must the firstborn of man be redeemed? Why should the firstborn of an unclean animal be redeemed as well?

It is easy to understand that the firstborn of man should be redeemed. After all, human beings cannot be offered up as burnt offerings like animals can. But why do unclean animals need to be redeemed?

Any animal that God does not desire as a sacrifice will need to be redeemed. In the story of Noah's Ark, he brought clean and unclean animals onto the Ark. But when he offered sacrifices to God after coming out of the ark, he only offered clean animals and birds on the altar as burnt offerings. God does not desire unclean animals as sacrifice.

When God smelled the pleasing aroma from Noah’s offering, he accepted his sacrifice. Why does God allow unclean animals to enter the ark? This is God’s grace. Why doesn’t God accept unclean animals and birds as sacrifices? This is God's righteousness.

In the same way, Numbers 18:17 says that the firstborn of a cow, sheep, or goat do not need to be redeemed. They are holy and must be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord. The fat of this sacrifice is to be burned as a burnt offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The meat belongs to Aaron. But unclean animals must be redeemed with silver. Silver is a representation of redemption.

In the New Testament, Christ provides our salvation and redemption. Although Christians are saved, our souls are not entirely sanctified. A part of our heart may be filled with Christ and the Holy Spirit, but many parts of our heart are still not filled with Christ. Therefore, what we do outside of Christ in our soul or in our flesh will not be accepted by God. Only those parts that have been redeemed by Jesus Christ can be accepted by God.

My personal spiritual experience can serve as an illustration. When God was dealing with an area of my flesh (disobedience) through the environment and other people, I was prevented from having intimate fellowship with him. In a part of my soul, I refused to obey God and submit to the circumstances he had allowed in my life. This part of me needed to be redeemed through the work of the cross, so that I could have a more intimate fellowship with God and have a breakthrough in my spiritual life.

Watchman Nee said, “The soul or the outer man must be broken for the spirit man to be released.” There are some unclean things in my soul that don’t please God. God wants to break me by redeeming this part. In other words, we must experience the work of the cross in every part of our soul. I must clean or redeem this part of me with the life of Christ before I can offer it to God.

When God convicts us of sin, we often blame others and our circumstances instead of looking at what God is trying to reveal to us. When we humble ourselves before God and see clearly what God is dealing with, he will provide cleansing for us. The part that has been redeemed by God can now be offered to Him. After struggling hard, I finally surrendered this part of the soul to God. I accepted the circumstances he had allowed in my life. Later, I became obedient to God’s will in this area.

 

God’s Discipline

Unclean animals cannot be offered to God, nor can they be given to priests. In other words, the sinful things that are of the flesh can neither please God nor supply our spirit with good things. After I surrendered to God in this area, I saw God’s hand of blessing. I had a spiritual breakthrough through His redemption. Because of this, I can enter into a more intimate fellowship with Him. I found that not only is God pleased with my prayers and offerings, but I also have become more spiritually mature than I was in the past. My spiritual man was encouraged through my offering of obedience.

In our world today, God is disciplining us on a global scale. Our circumstances may be permitted by God to deal with our corporate sins and the uncleanness in our souls so that we can grow spiritually. As I mentioned earlier, we often blame others when we experience God’s discipline. The same goes for countries. If you read the Old Testament, you will find that God often uses one nation to deal with another. He used several nations to deal with Israel. When these nations went too far in dealing with Israel, God disciplined them.

God is currently using some countries to deal with other countries. It is easy for us to blame other countries instead of reflecting on God's will to discipline us through these countries. The purpose of discipline is not punishment, but sanctification. God wants us to be sanctified unto Him.

Our society’s circumstances remind me of the book of Judges. Whenever they were oppressed by the enemy, they would pray to God. God then raised up a judge who would lead the Israelites to conquer the enemy. When the leader would sin, the Israelites would fall into sin and again be oppressed by the enemy. Every time they repented, God would raise up a judge to save them.

The world today is full of sin, and the church is full of unholiness. Perhaps the only thing God can do is hand us over to the enemy’s oppression so that we will repent. If we want to break the cycle, every Christian needs to repent. The unholy parts inside us need to be dealt with and consecrated to God. Change in the church will provide a powerful testimony to the world around us, drawing them to salvation.

Christians are the light of the world. The book of Proverbs tells us that the human spirit is the lamp of the Lord (Proverbs 20:27). Churches shine God’s truth brightly to the world, just like Aaron lit the lamp in the sanctuary. If the world sins, doesn’t the church bear a responsibility for this, like Aaron had a responsibility for the sin of the sanctuary and the priesthood? The darkness of the world is not caused by government or politics. It is mainly caused by the failure of the church to shine the authority and light of God to the world. If the church in a city is strong, naturally the politics and society of that city will improve. But if the church in a city is dark, the city will live in darkness.

Numbers 17 records the way God disciplined Korah for his rebellion and the plague that cleansed Israel. This reminds us of dealing with rebellion in the soul and sin in the flesh. Numbers 18 explains how Israelites can become holy. For this reason, Aaron and his sons must remain holy (Numbers 18:32). The Israelites should give the tithe to Aaron and the Levites, and the Levites should offer them to the Lord (Numbers 17:26-28). The tithe is a holy offering to God. As believers, we are in a process of constant sanctification.

Numbers 19 continues to explain the process of purification and cleansing. We will explore this more fully next time.