How Joseph Prince Makes Jesus a Stepping Stone to Prosperity

The Prosperity Gospel robs God of His glory, and robs His people of the joy that can be found in knowing Him. It focuses on the here and now and makes the gospel about getting God's gifts, rather than about getting God Himself.

But the gospel of Jesus Christ is NOT about the gifts. The gospel is about God! Jesus died to reconcile us to God. He bore God's wrath as our substitute not to bless us with prosperity, but to bless us with Himself. He is the gift of the Gospel, not health, wealth, and prosperity!

This is why the Prosperity Gospel is something that Christians should be more than concerned about! Why? Because it's a different gospel! And the apostle Paul warns us about what happens to those who preach a different gospel:

Galatians 1:8-9 (ESV Bible) But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

Paul's message is clear. Anyone who preaches a different gospel contrary to the gospel found in the Scriptures is under a curse. In other words, they are damned.

The Prosperity Gospel is a Different Gospel!

This goes for those who preach the false gospel of prosperity, even if they do emphasize grace. It doesn't matter how much a preacher talks about the grace of God, if he is teaching that prosperity is the result of believing the gospel, he's preaching a different gospel.

And this is exactly what Joseph Prince does. Although he gets much of the grace part right, he adds to the gospel the message of prosperity.

For example, in chapter 3 Loc 435 (Kindle edition) of his book Destined To Reign Prince says:

"My friend, there is no such thing as a "prosperity gospel". There is only one gospel in the Bible and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, when you believe the gospel of Jesus, which is based entirely on His grace, it will result in health and prosperity. In fact, the gospel of Jesus Christ leads to blessings, success, healing, restoration, protection, financial breakthroughs, security, peace, wholeness and MUCH MORE!"

Sounds like an infomercial doesn't it? But "my friend" this is a lie. There is such thing as a prosperity gospel and it's a different gospel than what Jesus and the apostles preached.

Getting the Gospel Mostly Right Doesn't Count!

Now, what's so confusing and dangerous about Prince is that he gets much of the gospel right. Again, from Destined To Reign:

"Jesus did not sweep the law under the carpet. He came and fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf. All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf. So by Jesus, the law has been fulfilled!"

Amen! He's absolutely right. Christ did for us what God commands of us, perfect obedience to His Law.

Again in chapter two, Loc 342 he says

"The law was given to bring man to the end of himself so that in his despair, he would see his need for Jesus. Because of the law, no man can say that he is not a sinner and no man can say that he doesn’t need Jesus. That is the purpose of the law. It was not designed to make you godly, but to expose your ungodliness."

Again, I'm in total agreement with Prince here. The Law can never make us holy. However, the Christian still uses the Law, but only as a guide. This will be discussed in later post.

"Jesus took all your sins upon Himself on the cross. And once your sins have been punished, it would be "unrighteous" of God to demand payment for your sins again. He cannot punish your sins twice!," chapter 19, Loc 3685.

See what I mean? This is why Prince is so dangerous. But as I said, It doesn't matter how much you emphasize grace, when you add prosperity as a result of the gospel, you are preaching a different gospel.

"Faith for any breakthrough or miracle in your life springs forth when you see His grace. You do not have to try to conjure up faith for healing or finances. Faith for any breakthrough or miracle in your life springs forth when you see His grace. He died so that you might live! You did not deserve it, but He still did it for you. See Jesus on the cross for you. That is the demonstration of His grace. And when you see His grace, your faith becomes unconscious and miracles will break forth!," chapter 21, Loc 4069.

So faith in the work of Christ becomes the key, not to get God Himself, but to get His gifts. This is antithetical to what the Scripture actually teaches.

The Good News of the Gospel is Not About the Gifts!

The gospel is not about the gifts we receive from Christ, it's about receiving Christ Himself. He is the gift of the gospel. He is the treasure.

Matthew 13:44 (ESV) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew 13:45-46 (ESV "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

John Calvin's explanation of these two parables is right on the money (pun intended)

(Calvin's Commentaries) But it is asked, is it necessary that we abandon every other possession, in order that we may enjoy eternal life? I answer briefly. The natural meaning of the words is, that the Gospel does not receive from us the respect which it deserves, unless we prefer it to all the riches, pleasures, honors, and advantages of the world, and to such an extent, that we are satisfied with the spiritual blessings which it promises, and throw aside every thing that would keep us from enjoying them; for those who aspire to heaven must be disengaged from every thing that would retard their progress. Christ exhorts those who believe in him to deny those things only which are injurious to godliness; and, at the same time, permits them to use and enjoy God's temporal favors, as if they did not use them.

By no means is Calvin saying that salvation is something earned by us:

(Calvin's Commentaries) By the word buy Christ does not mean, that men bring any price, with which they may purchase for themselves the heavenly life; for we know on what condition the Lord invites believers in the book of Isaiah, (55:1,) Come and buy wine and milk without money and without price. But though the heavenly life, and every thing that belongs to it, is the free gift of God, yet we are said to buy it, when we cheerfully relinquish the desires of the flesh, that nothing may prevent us from obtaining it; as Paul says, that he reckoned all things to be loss and dung, that he might gain Christ, (Philippians 3:8.)

Jesus and Paul Preached the Same Gospel!

There is no difference in the mesage of the apostle Paul and the message Jesus. Listen to Paul's words to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

What does Paul say is worth losing everything for? The "surpassing worth of knowing Christ." The world and everything in it was counted "as rubbish" compared to knowing Christ. Christ was the treasure to the apostle Paul, not His gifts.

For sure Christ purchased our forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life with His blood. But these are given to us not to glory in them, but to glory in Christ Himself for all eternity.

I plan to do a series of blog posts on the erroneous teachings of Joseph Prince. In the meantime I close out this post with a paragraph from John Piper's book, God is the Gospel that sums up what I've been trying to say in this post.

(God is the Gospel) The critical question for our generation-and for every generation-is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?

 

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7 Reasons Why God Does Not Accept the Homosexual Lifestyle

Before I state the reasons let me start by saying that real Christians struggle with the sin of homosexuality. The key word is struggle. They fight against sinful desires in order to obey their Savior. Christians fight sin. Whether it is lust, drunkenness, slander, gossip, laziness, pride, or homosexuality the Christian must fight the evil desires that still reside within, even after being regenerated by the Spirit of God. So in this post I'm not saying their aren't genuine born again Believers who struggle with same sex attraction. That being said, the Bible is clear about it’s position on homosexuality. Here are seven reasons why God does not accept the homosexual lifestyle. Again the key word in the last sentence being "lifestyle."

1.God created man and woman

I know this may sound simplistic but creation itself testifies against homosexuality. God did not create another man for Adam. He created a woman. The command that God gave both the man and woman was to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the earth and subdue it:
Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Two men or two woman cannot multiply. The parts don't fit. God did not design the male body with the capacity to join with another male body in the proper way. The woman was designed for the man, and the man for the woman.

2.God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality

"Gay Christian" advocates will say that God destroyed Sodom for being inhospitable to others as well as not aiding the poor. They get this from from Ezekiel 16:49.
Ezekiel 16:49 Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom:she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.
Now certainly these were grievous sins. But what "Gay Christians" do not quote is the next verse:
Ezekiel 16:50 They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
The Hebrew word for "abomination" is to‘eba. It's the same word used in Leviticus 18:22 where God calls the sin of homosexuality an abomination- to‘eba: Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination-to‘eba.

3.God destroyed the surrounding nations for sins such as homosexuality

The nation of Israel was commanded to drive out and destroy the inhabitants of the land of Canaan for such sins as, human sacrifice, bestiality, and homosexuality.
Leviticus 18:22-24 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it:it is perversion. "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean,
Notice homosexuality is one of the abominations for which God is driving out the surrounding nations and giving them to Israel.

4.Jesus only recognized marriage between a man and a woman

Mark 10:6-9 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. ’ ‘ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."
Notice what Christ says- "from the beginning God made them male and female." There was never any intention on the part of God for a male to be with a male or a female with a female. He also said that "the two shall become one flesh." Marriage is a covenant relationship between a man and a woman. This is something "God has joined together" and His command is "let not man separate." Gay marriage destroys the covenantal relationship of marriage.

5.Jesus never mentioned the homosexual lifestyle.

This is the common objection by the homosexual. The argument goes like this: "Since Jesus never even mentioned homosexuality you have no right to use Him in your arguments against it." The problem for the homosexual is that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality. Weren't there homosexuals in His day that wanted what homosexuals want in our day, just to be accepted? Since people are supposedly born gay shouldn't Jesus have addressed the issue? Shouldn't He have stood up for the rights of gay people who were obviously treated worse than they are today? And yet He said nothing. Since "sexual orientation is from birth" homosexuals are born the way they are right? And yet nowhere does Jesus even mention it. Which brings us to the next reason.

6.Nothing positive is ever said about homosexuality in the Bible

Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
Romans 1:26-27 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Notice the phrase "and such were some of you." Why would Paul say this if "men who practice homosexuality" were not in sin? "Were" is past tense. These are people who were saved out of the sins listed in this passage which includes homosexuality.
1 Timothy 1:9-10 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Jude 1:7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

7. Homosexuality undermines the gospel

How can those in the Church who accept the gay lifestyle as normative preach the gospel to homosexuals, or anyone for that matter, without destroying the gospel? In order to preach the gospel correctly, the way Jesus intended it to be preached, you must preach repentance!
Luke 24:44-47 Then he said to them, " These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, " Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
How can the Gospel be presented without repentance? It can't. The Gospel apart from repentance is a false gospel. Accepting and affirming the gay lifestyle is cruel and unloving. It leaves a person in their sin and will ultimately condemn them to hell.














For more information on this topic, listen to the debate between Michael Brown and Mattew Vines:

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The Beginning of the End - Judges 18 Steven Long 8/25/13

^{This is the written transcript of the sermon preached at Albemarle Reformed Church on August 18, 2013. The audio portion can be heard here.}

The Beginning of the End

Judges 18

This morning we are to take a look at the entire 18^th chapter of Judges. It stretches 31 verses, and it is not my usual habit to expound upon an entire chapter. But having read it through several times I saw no reason to split it up, as it all sums well together.

The last five chapters of Judges, 17-21, is the summation of a nation quickly forgetting its roots. The book opens with Israel conquering the surrounding nation under Joshua's leadership. Each tribe is given an inheritance of its own; they are to go in and take possession of the land that the LORD had given them. However, we read several times in the first chapter that they did not drive out all the inhabitants of the land (1:21, 27, 29). This would be the start of the downfall of Israel. These three verses specifically name the tribes of Benjamin, Mannaseh, and Ephraim, respectively. When we come to chapter 18 we read that the tribe of Dan was still seeking their own inheritance. Some of the land had been settled, as we see further in this chapter that they are already settled in Zorah and Eshtaol, Samon's home towns. But we also read in Judges 1:34 that the Danites were defeated by the Amorties and forced back into the hill country.

Dan is the tribe that the author hones us in on in this chapter. And it appears, by reading through the entire chapter, that the tribe of Dan is one of the major causes of the beginning of the end for the nation as a whole. “Why?” you may ask. It appears that the Danites introduced idol worship to the tribe. We are told in the text two things: (1) that the Danites eventually conquer the town of Laish, and (2) that Shiloh is the capitol of Israel during this time. When viewing a map, Shiloh is a good distance from Laish and one commentator hones in on the fact that because of its distance it would have been easy to engage in idolatry without the rest of then nation being privy to this.ⁱ Whether this is conjecture or not is not known, but it does make sense seeing as how those who desire to do evil, at the first do it in secret and then slowly introduce it to the rest of the people. Nevertheless, the actions of the Danites lead to unintended consequences for the entire nation.

The incident that occurs here gives way for the events of the next chapters. It is this episode that launches the Benjamin tragedy, which ensues in a battle of all Israel against one tribe. It is this very incident that marks an almost utter loss of the smallest of the nation and causes the totality of the people to grieve. As Moses had warned the people before his death, be sure your sin will find you out (Num 3:23). It is the beginning of the end for the nation of Israel when Dan re-introduces idolatry to their brothers.

vv.1-2 The Danites' Mission. We first read here that the Danites were seeking an inheritance in the land. This may seem a bit confusing as we are at the end of the book of Judges and the inheritance was given at the beginning. But as has been pointed out previously, the book of Judges is not chronological. John Gill places this incident after the death of Joshua but before the first judge, Othniel. These final chapters are an appendix of sorts to show what kind of state Israel was in and their continual depravity into idolatry. We read at the first, “In those days, there was no king in Israel.” This signifies the lack of leadership among the nation. Joshua is dead, and unlike the death of Moses, God does not intervene to appoint a new leader. The people are left without human rule and as people without rule will do, they do what they think best, as the book has stated so many previous times before.

The Danites send out five men from their home-bases in the towns of Zorah and Eshtaol. It appears that the author appending this incident right after Samson's life is no accident, as the audience would be familiar with the places mentioned in the text. We must not think this strange at all as we consider that even the ancients had their own style of writing to trigger queues to their audiences. As the explorers journey the author skilfully ties in chapter 17 with chapter 18. We read that the men came upon the house of Micah and were offered lodging there.

vv.3-7 The Oracle of the Priest. Something quite odd happens at this juncture: we are told that the Danites recognize the voice of the Levite priest. Many commentators (Barnes, Gill, K & D) try to explain that the accent, and not the voice, was what was recognize. However, it is important to remember the narrative given to us from chapter 17, that this Levite had been a wandering Levite. It is not unimaginable to think that he had once resided within the tribe of Dan and had even been in the company of the same men that were now present there. John Lange agrees, and commenting on this text says,

Dr. Cassel renders “sound,” see his explanation below. Keil and others understand it of dialectic pronunciation or other peculiarities of speech. Bertheau thinks that inasmuch as the envoys had to “turn aside” from their way in order to get to Micah’s temple, they could not have been near enough to hear the Levite’s voice or note his pronunciation. He therefore assumes that what they recognized was the “tidings” that were told them of the sanctuary near by. But why not take the words in the sense in which any man would naturally take them at the first reading? The Levite had been a wanderer; some one (or more) of the five envoys had met with him, and now recognizes his voice, as they lie encamped near by.ⁱⁱ

The men question the Levite as to how he ended up at Micha's home, and the Levite explains that he has been treated well and hired as the man's priest. The Danites say nothing in reply but only ask the priest to inquire of the LORD whether their journey will be successful or not. Of course, we find further down in the text that they are simply masking their true motives.

We are next told that the five men leave and come across the town of Laish. It is a Sidonian. It is a town that is described as quiet and unsuspecting, lacking nothing that is in the earth and possessing wealth. These people basically had a good life. They had access to all the natural resources and lived comfortably within their borders. Of the location the author tells us that it lay far enough from the Sidonians so as not to arouse suspicions or calls for help when it was attacked. It lied in an area that was not easily journeyed to; in other word, it was kind of in the sticks! The Danites saw this and were about to make full use of its advantage.

vv.8-12 Preparing for War. The Danites return to their homeland and make a report to the elders there that the town can be taken easily enough. The tribe rally 600 fighting men together and begin their journey. Not much of importance is expounded upon in this section. They camp at Kirath Jeraim the first day, and we read that by the second day they encounter the same house, and not by accident, as assumed, of Micah and the priest.

vv.13-25. The Beginning of the End. The next seven verses I view as the solidifying of idolatry in the nation of Israel. The five men inform their brothers about the idols within the house of Micah. Their statement, consider what you will do, is in essence telling them that they must seize advantage of the opportunity. One might question their motives behind this until he calls to remembrance that Israel is in the midst of a leaderless, human or theocratic, society and must do what they deem necessary to ensure their future. To the Danites, their mission was critical, for they could not all dwell in the small area that they were presently in. It only made sense that they have some kind of divine power to assist them, whether it be Yahweh or the false Canaanite deities. It only seems reasonable to them that they should now possess that which will give them victory over their enemies. And while they may be superstitious it is also important to keep in mind that the nation as a whole is not steeped fully into idolatrous worship as of yet. Yet these few verses will lend their telling of what is to come.

The five spies enter the house while the rest of the armed men remain at the gate. Upon entering the house they find the priest and ask him about his welfare. The Hebrew, Sha'al shalom seems to indicate that they are genuinely concerned for the well-being of the Levite, as the word 'shalom' was used as the totality of a person's life. The LXX translates the Hebrew as και ηρώτησαν αυτόν εις ειρήνη: and they interrogated him about his peace. The LXX substitutes the word 'shalom' with the word 'erenes,' peace, which is the equivalent.

After they inquire of the Levite they proceed to take the household gods. Upon doing this the Levite asks their motives and is rebuked to remain silent. The question is then proposed to him a second time, as was the case upon first coming to Micha's house: come with us and be to us a father and a priest. Their reasoning is that it is better for one to be priest to an entire tribe than the household of one man. And whether the Levite was not content to stay with Micah or that there was some conflict there is unknown. But the author tells us that the man was glad and willfully went with them. Micah and his men come out to meet them, as it seems to stop them. The Danites threaten Micah, in so many words and Micah, knowing that he does not have the strength to overpower them returns home.

vv.26-31. The Idolatrous Priest. And so the Danites continue on to Laish and conquer it, and burn it, and rebuild it, and rename it Dan, after their patriarch. And the conclusion of this chapter sets up for us the depravity into which the entire nation would be subjected to. We are told that the Danites set up the gods and the ephod and for the first time we are introduced to the name of this previously unnamed Levite. We discover that he is Johnathan, a descendent of Moses. There are some commentators who doubt that the named priest is the same as the priest named here, but most agree that he is. It certainly would make no sense that the author would, at the end of this chapter, introduce suddenly another character, who just also happened to be a Levite. And J. E. Cook, one of the contributors to The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges speculates that for us that then entire chapter may built upon this very thing:

The object of the whole story has been to trace the origin of the famous sanctuary at Dan. In this and the next verse the setting up of Micah’s image is told twice over, and a double note of time is given. The repetition suggests that we have here the two conclusions of the two narratives which have been woven together in the story. Moore thinks that Jdg 18:30 belongs to the narrative which alludes to the man—the Levite—the priest (Jdg 17:8; Jdg 17:11 a, Jdg 18:12 b, Jdg 18:3 b, Jdg 18:4-6; Jdg 18:18 b etc.), whose name now turns out to have been Jonathan, a grandson of Moses, and that Jdg 18:31 closes the other document, of which a characteristic feature is the young Levite (Jdg 17:7; Jdg 17:11 b, 12a, Jdg 18:3; Jdg 18:15 etc.).ⁱⁱⁱ

This idolatry is carried out, as we see, until the captivity of the land. Again, I must make a side-note that most commentators do not believe this captivity to be the Assyrian invasion, but rather the captivity referred to is that of 1 Samuel 4:1-11, where the Philistines conquer the Israelites and the ark of God is carried away.

It is not really important to which captivity the author is pointing. But the important thing to note is that this Levite, who was supposed to be a spiritual leader of Israel was now introducing idolatry for the second time—and not just to a family, as at the first, but now to an entire tribe. What is sadder still is that this young man had such a rich, spiritual heritage in his grandfather Moses. Cooke adds this about the fact that this Levite is the grandson of Moses:

The Levite and his descendants, the priests of Dan, claimed descent from Moses. The margin notes another reading; in the Hebr. text the letter n is ‘suspended,’ or inserted above the line, thus turning Mosheh (משה) into Manasseh (מנשה). The Jews admit that the text was altered in order to repudiate the Levite’s claim; he acted, not like a son of Moses, but like the impious king Manasseh, to whom the Rabbis apply the principle, ‘every corruption is fastened upon (i.e. is named after) him who started it’; Talm. Bab. Baba Bathra 109b^iv

How sad the plight of this Levite! Twice, opportunity gave him a chance to do right and twice he squandered it. But sadder still, will be the fate of the nation as we will read in the last three chapters. Their sin and depravity will only be outmatched by Sodom and Gomorrah. And the people of God, those who were supposed to possess and understand the Law of God turned completely away from their Redeemer.

Application:

As God's people we are given opportunities everyday to represent Him to the “Canaanites” in our lives. The Levite priest had a marvelous opportunity but compromised for the sake of comfort and acceptance. Instead of leading Dan into true worship he indulged their need to run after false deities. As priests in the Kingdom of God, it is every believer's privilege and honor lead these Canaanites into worship of the true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. He had redeemed us through His blood on the cross in order to make us His people; He has been resurrected from the dead in order to secure our justification; and He has sanctioned us with the high and holy calling of proclaiming His Word throughout the world in order that His sheep might hear, come, and be saved. Like the Levite in this story we are faced with the decision of compromising our duty of pointing them to the Savior by giving in to the comforts of this world, or going against the tide of ease and being counted as faithful stewards of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

i Jamieson, Robert, Andrew Robert Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments, vol 1, pg. 171. S.S. Scranton & Company.

ii Lange, John Peter. Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, vol 4, pg 232.. Scribner.

iii Barnes, W. E. Judges Contributor, Cook, J. E. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges The Book of Judges, pg 170. CUP Archive, n.d.

ivIbid