The 144,000 are people who may have come from the worst-case scenarios, such as the polygamous circumstances of Jacob’s household. These people who will be standing without fault before the throne of God are a people who were not like that in the beginning. They were born into very sinful circumstances, just like David was. Like all of us are.

Psalm 51:5-7 - Behold, I was shapen (brought forth) in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

We can understand the words “shapen in iniquity” when we study the birth of Jacob’s sons. They were shapen out of a polygamous lifestyle. Having studied so far Judah, Ruben, and Gad, these people, although shapen in iniquity, were blessed with certain good qualities. Everyone who is born has some good qualities. We saw how Judah came to the defence of his brother Joseph, how Ruben also sought to deliver him, and the love he had for his mother in giving her those love-apples. These were the good traits that could then be enlarged as they responded to God’s work of salvation, and the others could be eclipsed.

Psalm 51:6 - Behold, thou desire truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

There is some hidden aspect inside of us. So, the psalmist says:

Psalm 51:7 - Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Those hidden elements are good traits that God has put there in the inward parts. These are made manifest as the soul is purified. The people of the 144,000 may have come from the very worst-case-scenario experience; and this is where God finds every child of God.

Read Genesis 30:9 -13

Here was another son of Jacob born to the maid, or, in other words, the concubine. Very unsavoury. And it was all because of the envy and vying of the two wives of Jacob. So here Asher is born, and it made Leah happy.  What blessing did Jacob pronounce upon Asher?

Read Genesis 49:20 

No matter the background of a person’s life, God has a place for such people.

Although Asher was born in unsavoury circumstance there was an ingredient there, something good in the hidden parts – royal dainties, something to do with royalty, and richness of bread.

He was born from a sinful background, with the hallmark of an unconverted personality, and affected by this kind of ungodly home life, yet being instructed by Jacob in the ways of God. We have here a very interesting, mottled experience. When a person is born to such circumstances and he has these hidden values, like royalty, and the pouring of the fat of the bread, what do we see? What do they make bread with? Oil. This is describing a person with some hidden royalty and corruption at the same time. What follows is a description of a corrupt person:

Read Psalm 55:20-21

Have you come across certain people who can speak beautiful words; but while they may speak smooth words, something else is behind it. You can hear it amongst the politicians and the people of the world. They can really cut like a sword, even with smooth words. Here we have a person out of whom the fat of butter and oil come forth – smooth words, royal in expression – and who is yet corrupt because of the terrible, corrupt circumstances in which he was born. The words uttered by someone who was brought up in an ungodly background can be cutting, and the family can be suffering under this.

Do not receive flattery, even in your religious life. Flattery is an art by which Satan lieth in wait to deceive and to puff up the human agent with high thoughts of himself. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Flattery has been the food upon which many of our youth have been nourished; and those who have praised and flattered have supposed that they were doing right; but they have been doing wrong. Praise, flattery, and indulgence have done more toward leading precious souls into false paths, than any other art that Satan has devised. {FE 304.1}

Flattery is a part of the world’s policy, but it is no part of Christ’s policy. Through flattery poor human beings, full of frailty and infirmities, come to think that they are efficient and worthy, and become puffed up in their fleshly mind. They become intoxicated with the idea that they possess ability beyond what they do have, and their religious experience becomes unbalanced. Unless in the providence of God they shall be turned from these deceptions, and become converted, and learn the A B C of religion in the school of Christ, they will lose their souls. {FE 304.2} 

People can communicate worldly courtesies and make you feel really good. And I would think that in the situation of this young man he would have probably said some lovely things to cover up something deep inside. Consequently, Gad and Asher, who were both born from Leah’s maid, were mischievous lads. Joseph was so pained that he had to go and tell his father of the wicked things that these boys were communicating.

Many a youth has been flattered that he has ability as a natural gift; when the ability he thinks he has, can be attained only through diligent training and culture, learning the meekness and lowliness of Christ. Believing he is naturally gifted, he thinks there is no necessity of putting his mind to the task of mastering his lessons; and before he is aware, he is fast in the snare of Satan. {FE 304.3}

This is the kind of experience that can be described by that metaphorical language in Gen 49:20 – the butter and the oil, the fat of the bread, the royal dainties. They are all very deceptive breads. This is why we are counselled not to eat at the table of a king, because his words are deceptive dainties. They give you the appearance of something wonderful, when really, it’s corrupt. And this is the description of Asher. It is a mind that is so full of himself, of being royal, of having the fat of everything, no problems, but who is corrupt.

. . . the active mind, if left unoccupied with better things, will give heed to that which Satan may suggest. {CG 33.2}

Satan was there working in these young lads, so much so that Joseph came to abhor it and told his father about it. A smooth tongue can be a sword. And in the family of Jacob there was very harsh treatment metered out, to the point where they were even prepared to slay their brother Joseph.

Psalm 55:21 – The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet they were with drawn swords.

Drawn swords – his disposition was to cut and destroy, rather than to build up, even though smooth words were in his mouth. Can you imagine what it was really like in the home of Jacob, especially when in his gullibility Joseph told his brothers of his dream? Remember, in both his dreams the stars and the sheaves were bowing to him. Oh, what shooting words came from his brother’s mouths when they heard his story!

What harm is wrought in the family circle by the utterance of impatient words; for the impatient utterance of one leads another to retort in the same spirit and manner. Then come words of retaliation, words of self-justification, and it is by such words that a heavy, galling yoke is manufactured for your neck; for all these bitter words will come back in a baleful harvest to your soul. {MYP 327.2}

So, smooth yet cutting words were producing all these evils in the home of Jacob behind his back. In the light of this, what could God do for such a person, for one with such a personality trait as was identifiable in the tribe of Asher? Can we see ourselves uttering smooth but cutting words? Especially in the family circle.

Deuteronomy 33:24 - And of Asher he said, [Let] Asher [be] blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

What could God do? What was the blessing that Moses now pronounced upon the tribe of Asher? What is this oil?  Here is now pronounced a blessing, rather than the curse of smooth talk - the product of a corrupt background.

Ask God to give you much of the oil of His grace. Carefully consider every word, whether it be written or spoken. {TM 104.2}

The unfaithful servant of Matthew 24 does something to his fellow servants. It says he smites his fellow servants. In Jeremiah (18:18) this smiting of the fellow servant is described as a smiting with the tongue. This is obviously what Asher must have been doing. But the blessing was that if Asher would respond to God’s intervention, according to the promise that was given here, he would be given the oil of grace. He would put his foot in oil, a metaphorical expression meaning that the oil of grace, the Holy Spirit, would guide his footsteps. If he would respond to this blessing, God would intervene and do something to cause those smooth words that can turn into swords to be carefully considered. Carefully consider every word, whether it be written or spoken. Deliberation is being called for. Notice how God brings this kind of thing to fruition and what He does to change the tide:

God permits him to be attacked by the enemy, in order that he may understand his own weakness. He is permitted to make some decided blunder and is plunged into painful humiliation. {FE 304.3}

Isn’t this what happened to the sons of Jacob when they were put into that painful humiliation in Egypt? It was permitted. These events were permitted to take their course. Because of their wrong actions against their brother, God permitted the enemy to take Joseph to Egypt and to take these brothers of his through the purging experience.

God permits him to be attacked by the enemy, in order that he may understand his own weakness. {Ibid.}

This is what they learned.

He is permitted to make some decided blunder and is plunged into painful humiliation. But when he is writhing under a sense of his own weakness, he is not to be judged harshly. {Ibid.}

Isn’t this a beautiful description of what happened to these men in the presence of Joseph? Instead of turning on them what did Joseph do? He didn’t judge them; he said, It was for God’s purpose that this happened; and they were absolutely dumbfounded. They thought he could have really given them a hard time now. But no; he did the very thing that was needed to help them be restored. This is what God does with a person as bad as Asher.

. . . when he is writhing under a sense of his own weakness, he is not to be judged harshly. This is the time above all others when he needs a judicious counsellor, a true friend, who has discernment of character. This is the time when he needs a friend who is led by the Spirit of God, and who will deal patiently and faithfully with the erring and lift up the soul that is bowed down. He is not to be lifted up by the aid of flattery. No one is authorized to deal out to the soul this delusive intoxicant of Satan. Rather he is to be pointed to the first rounds of the ladder, and his stumbling feet are to be placed on the lowest round of the ladder of progress. {Ibid.}

What was the blessing of Moses upon Asher? Putting his foot in oil? This is another metaphor for putting his foot where Jesus can restore him, putting it on the ladder.

Peter says, “Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” {Ibid.}

Examine the secret of victory for the people who have such a personality as Asher’s, with their cutting tongues and their sophisticated, noble expressions which are nonetheless as cutting swords - for people who have the gift of the gab, people who flatter and do damage under Satan’s government. There is a secret of victory for the people of such a personality.

2 Chronicles 30:1 - And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel.

At this time Hezekiah was the king of Jerusalem, of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; and in the north were the other ten tribes. Here Hezekiah is inviting them to come and worship the true God in Jerusalem, because these ten tribes had their headquarters in Samaria, and their worship was a mixture of paganism and truth. Here was an invitation for Asher and all the other tribes to come and “put their foot in the oil,” and receive the riches of God in Jerusalem, to partake of the Passover, which was a preparation for accepting Jesus - because this is the ordinance which Jesus then turned into the Lord’s Supper.

2 Chronicles 30:10 - So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn and mocked them. 11 Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.

The majority of the ten tribes mocked the messengers, but some of Asher humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem. When a person who is full of this so-called nobility, these smooth words, this gift of the gab, will humble himself as Asher did, what will God do? When one is corrupted by their background, and they are invited to come to the oil, to the Holy Spirit, to Jerusalem, this is what God says to them:

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

God gives the oil of His grace to the humble.

Read James 4:6-10  

Wasn’t Asher’s a double-minded state? Speaking smooth words which act like swords?

Here are these Asherites who decided that they would humble themselves and come and worship in Jerusalem. The 12,000 of the tribe of Asher are invited to come into the heavenly Jerusalem. Come and humble yourselves. With all that smart talk, with all that ability which has been corrupted by sin, come, and humble yourself. Come to Jesus.

For such as are of the tribe of Asher to be numbered among the 144,000, they need to heed the call to humble themselves. This is what Asher did.

Hear the wonderful call of God to Israel as a combined tribal people – see Jeremiah 3:12-14

How can you find 144,000 in the world church today? One of a city, and two of a family. Those of you who respond, come, says God, I am married unto you. Many in Asher responded, and therefore those people who have the Asherite mentality - who can identify themselves with the smart-talking person who can be so sharp in his cutting judgment of others - if these will humble themselves and come to Zion, they can be among the 144,000. The promise to Asher was that he would survive.

Deuteronomy 33:24 - And of Asher he said, [Let] Asher [be] blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. 25 Thy shoes [shall be] iron and brass; and as thy days, [so shall] thy strength [be].

After people belonging to this tribe humble themselves, the promise is given that they would be guided by the Holy Spirit, and their feet (their conduct), shod with strong protective shoes. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

When Jesus was born, one recognised Him as the Mesiah while many in a more favourable position in Judah, did not.

Read Luke 2:36

Anna came into the temple as Simeon was blessing Jesus, and she recognised Him. She was of the tribe of Asher. Such can be the case for us, no matter what background we have due to our birth, due to human sinfulness, and being fashioned in sin. It makes no difference. When we respond to the call, the smooth oil on the tongue, which was once so cutting, can be turned into the beautiful words of the gospel, shedding abroad the light of God to the world.

The 144,000 will be comprised of 12,000 from the tribe of Asher. Let us rejoice in the precious comfort that is here portrayed. If you can identify with the corruption of Asher, don’t despair; respond to the call.