Heralds Digest

"And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV) Allegiance of service is often based on subjective considerations of individual's priority and perception of the camp with best overall opportunities. Joshua's presentation of choices to the Israelites among the Euphratian god, Amorite god, and the living God of Israel is a call to consider reason as a significant drive toward their allegiance. Changes in life comes too soon and sometimes pretty fast, but allegiance is not expected to be treated as a piece of apparel. While the temptation to shift allegiance is real, there is nothing more real than knowing the One who does not and would not change. A service to God represents the most reasonable allegiance for a liv...

"When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.” (Joshua 23:16 NKJV) No student of the account of Israel's possession of the land of Canaan would stop to wonder the essence of Joshua's valedictory message, warning the Israelites against idolatry. By observing the exploits by which God dispossessed the Canaanites before the Israelites, how could anyone imagine Israel will later desire the worship of the gods of Canaan? It all depends on how far the heart of man can resist the pressure of love. The most important note in romance is the fact that whoever gives love give life, irrespective of the quality of life. We cannot share the love of an unequal breed and expect to retain an unadulterated brand of life.

"The children of Reuben and the children of Gad[d] called the altar, Witness, “For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”" (Joshua 22:34 NKJV) The construction of an altar in the western province of the land of Canada, which is shared among the children of Reuben, children of Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, represents a reasonable commitment to the service of the Lord. The only problem seem to be that there is no reference to God's commission ahead of the project. References to God's services are commendable, especially when God's presence is not excluded. Otherwise, all non-commissioned commitments often lead to the worship of idols. No reference is reasonable in the absence of God's presence.

"Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." (Joshua 1:45 NKJV) Within the period of waiting for the fulfillment of God's promises, there are several words from people of influence, resulting in myriad of voices with their twist and turns. Israel, at one point or the other, had faced people like Pharaoh, Balaam, Moses, Joshua, etc. Not a word failed, out of the sample of good pronouncements on the people, no matter how long it takes to manifest. And although there were many occurrences of wasted people, time and material possessions during the waiting period, God's word endures to the end. It is better to endure and get passed, than to pass ahead of God's enduring word.

"These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation." (Joshua 20:9 NKJV) Six cities that were evenly spaced across the land of Israel were designated to provide refuge to whoever killed a person accidentally from the avenger of blood. It was an evidence that Judiac judicial system recognizes the possible incidence of murder without evil intention. In most legal systems, the best conviction under any of this type of accident would be man's slaughter. No matter the level of clemency accorded though, there would be a sticky sense of guilt that polices the conscience of whoever killed his fellow man. Likewise, every presumptuous, but character-assassinating, word uttered against fellow man, albeit for self-gratification, attracts guilty conscience. However, only those who are...

"When they had made an end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their borders, the children of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun." (Joshua 19:49 NKJV) The consideration of self in all service to humanity represents the major roadblock in commitments to wholesome reform for improvement in general standard of living. Until one demonstrates selfless excellence when privileged to be in position of leadership, professing total control of the demon of self-serving is easy. However, Joshua represents an epitome of selfless service. Even when his former colleague - Caleb - claimed the special promise they both shared for bringing back good report, he waited until the end of dividing the land as an inheritance according to their borders. Only a leader on selfless service grace can wait to be served, after all members under his leadership are completely satisfied. Nevertheless, the tribute to selfless service exceeds all possible treasure o...

"And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”" (Joshua 17:17-18 NKJV) Like many developing nations with large population challenges, the house of Joseph saw liabilities in its great people within the single lot allocation. It is not a news that these challenges often promotes indiscipline, stealing, cheating, fraud, and corruption as the burden of leadership. In the exchange of the attending dirty politics, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh had prepared not to take responsibility for their lot; but to shift the blame on Joshua's allocation strategy. However, Joshua's assessment reveals asset - great power - instead of liabilities. This implies that g...