Heralds Digest

“And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭39:4-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.us/114/isa.39.4-6.nkjv The extension of up to 15 years to king Hezekiah’s life was not a common privilege, given the ample period of time that can be invested to make significant life-changing impression for a memorable and worthwhile legacy. Since a permanent rest from war threat from the king of Assyria represented a desirable achievement and a worthwhile legacy to bequeath his successor, the building of strong military arsenal and a prospective alliance with the king of Babylon would possibly be a commonsensical init...

“Indeed it was for my own peace That I had great bitterness; But You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭38:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.38.17.nkjv The perception of walls in almost all of life’s projects and ambitions as obstacle is straight-forward. The proponent of most of these walls is the enemy of progress in life. For example, the demise or demotion of a dependable benefactor, retrenchment of a reliable family or financial partner, setbacks on trust in a promising relationship, etc, are walls that are mostly soaked by detractors with great bitterness. In moments with these weary walls, the common query from those who know the Lord is always “why would God allow walls on this promising way?”. While the right response is always difficult for those with little or no experience of walls, Hezekiah said “Indeed it was for my own peace that I had great bitterness”. His perspective is that w...

“And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah Shall again take root downward, And bear fruit upward.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37:31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.37.31.nkjv Productivity by the prudence of men can hardly produce the praise of God without the influence of grace. This is one of the reasons why praise is comely in moments of difficulty and pain. The remnants from the season of pain would have learnt more about the providence of God, even in the absence of prosperity. Unfortunately, prosperity without the practical knowledge of the providence of God breeds the likes of king Sennacherib, speaking with pride against the relevance of God towards their provision, promotion, and prosperity. Whereas, the remnants from the season of pain would surely take root downward against economic recession, financial instability, career redundancy, and professional irrelevance; but would equally bear the fruit of the praise of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords upward. Invariably, an ...

“Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37:18-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.37.18-20.nkjv Human creativity and intelligence have developed beautiful things and technologies for improved comfort and satisfaction of humanity. Likewise, advances in the work of men’s hands have shown that wood and stone can now provide shelter in castle, transportation in rockets, security in missiles, etc. Unfortunately, the souls of men appear to still grow in insecurity and anxiety with improved artificial comfort and material satisfaction. And like in the days of king Hezekiah, true salvation comes from the only true God, whose refuge cannot be destroyed by the threat o...

“It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.’ ”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.37.4.nkjv “Why are the heathen rage and the wicked people imagine and successfully advance vain things against the people of God”, queried the righteous. The simply answer is that many battles of life are often fought for all the wrong reasons. Assaults from the wicked always come with great reproach to the God of the righteous. Unfortunately, the people of God are mostly concerned about their selfish interest, like wealth, security, positions, relevance, etc, without a deep concern for the glory of God. Little wonder, we groan and mourn with little help from the King of kings and the Lord of lords. King Hezekiah could have been mindful of the threat of Rabsaken ...

“Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, “The LORD will deliver us.” Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered its land from the hand of the king of Assyria?...But they held their peace and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭36:18, 21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.36.18,21.nkjv In moments of intense pressure and deep oppression, especially when the foundation of believers’ personal trust is challenged, the enemy’s voice and domination easily go unchallenged. Such was the situation of the people of Judah in the face of unprovoked challenge from king Sennacherib of the Assyria. And when the challenges of life appears to take away the believers’ useful engagement, the principal persuasion is determined by the response to those challenges. Although the popular response in times like this is fear, it can be noted that the statements of the Rabsaken are sincerely direct challenges to God, and not to king Hezekiah. A...

“A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭35:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/isa.35.8.nkjv Technological advancement has provided encouraging solutions to almost all of human problems, like difficult road networks, desert encroachment, food droughts, etc. Through technology and a zero-tolerance for human corruption, it has been successfully demonstrated that unfriendly islands can be turned to ivory gardens, and desert areas can be turned to sustainable zones for tourist attractions. But where reversed technology and corruption are promoted, almost everything that provides evidence of sustainable development has appeared contraband to importation. Consequently, free immigration has accommodated the movement of people from undeveloped regions of the world to developed regions, including people with cor...