Heralds Digest

“For I will restore health to you And heal you of your wounds,’ says the LORD, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; No one seeks her.” ’” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭30:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.30.17.nkjv Hard-earned respects often generate unnecessary conflicts of interest in relationships. Whenever there is conflict between divine interest and human interest, absolute loyalty to the Lord is easily compromised. More often than not, God would permit wilderness experience in the affairs of His beloved in order to attract their pure devotion. Dignity and respects in family, friendship, and fellowship affairs are easily influenced with affluence, position, and material prosperity. But when opportunities with men are refused and rejected, the atmosphere for lifting up humble hands to the holy hill becomes clearer. After captivity experiences and outcast exposures in life, Zion became unsought and irrelevant. Sometimes, divine help tarries when human assistances appea...

“‘Therefore do not fear, O My servant Jacob,’ says the LORD, ‘Nor be dismayed, O Israel; For behold, I will save you from afar, And your seed from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return, have rest and be quiet, And no one shall make him afraid.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭30:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.30.10.nkjv Sin enslaves a soul and separates the soul from the source of true rest. Unfortunately, the consequences of sin does extend the gap and delivers the soul into the captivity managed by the enemy. The captivity of the Jews in Babylon is a perfect picture of the consequences of sin for all humanity. And when the yoke of sin is fashioned like beads for necklaces, the victims are made to promote the satisfaction of the body with social equity and technological advancement. For the 70-year captivity in Babylon, the people of God had found reliefs in shelters, innovations, and developed a new social system. Yet, all the relief systems for the body cannot be compared with the ...

“therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the LORD, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:32‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.29.32.nkjv If the character of God is limited to the understanding of what He does, then there cannot be any justification for the punishment of rebellion against the divine call to godliness. Because the experiences of godly people in life does not always seem good, many are tempted to query the uprightness of life’s circumstances and the exhortation for perseverance and endurance. Shemaiah the Nehelamite resisted the inspired prophecy through Jeremiah on the basis of the concern for the goodness of a good God in believers’ gory experiences. Hasn’t the steadfast love of the Lord ceased, when pain and persecution appears the permanent pavilion of the people of God? O...

“And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, because they have not heeded My words, says the LORD, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the LORD.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:18-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.29.18-19.nkjv Almost all of human needs come with a price tag; and whoever is adjudged as the higher bidder dictates the control tune. However, among the diverse needs in life, including physical, material, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, the need for the LORD, without the common conflict of interest in the affairs of His subjects, is supreme. Although the captive Jews in Babylon had thought that their plights, compared to the apparent preferences for the deviants in Jerusalem, provided the justifi...

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.29.11.nkjv Growing up in an extremely humble background and highly exploited environments would readily create the mindset of loneliness and a low self-esteem to an orphan. Obviously, the same experience is bound to generate a worse feeling in kids with incapacitated parents. However, it takes a different consideration for a loving and lofty Father to subject his kid to a period of hard training and derogatory discipline. Whereas, God told the captive Jews in Babylon to buckle up for a whopping 70-years of captivity for a good hope and future peace. The problem with human thought is always that life appears good with present prosperity than with future peace. Today’s social welfare package is easily preferred to tomorrow’s glorious accomplishments, except with the gracious intervention of a loving ...

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:4-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.29.4-5.nkjv In the late 19th century, history reveals that British home children were sent to Canada from similar backgrounds but ended up leading very different lives. Some were opined to be lucky with adoption, while others were acknowledged to be exploited and abused. However, remarkable experiences have emerged about those who chose to accommodate or adopt Masters of exploitation and abuse in lives for their future prosperity. Jeremiah was inspired to encourage the captive Jews in Babylon to choose the path of accommodating their ugly experiences with focus on dominion and prosperity with God’s authorization. Today, and in all the nations of the world, the opinion of obedient Jews to Jeremiah’s admonition mat...

“As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭28:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jer.28.9.nkjv Many doomsday preachers would always take advantage of catastrophic consequences of the end-time events; but many of these false prophets will be wary of presumptuous declarations of peace prophecy. However, in a jealous response to the sincere prophecy of Jeremiah, Hananiah provided the people with a self-directed peace prophecy. To many people in anticipation of transition from calamity, catastrophe, and chaos, peace prophecy or prosperity preaching is always attractive. Unfortunately, material prosperity preaching without sincere repentance and regeneration is a recipe for doomsday preparation. While Jeremiah humbly said “Amen” to Hananiah’s prophecy in support of prosperity, God responded with His verdict of doom for the people’s rebellion against righteousness. Obv...