Heralds Digest

“Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. And the people blessed all the men who willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭11:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.11.1-2.nkjv In our fast paced world, the mobility of the working class is driven by the dynamics of opportunities, civilizations, standard of living, security, etc. Where these material privileges are dominant, people are scarcely concerned about the spiritual implications of settling in any acclaimed land of opportunities. In the days of Nehemiah, the city of Jerusalem was considered a region of least opportunities, based on its poor economic viability and low productivity. For those who are above the working class or assigned as officiating Levites, dwelling in Jerusalem will attract the least opportunity cost. Otherwise, it was considered a great...

“For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine and the oil, to the storerooms where the articles of the sanctuary are, where the priests who minister and the gatekeepers and the singers are; and we will not neglect the house of our God.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭10:39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.10.39.nkjv What always differentiate between promise-makers and promise-keepers is the courage to stand with promises. In most circumstances where the promise-giver and promise-taker are at the mercy of an unforeseen change, the terms of reference to the promises are bound to be dynamic. However, God respects promise-keepers who are bound to draw strength from the words of their commitments; rather than accommodating the winds of change. Commitments to believers’ marital vows, business engagement, financial obligations, and friendship ties, especially in the face of an unforeseen change in economic situations can be a serious cross or t...

““Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it! And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭9:36-37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.9.36-37.nkjv The Kings of this world have policy implementation methods that drive prompt compliance. But in the absence of these measures, orderliness in any system of this world is difficult. Likewise, servanthood is always synonymous to fruitfulness. And in the spiritual realm, freedom from sin without a voluntary submission to the Lordship of Christ simply relinquishes the priced deliverance from the captivity of the enemies. For as many as are led by the Spirit...they constitute the fruitful field of the Father. But unlike the servitude of this world, the Father’s fruitful field does serve in the Spirit ...

“So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.8.17.nkjv The search for the secret of great joy and contentment has been one of the most discouraging adventures for honest seekers in life. The Preacher, who was blessed greatly with wisdom, wealth, and weight, had once shared his frustration in the search for the vanity of human existence. Unfortunately, many observers often ignore the conclusion of Solomon’s miserable exploration of the essence of life. After a subscription to the wilderness wisdom by the returning Jews from captivity, there was a delivery of fresh passion for the searching the word of God as the essence of life, and a discovery of the secret for great joy and contentment. Even when they made booths and sat under the booths...

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.8.9.nkjv In our world of competition, worldly wisdom is driven by the fear of position, property and prosperity. When the value of life is characterized by a privileged access to this worldly wisdom, commitment to the will of God and the real purpose for human existence is lost. Unfortunately, without a proud possession of the knowledge of God and the understanding of His will, the world can no longer sustain peace, unity, and respect for one another at home, workplaces, and the society. Before the period of captivity, the Jews have lived to reject the word of God through the prophets of God; while religion was considered a distraction to liberty and a denial of human rights. Ackn...

“and of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Koz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife of the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called by their name. These sought their listing among those who were registered by genealogy, but it was not found; therefore they were excluded from the priesthood as defiled.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭7:63-64‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.7.63-64.nkjv In response to the killing of Hauwa Leman, a Red Cross worker, by Boko Haram, a commentator lamented that “Hauwa responded when humanity called on her; but no one responded when she called on humanity”. As painful and disappointing as human experiences to humanity count, there is always a call to a more important count in life. A call to the priesthood was apparently taken as an ordinary humanity call by Barzillai. He ignored the requested sacred romance with the Lord, while shifting affection to the mundane things and the carnal love affair. His romance to the daughter of the Gileadites, an...

“And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.” ‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭6:16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/neh.6.16.nkjv Oftentimes, people wondered why intelligent ideas received the stiffest opposition. Hands that are committed to good works are usually weakened by discouragement from people who are considered to be in the know; because human minds are trained to ignore or downplay the problem with possible conflict of interest. Intelligent ideas with little or no consideration for the interest of the generality of concerns will not always appeal to people. Unfortunately, it is absolutely impossible to get everyone in a system of people on the same page without a popularity contest. However, when a layer of divine inspiration is added to the intelligence of man, the risk of losing out in the contest of life is covered. Nehemiah and h...