Heralds Digest

“The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!...“ He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.”” ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭ 22:47 , 51‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/2sa.22.47,51.nkjv   The zealousness of wickedness from the enemies in our world often create questions in the heart of the upright. Broken hearts will readily doubt the existence of God, sometimes silently with “Why?”. Had it and felt it, the Psalmist shows the righteous that the Lord lives, even while our load lasts. When our backs are laid against the wall and it seems there is no way out of the troubles of life, the Lord lives. Oftentimes, the virus against life threatens the peace in relationships with disturbing sets of false evidences; and God mostly appeared dead. At another time, it is the shooting of arrows against the faithfulness and uprightness of the righteous, and God mostly appeared indifferent. Wh...

“So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.” ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭ 8:15 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/2sa.8.15.nkjv   Perfect administration of judgment and justice in any nation and people depend on the appointment of the right Judge. Although King David had been anointed many years earlier, his appointment as the right Judge in Israel took many years of wilderness and training. Despite the injustice suffered in the hands of Saul and the wrong judgment received from the likes of Absaloam and Ahithophel, David eventually learned from God the administration of judgment and justice to all his people. Unfortunately, the path is not an easy one for anyone who is willing to pull the string with the system. Whereas, David endured the injustice and wrong judgment in order to keep his focus on the true Judge - God. Painfully, judgment and justice with the people is absolutely impossible without the virtue of patience in  judgm...

“Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭ 12:24 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/1sa.12.24.nkjv   Respect, the people say, is reciprocal. But when there is doubt in the virtue of respect in any relationship, there is bound to be unfaithfulness. Israel has just opted for monarchy in replacement of theocracy because of her vote of no confidence on the prospects of theocracy, especially when many surrounding nations seem to be getting more dividends from their system of government. Obviously, respect waned within with increasing appreciation of greener pasture outside the fence of any relationship. As long as fellowship is driven by tangible appreciation of taste instead of the transparent affection to the truth, respect will always remain a commodity to be purchased by the highest bidder.  Therefore, the LORD had to warn Israel against the risk of dwelling in unfaithfulness: “Only ...

“Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭ 1:11 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/1sa.1.11.nkjv   Man’s common concept of gifts from God is God’s release and man’s receipt. Similar to childish disposition, Man’s release of gifts received from God usually requires enormous persuasion. However, Hannah underwent an unusual bargain with God in order to have her womb opened by God: She promised to give Samuel back to God, if God ever considered her prayer for a release of the gift. And She painfully fulfilled her promise to God. Unfortunately, many of such promises are made by desperate people at the crossroads of life, but went unfulfilled. Actually, all of God’s gifts (children, wealth, talents, career, et...

“So he said, “You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now what more do I have? How can you say to me, ‘What ails you?’ ”” ‭‭Judges‬ ‭18:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/jdg.18.24.nkjv The long wait for a reliable cure for COVID-19 or any disease on pandemic scale can be frustrating. But as long as the search is attracting consistent investment of time and earthly resources, there is hope for solution in the end. Unfortunately, the search for medicine for the soul do not always enjoy the same level of comfort and hope, without the help of the true God. Like Micah, the people of Dan and the isolated men of Laish, man engages in the business of life by searching for god in his man-made privacy, prosperity, and peace. And the man-made privacy, prosperity, and peace are always unsecured and unreliable. Since they are destructible and degradable, the ailment resulting from their inevitable loss is awful. When Micah expressed his awful predic...

“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 https://www.bible.com/114/jos.24.15.nkjv A reflection came up in a recent family devotion “With respect to Christians’ expression of their love for the Lord, why do we always do what we do not mean?”. Of course, if the children of Israel in the days of Joshua have kept their promise to serve the Lord, the fragile world peace accords and the instability in a drive for mutual coexistence in the world would have been a fiction. Even in our contemporary days, many leaders of influence in the Christian Faith have risen with sincere hearts to change their world in total commitment to the Lord. Unfortunately, majority of these leaders have been brought down at the height of t...

““And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭ 10:12-13 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/deu.10.12-13.nkjv   Liberal hearts pride themselves in the freedom to make their own rules. Howbeit, they can hardly submit to the enforcement of their self-made rules. And in spite of the understanding of the clear motives of personal goods in God’s rules, divine rules and regulations are unacceptable ways of life to souls that are doomed on the self-destructive pathway. When Israel exhibited her passion for liberal lifestyles under the leadership of Aaron, even Moses paid a heavy price in order to re-subscribe for God’s rules and regulations for the stiff-necked children of Israel and the respect of God’s commandme...