Heralds Digest

  ““See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭31:2-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ A focus on the service requirements towards the construction of the tabernacle, holy garments,  ark of the Testimony, temple furniture and utensils, and the compounding of the incense and anointing oil for the holy place is both scary and complicated. But at the end, God told Moses “ See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the [Service] Spirit of God” . The referenced Spirit here is far from the intelligence of men. Whenever the service spirit in life’s projects and engagements is limited to the accumulation of Human Resources, we are always right to be concerned with all deliverables from our service offerings. Whereas, God is not really concerned about human ...

  “And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a skillfully woven tunic, a turban, and a sash. So they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons, that he may minister to Me as priest.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭28:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The uniqueness in the grace version of the holy garments for Aaron and his sons cannot be mistaken: “ And you shall make holy garments…for glory and for beauty ”. This grace comes with the embodiment of God’s glory and the empowerment of human beauty. Prior to the construction of these holy garments, the humanly-endowed grace garment in ministers can only boast of the accumulation of skills, worldly wisdom, material wealth, and earthly achievements. Unfortunately, these achievements may only minister to the flesh and provide different kinds of emotional excitement. Whereas, the divinely-inspired grace garments are engraved with the passion for the souls of the people, like Aaron’s garments had the names of the sons of ...

  “You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it.” Exodus‬ ‭27:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Imaging Moses as the hired Contractor for the construction of the Tabernacle project in the wilderness, God was clearly both the Client and Project Consultant with the combination of resources and expertise to provide the Structural, Mechanical, Material, and Architectural specifications. And with the divine instruction “ You shall make it hollow with boards; as it was shown you on the mountain, so shall they make it ”, it is clear that God expected a perfect alignment of the field structure with the project pattern shown to Moses on Mount Sinai. Every human life and his engagement (life’s ambition, relationships, services, etc) are created and designed by God with the same expectations…that is, “ make sure you follow the revealed pattern” . Unfortunately, while many people would claim ignorance of the revealed pattern (because life engagements are treated as...

  “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭23:30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If patience is a virtue in life, impatience must be nothing but a venom. Impatience is almost synonymous to impotence. Particularly, with respect to the promises of God, impatience often makes every man question the strategy adopted by God towards the fulfillment of His promises in life. Even the procession of the Israelites to the Promised Land was strategic and slow but steady, needless to mention God’s strategy of a progressive possession. Unfortunately, whenever God promises man that ‘I will drive them out from before you ’, there is often the human mindset of ‘I can get that done faster, in my own way’. And the venom swallowed through the pills of impatience often destroy the joy of the Lord; and the appetite to continue the race in the face of the unexpected challenges of life is extinguished. Whereas, the ‘little by little’ strategy fro...

  ““He who sacrifices to any god, except to the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.” Exodus‬ ‭22:20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The first of the Ten Commandments “ You shall have no other gods before Me ” is here exemplified in the Old Testament with a clear statement of retribution. But for the New Testament saints, we know that strange sacrifices embrace all forms of worship or petition to someone or something for their favour of attention, before or at the expense of seeking divine favour or the intervention of the Lord. Freaky, isn’t it? The sincere question should be ‘How can someone be completely free from making strange sacrifices in our world of utmost oppression, outright obsession, and unlawful possession ’? When these gods decide to unleash their uninvited positions, unlawful powers, and unrighteous privileges, believers are often forced to pay ransom, homage, or make strange sacrifices. But in response, those who truly believe in the supremacy of the power of the Creator of heaven a...

  “And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.”” Exodus‬ ‭19:21-22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Familiarity, the people say, breeds contempt; but with God, it simply demands consecration. And the lack of sincere consecration to God has always been the major cause of hindrance to a sweet fellowship between God and man. For the fellowship at Mount Sinai, the Lord God had to say to Moses “ Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish ”. It implies that familiarity with God without consecration to Him actually breeds destruction; and not just contempt. Likewise today, the Holy Hill of the Lord is always open to those who can ascend with holy hands and a pure heart. Therefore, God wants not just familiarity with His vessels, but their familiar fellowship with the fulln...

  “So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”” Exodus‬ ‭15:25-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Prior to the taste disappointment at Marah, the discovery of water after a 3-day search in the wilderness of Shur would have generated a great excitement and another praise worship in the camp of the Israelites. But then, the bitter taste of the waters in Marah suddenly changed their thoughts of praise and worship into tissues of complaints. When hopes and expectations of people in our home, workplaces, society, and institutions are completely dashed, even the seemingly prayers of those who cl...