Heralds Digest

  “Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭7:89‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the major concerns of religious services, ceremonial offerings, and fellowship is the difficulty of proving the evidence of acceptance and divine interactions. For example, while people say prayer is a dialogue and not a monologue session; how often do we hear or ever heard from God when we pray? Little wonder, information is readily downloadable from the ‘cloud’ today than listening to “ the voice of One speaking… ” from the cloud. Even in the Old Testament, the scriptures say “ when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him (the Lord) ”…God spoke to him. Nevertheless, it is important to underscore the preceding uniformity of focus on God through a united presentation of sacrifices by the entire congr...

  “When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭4:5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Given the preparation, arrangement, and the ceremonies that the tabernacle of meeting in the wilderness attracted, it is somehow strange that there would regularly come the morning time “ When the camp prepares to journey ”. Oftentimes, when the heart of man is focussed on extensive and extending life’s projects, it is usual for anyone not to see the light at the end of the tunnels. People would readily make a castle out of life’s situations and circumstances, until a supernatural power is released for breakthrough. Actually, in God’s agenda, there is always a “ When the camp prepares to journey ” phenomenon. Unfortunately, our lack of preparation for this morning meeting often results in the unpleasant delay of divine manifestation. Like it was for Aaron and his sons, there are always responsibilities ...

  “For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus‬ ‭25:55‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that the children of Israel and the land of Egypt are respectively symbolic of believers and sin. When we, as believers, are redeemed from sin and its slavery, we become sold-out servants of God. The implication is simply that our priorities, passions, and pursuits in life are no longer personal, but sold-out to God. Unfortunately, believers often believe that God has become bankrupt and bereft of strategy for our prosperity, like ‘poor’ children of Israel who decide to sell themselves to strangers. Likewise, when we sell ourselves to the corrupt systems of the world, their fashion, entertainment, and business strategies, for temporal relief and mundane satisfaction, we simply just sell our birthright like Esau. Whereas, as sold-out servants of God, our inheritance in GOD is strictly reserved; because t...

  “Those that are blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them on the altar to the Lord.” ‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭22:22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The emphasis on seasoned sacrifices is on the preparation of blameless offerings with all the necessary ingredients and through the acceptable procedures. Normally, this line of preparation and procedures will appear strenuous; but God looks more on the heart of obedience and willingness to offer a desirable aroma to the Lord. With a single heart of affection for the Lord, it is easy to realize that sacrifices to God are always simple. It is the same principle of consecration to God that screened out sacrifices with defects (i.e., blind or broken or maimed, or have an ulcer or eczema or scabs). Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone, who is determined to make sacrifices to God, to prepare his instrument of sacrifice; and get them cleaned, healed, blameless, and ready. ...

  “No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.” Leviticus‬ ‭21:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the significant differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament is that the former revealed God as the Symbol of holiness, while the latter revealed God as the Source of our holiness. Now, at the splitting of the veil of the temple by our High Priest - Jesus Christ, anyone with the vilest of his defect can approach the throne of grace for mercy. Notwithstanding, the principle of righteous representation of the presence of God by anyone, called by the Lord, remains the same. We need to be purged of our defects before the Holy God can be truly represented in our relationships with this world. Sometimes, the oven for this purging is the home-front with all the challenges against our peace and prosperity. At another time, the theatre for t...

  “You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the Lord.’ ””‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19:36-37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ If service to humanity is generally conceived as service to God, all honours will be honest and honourable. Unfortunately, the pursuit of honesty with honour is like climbing on the back of a steep and sleepy mountain. Honour in business activities, career progression and promotion, ministerial accomplishments, and even in family relationships often come with dishonest games, suspicious calls, and cruel cheating. Those who trade in the market for these types of fake honours win their followers by flagging their highly esteemed worldly standards and lifestyles. Whereas, the pursuit of righteousness and honest honour can only be undertaken by those who are satisfied with conviction that the Lord is simp...

  “This is the law for any leprous sore and scale, for a swelling and a scab and a bright spot, to teach when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy.”Leviticus‬ ‭14:54, 56-57‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just as the law of leprosy, commitment to a consistent study of the word of God without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is boring. Notwithstanding, the law of leprosy provides illumination and a sense of caution or carefulness against contamination. Anyone who has been subjected to an isolation treatment or quarantine knows how boring but mandatory for him to carefully read through and understand the guidelines and protocol for screening or discharge from the ‘red zone’ facility. Normally, people are always more careful to avoid reinfection after discharge; not because of the fear of the diseases, but because of the stress of reviewing the boring guidelines and protocol. Likewise, the living law of God illumines the hearts against the corruption of sin and unrighteousness. A...