Heralds Digest

  “So the Lord’s anger was aroused against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the Lord was gone.” Numbers‬ ‭32:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While the theology behind the wilderness experience for the children of Israel teaches volumes of lessons, including the absolute trusting in God’s words, it was equally a wasteful expenditure occasioned by their mistrust. God wasted all accountable rebels against the promises of the Lord, accounting their mistrust as evil and punishable by the disqualification of their rights to the promised land. Likewise, there are many promises of God today in the life and affairs of children of God. Either with regards to breakthroughs in marriage, business, and ministry, or the expansion/enlargement of an ongoing project, holding on to the promises of God always requires absolute trusting in the Lord for assistance. Unfortunately, with consistent changes in the nation’s economic fortun...

  “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭31:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ “ Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his !” was one of those inspiring prayers of Prophet Balaam; but we all know that he died a miserable death as one of the targets of vengeance from God. The lanes of life’s engagements are not just filled with events and activities; but life’s events are polarized with people whose actions and inaction are likely to influence the end of the race. For Moses, life’s major influencers are the children of Israel. While these people represent his life’s major essence for existence, they also determine how he ended the race of his life. Likewise, every believer has got family members, social friends, work partners, and ministry fellows who are indispensable influencers in life. Notwithstanding, the experience of Moses teaches that the last lane is ...

  “‘These you shall present to the Lord at your appointed feasts (besides your vowed offerings and your freewill offerings) as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’ ”So Moses told the children of Israel everything, just as the Lord commanded Moses.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭29:39-40‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Given the quality and quantity of ceremonies that preceded the services offered by the children of Israel in the Old Testament, it is not far fetched that the Lord’s emphasis is always focussed on His beloved’s preparation. Even in today’s organization and career development, breakthroughs and exploits in life are strictly driven by excellent preparation. Therefore, there is no magic wand to excellence in life, career, and ministry. Excellent preparation begats excellent presentation, and vice versa. Unfortunately, many people often despise the days of little beginning in their moments of preparation. Whereas, even though God counts “ These you sha...

  “Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”” Numbers‬ ‭24:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is no longer news that honest honour is unfashionable in our fast-paced world. Where dignity, fame, and respect are measured strictly by net-worth, it is obviously difficult for anyone to do better than Balaam. And for those who are still holding ground on good character, how long can anyone restrict the devil’s blackmail strategy, as adopted by Balak here? The deceitfulness of riches, professional elevation, and career progression have always been used by the enemy of human souls to engage them on a collision course against the Lord. But, is it really true that “ the Lord has [always] kept [His children] back from honour”? Yes and No! Yes, from dishonest honour; and No, from honest honour. God did try to keep Balaam from dishonest honour, until he finally lost out the hold on God…to gain the dividends of greed. Whereas, the true...

  “Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The experience of Balaam with Balak underscored the simplicity of a sincere pleasing of God. Why many find the pleasing of God complicated is simply on a note of insincerity. When Balak took Balaam on the third insincere voyage of finding ‘what pleases God ’, Balaam couldn’t pretend the absence of clarity on the mission. Obviously, ‘what pleases Balak ’ is that the Israelites may be cursed for him and not God. Sincerity in life, family, career, and mission is born on the altar where personal pleasing is laid. Otherwise, all ceaseless pursuits of the will of God are aimed at a perverted pleasing. Like Balaam, perverts are only excited to make sacrifices only when the mission is aligned with their own personal pleasing. At this point, Balaam actually said to Balak, “ Build for me here seven altars, and prepare...

  “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.”” Numbers‬ ‭21:34‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the major deliverables of bullies is fear. Wherever their activities are entertained, the thoughts of inherent potentials in their targets are suppressed even before the possibilities are even conceived. Even though the children of Israel obviously have potential to overrun the people of Bashan (like they recently did to the people of Ammon), they were only thinking of commutation and not confrontation. Whereas, King Og wore his bully cap to intimidate the Israelites towards forgetting their God-inspired potentials; and rather buy the pill of fear. With a carefully sold-out game of fear in believers’ affairs, even the most recent stories of conquest are completely forgotten…to buy the merchandise of bullies and naysayers. And just like the...

  “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”” Numbers‬ ‭20:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the scriptures say  “ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ”, we can be sure of a degrading implication of hearing by the word of men on believers’ faith.  Believers are called to take responsibility for God’s satisfaction and honour, based on how we respond to words received from the Lord; and not how the world and the expectations of men are pleased by the actions of faith. Using the experience of Moses at the water of Meribah for an example, God didn’t say Moses and Aaron don’t have faith; but that their faith fell short of His expectations for honour before the faithless children of Israel. In the believer’s journey of faith, either at home, offices, and in society, we are constantly surrounded by people...