Heralds Digest

  “Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken” Deuteronomy‬ ‭26:18-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ High stakes in career and professional lifestyle have common metrics for recognition. While celebrities and high performance figures in our world can indulge in character flaws until they are caught, God’s special people cannot afford to compromise the heavenly stakes for recognition. They are so proclaimed special, both in charisma and character, to the Lord their GOD and for Him alone. Unfortunately, when the people eventually get the charisma right by human recognition, in praise, in name, and in honour, they often tend to ignore the stake for holy character. Whereas, the special stakes for God’s special people is for both the charisma a...

  “For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭23:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The consciousness of enemies without freaks almost everything within anyone out, unless by the special grace of God and an absolute awakening to our god-given responsibility. Rather than God delivering the enemies into our hands, believers would readily get engaged in the business of strategizing the downfall of our supposed enemies. Unfortunately, when the believer’s camp (or his heart) gets contaminated by anger, malice, and bitterness, he loses the favour of God and becomes exposed to the devil’s attacks. Whereas, “ For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you “ suggests that believers’ primary responsibility is the maintenance of a clean camp. When believers get truly focussed on God...

  ““You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. “You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭22:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ While equity is centred on fairness, equality in today’s world is mostly a clear contradiction of the rule of fairness. Just as God said an ox should not be treated on the same scale of service with a donkey, there is a clear distinction in the design of human being on the basis of gender. Whenever equity is being deliberately misinterpreted for equality, it is important to note that someone is possibly trying to play deceit on someone. And wherever the distinctiveness of all the creatures of God is always treated with dignity and respect, there is bound to be peace, progress, love, and unity in our homes, workplaces, and the society. It is a fact that complementary contributions are always more rewardable, compared to competitive contributions. By the service of equity and respect for our distinctive desi...

  “then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones. Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭17:5-6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The pronouncements of strange services in the Old Testament were originally guided by diligent enquiring from the Lord through the ordained priests. Obviously, with time, the process became tainted by compromise and self-centeredness. Even in the days of Jesus Christ with the woman caught in adultery by the Pharisees, people can truly see how dangerous it is to commit strange services in the name of doing the Will of God. From the knowledge of the offering of Jesus Christ Himself and all the martyrs, like Stephen, in the Acts of the Apostles and in our contemporary times, one must honestly ask ‘How can I reliably retain the offering of sacred ser...

  “Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother, except when there may be no poor among you; for the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—” Deuteronomy‬ ‭15:3-4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ It is interesting to note that the practice of setting up an endowment for the release of debts or financial incapabilities is scripturally a biblical injunction to the children of Israel. By extension, the major and irrevocable principle for New Testament saints here is that the brother’s blessings are simply the divine arrangement for distribution of earthly resources to the needy. And if by so doing, “ the Lord will greatly bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance ”, God’s blessings are both ways to the poor and the rich. Unfortunately, not everyone is sensitive to the injunction “ you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother ...

  “but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.” ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭11:11-12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the major concerns of the best of human creativity and ingenuity is that our efforts in life diminishes, and not renewable. Our lovely kingdom and appreciable reign, no matter how extensive, are obviously impossible to sustain. Not so with the blessings of God and His promises to the children of Israel, compared with their experiences in the land of Egypt. “ But the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares”. When believers abide under the guidance of the Lord and keep His commandments, they are covered by the rain of heaven and receive the renewable refreshmen...

  ““Furthermore the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭9:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the greatest havocs to the provision of grace is the abuse of this amazing channel of relationship with the great God. While the example of the children of Israel provided the prospect of a seamless transition between the precious people and the perilous people, many believers today still live with mindsets of eternal security. For the Lord, who had earlier referred to Israel as His precious people, also said here ‘I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people‘ . Obviously, without a consistent feeding on the undiluted word of God and a continuous supply of His grace, we are easily consumed by the setups of evil and the contraption of unrighteousness in this perilous world. Thank God for Moses, the amazing intercessor that stood between the backslided Israel and the righteous Judge, all of the nations of the pote...