Heralds Digest

  “Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”” I Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The deliverance of David and the children of Israel from the 40-day threats of Goliath and the Philistines still reveals the prospect of the sling and stones against the sword and spear, whenever the Lord remains believers’ only refuge and strength. Just like David kept alive the memory of the Lord’s past deliverance from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, believers who constantly meditate on how they were spared alive miraculously by the Lord to face the prevailing challenges of life can never be consumed by the threats of the enemies. As long as it can be established that the threats by the sword and spear, financial muscles, political powers, and material privileges against the righteous are aimed at defying the pursuit of...

  “So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ ‘To be little in one own eyes’ , as quoted by Samuel here, is obviously in reference to the acknowledgment of the superior authority or God and His commandments. Otherwise, self smallness can be easily mistaken as having a low self esteem or inferiority complex. Therefore, when Saul considered himself small in comparison with God’s instructions, absolute obedience, complete consecration, and selfless worship of God with everything endowed were easy and straightforward. Unfortunately, after the status and authority as king of Israel brought the attention and obedience of many people below Saul, it became difficult for him to retain the small status in reference to God. Likewise, whenever experiences, exposures, and enlightenment succeed in lowering believers’ attention to the authority of the scriptures...

  “Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭12‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The wonderful story of God’s love is always a tale of imperfect people who are unconditionally loved by a perfect God. Whereas, faithful followers of Christ are not necessarily faithful in fruitfulness; they are expected to be faithful in following. Despite Israel’s sin and wickedness in rejecting God as their King, they were admonished to “ not turn aside from following the Lord ”. Therefore, faithful followers of Christ are honest, sincere, humble seekers of His grace for daily living. By learning daily at His feet, believers are able to grow in grace and in the knowledge of God’s will in their daily walk with Him. Unfortunately, believers who are equipped to p...

  “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” I Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The pursuit of service status requires necessary preparation, training, and development; and those who have succeeded in acquiring these relevant credentials have always proved right the biblical injunction that “ Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men ” (Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭29‬). Notwithstanding, standing before the kings of this world has limited constraints, without the service spirit from the King of kings. Even without the known training, experience, and exposure, Saul - the first king of Israel - was able to deliver his first series of test of service duty with the Spirit of the Lord. With human training and personal development in life, we can only acquire the service...

  “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”” ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without the intervention of God, the people’s revolt against theocracy would have been mishandled by Samuel. “ And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them ” (‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬). Actually, everyone knows that the problem was the fear of irresponsible reign by the children of Samuel. And even then the people were warned that their desired monarchy will not avert the fear, but rather complicate it, they preferred the option of holding someone responsible for breaking the rules. Today, even though the search for responsible reign has led man to the embrace of democracy, there has not ...

  “And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.” I Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ When the children of Israel proudly carried the Ark of the Lord to the battlefield against the Philistines in the previous chapter, they were disappointed and humiliated because the Ark was merely carried without the actual presence of the Lord within them. It shows that the presence of the Lord is not in the external works of men or the activities of believers’ hands; but in the works of God in believers’ lives. The great things that we do in life, and the amazing achievements that we command can truly speak about the possibilities of God’s presence; but they are not necessarily the ...

  “So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.” I Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Just like a flash, the Lord transferred the priesthood honour from the house of Eli, a Levite, to the house of Samuel, an Ephraimite, with a simple principle: “ for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed” (I Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭30‬). Even when the High Priest - Jesus Christ - was unveiled, the household of Israel (and by extension, the religious people of the world) still struggled to understand the principle of house honour. Little wonder Jesus said to them “ How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? ” (John‬ ‭5‬:‭44‬). Unfortunately, the same principle of absolute disregard or misinterpretation of house honour is wrecking houses, relationships, and in...