Heralds Digest

  “Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The steadfast stand of king Josiah emphasizes the injunction to meditate daily on the book of the law for all-round prosperity in life. Unfortunately, many of the kings before him had kept the sacred book out of sight; and the consequences are the wrath of God and His casting off the people out of sight and the shield of mercy. Even today, it is easier for God’s people to be preoccupied with life’s activities, social engagements, and work exigencies, particularly at the expense of daily meditation in the words of the Lord. Little wonder, we become easily captivated by life’s excitement or anxiety. And the resulting sloppy stand makes compromis...

  “Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, and saw an altar that was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the design of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭16‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Innovation in life is simply the art of making changes through exposure and experience. And the importation of the Damascus design into the temple of worship in Jerusalem was one of the achievements of king Ahaz. Unfortunately, the worship of God is never subject to human design. It is always all about God’s design; and His worshippers must receive all inspiration from God, in order to escape the worship of man. Well, the importation of the Damascus design didn’t start with king Ahaz’s trip to Damascus. It started by his reliance on king Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria for deliverance against the enemies. It is just natural that he who plays the piper dictates the tune. While there are many strong influencers like king Tiglath-Pile...

  “But they gave that to the workmen, and they repaired the house of the Lord with it. Moreover they did not require an account from the men into whose hand they delivered the money to be paid to workmen, for they dealt faithfully.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The metrics for fruitfulness are measurable; but can anyone measure faithfulness without reference to the same metrics for fruitfulness? Although the metrics for faithfulness and fruitfulness are interchangeable, they are definitely different. When the scriptures declared the workmen that got the contract to repair the temple as faithful, it says the assessment didn’t take accountability into consideration. It implies that they were faithful, but not necessarily on their fruitfulness. Therefore, “ …for they dealt faithfully ” appears deeper and natural to their characters. Man can attempt to assess fruitfulness, but only God can assess faithfulness. He knows the resources, opportunities, and privileges given to all, an...

  “Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.”” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ There is no doubt that the zeal of Jehu was a weapon with zest. He was used mightily by God to fulfill His prophecy against the house of Ahab without slack or sluggishness. And in his remark to those who assisted in executing the seventy sons of Ahab, he reaffirmed that the witted weapon for their exploits was nothing but the word of the Lord. Whenever the words of men are elevated as par or above the word of the Lord, we lose our focus on the purpose for our existence in life and within the assemblies of people. Unfortunately, the words of men often come quicker to us through the flash of their position, wealth, and allurement, like Jezebel appeared to Jehu. But Jehu chose to get Jezebel thrown to the ground, rather than allowing the word of the Lord to be trampled on t...

  “And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord has shown me that he will really die.” Then he set his countenance in a stare until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The experience of Elisha and Hazael shows that the making of a man of God is not necessarily the power of God, but the purity of God. Little wonder the scriptures say “ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work ” (II Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬). While power is measured by the command of man through the influence of affluence, wealth, and the privileges of this life, purity is measured by the command of God through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Even when Hazael visited Elisha with 40 camel-loads of great things from Damascus palace, Elisha was still able to remain uninfluenced by these mundane things. “ Go, say to him, ‘You shall ce...

  “But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?” II Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬, ‭26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Life is a race, driven by passion. Unfortunately, like the passion of Gehazi, the passion to please self is driven only by material gain, human gratification, and worldly pleasure. And while Elisha ran after Elijah for the full fire of God, Gehazi ran after the wealth of Naaman while training to become a prophet of God. Little wonder, he ended up with the leprosy of Naaman and unable to be a vessel of honour in the hands of God. Therefore, a priceless passion is focussed on running after God on ...

  “And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him”. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Based on the previous experience of King Jehoshaphat of Judah about unholy alliance, it is difficult to understand why he was here convinced to engage in the current alliance with King Jehoram of Israel. Notwithstanding, it is possible that Jehoshaphat considered that Jehoram’s relationship was less evil or the alliance could shine the light on Jehoram’s dark path. But when challenges arose and the people fainted for water, Jehoshaphat pleaded for the entrance of the word of the Lord; and Elisha was consulted. Of course, the word of the Lord brought the winning streak, the refreshing water, and confusion in the camp of their enemies. Likewise in moments of great confusion and the challenges of life, believers are often tempted to continue to explore human strategies, intelligence, and skills; until the water of refre...