From Empty Soil to Generational Soil: The Divine Rebuild

In Ruth 1:12 (RSV), Naomi gives a raw, heartbreaking assessment of her situation, telling her daughters-in-law, "Turn back, my daughters, go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons..." She looked at her circumstances—her husband was dead, her sons were dead, her youth was gone—and concluded that her life was entirely empty of hope. It is a deeply human assessment that many of us make when everything falls apart. However, we beautifully note that God often breaks down to build up. The Divine Pattern of Breaking and Building Naomi's story is one of the clearest biblical examples of how our worst endings are often the raw materials God uses for His greatest beginnings. The Breaking (Ruth 1): Naomi left Bethlehem full and returned empty, bitter, and grieving. She even changed her name to Mara, meaning "bitter," because she believed the Almighty had brought calamity upon her. The Building (Ruth 4): God was not finished. Through the loyalty of Ruth and the redemption of Boaz, God rebuilt Naomi’s life. He didn't just give her a grandson (Obed); He placed her directly into the lineage of King David and, ultimately, Jesus Christ. What Naomi saw as a dead end was actually the soil for a generational blessing. When God allows a breaking down, it is rarely to destroy us; it is to strip away the things we depend on so He can build something permanent, beautiful, and reliant on His grace.

PISGAH: NOT A MOUNTAIN OF FAILURE, BUT A HEIGHT OF GRACE

There is a popular interpretation of Mount Pisgah in modern preaching that I believe deserves a closer examination. We often hear Pisgah described as the place where Moses stood at the end of an unfulfilled journey—a symbol of coming close to one's destiny but never entering it. Some have even turned "Pisgah" into a spiritual syndrome: You can see your promise, but you will never possess it. But is that really what the Scriptures teach? I believe we need to look more carefully. The Bible says: "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land..." — Deuteronomy 34:1 But the reason Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land was not because of something that happened at Pisgah. The decisive event had occurred much earlier, at Meribah, when Israel contended with Moses over water. God said to Moses and Aaron: "Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." — Numbers 20:12 Moses himself later explained: "The LORD was angry with me also on your account, and said, 'You also shall not go in there.'" — Deuteronomy 1:37 So, the sentence had already been pronounced. Pisgah was not the place where Moses lost the Promised Land. The matter had been settled long before he climbed that mountain. Pisgah was simply the place from which God allowed Moses to see the land. And there is something else we must not overlook. Moses was 120 years old when he died. "Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated." — Deuteronomy 34:7 This is remarkable. Moses did not die because his body had simply collapsed under old age. Scripture specifically says that his natural strength had not failed. Yet his earthly journey had reached its appointed end. God had already declared in Genesis: "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." — Genesis 6:3 Whatever theological questions may surround the application of this verse to human lifespan, one thing is clear: Moses had reached 120 years. His death at that age was not evidence that God had abandoned him. And perhaps this is where our understanding of Pisgah needs to change. Pisgah was not merely a mountain of disappointment. It was also a mountain of divine mercy. Moses had sinned. God's justice was real. The consequence was real. Moses would not personally lead Israel across the Jordan. But God's mercy was also real. God did not say, "Because you failed, you will see nothing." Instead, He brought Moses up to the height of Pisgah and showed him the land. "I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." — Deuteronomy 34:4 What a profound picture of God's dealings with His servants! Justice did not cancel mercy. Moses could not enter the land as Israel's earthly leader, but God still allowed him to behold the fulfilment of the promise He had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And there is an even deeper mystery. Moses may not have entered Canaan in the way he expected, but he did not disappear from God's story. Centuries later, we find Moses standing with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, speaking with Jesus. "And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem." — Luke 9:30–31 The man who once stood on Pisgah looking toward the earthly Promised Land was later seen in glory with Christ. So perhaps Pisgah should not be preached as a curse of perpetual unfulfillment. Perhaps it should remind us that God's purposes are bigger than one chapter of our earthly journey. Moses did not receive everything in the manner he expected. But he was not forgotten. He was not discarded. He was not outside God's grace. His story teaches us that God can uphold His justice while still revealing His mercy. It teaches us that a consequence is not necessarily the end of a person's relationship with God. And it teaches us that what looks like the end of a dream from the valley may look very different when viewed from the mountain of God's perspective. Pisgah was not the grave of Moses' faith. It was the place where, after a long journey, God gave His servant a final vision of the promise. So let us be careful before turning Pisgah into a prophecy of failure. Pisgah may not be where God's promise dies. It may be where God's grace allows us to see how far His faithfulness has carried us. And if there are things we cannot possess in this life, let us remember that the God who called Moses is still the God who sees beyond our limitations, beyond our failures, and beyond the boundaries of our earthly journey. God's justice is righteous. His mercy is abundant. And His faithfulness endures forever.

When Faith Becomes a Marketplace: The Commercialization of Christianity in Nigeria

This is a concern many Christians in Nigeria and elsewhere have raised for years. There are a few different issues that need to be separated. 1. The Bible does contain miracles, anointing with oil, and extraordinary answers to prayer The New Testament is not anti-miracle. Jesus healed people. The apostles healed people. James wrote: > "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil..." (James 5:14) So the existence of miracles, prayer for healing, or even the use of oil in itself is not the problem. The question is whether these things are being used as expressions of faith or turned into religious commodities. 2. Scripture repeatedly warns against merchandising spiritual things The Bible contains strong warnings about people using religion for financial gain. Simon the sorcerer wanted to buy spiritual power (Acts 8). Peter warned about false teachers who would "make merchandise of you" (2 Peter 2:3). Paul distinguished himself from those who "peddle the word of God" (2 Corinthians 2:17). Jesus drove money changers from the temple because God's house had become a marketplace. A recurring biblical pattern is that when spiritual authority becomes linked to financial transactions, corruption tends to follow. 3. Hard economic conditions make people vulnerable Nigeria has experienced prolonged economic pressure. When people cannot afford school fees, rent, hospital bills, or food, they naturally become desperate for hope. In such an environment, promises like: "Sow this seed." "Connect to this altar." "Buy this mantle." "Use this water." "Your breakthrough is tied to this sacrifice." can become very attractive. The danger is that trust slowly shifts from God Himself to religious mechanisms. Instead of: > "I trust God." it becomes: > "I trust the thing the prophet gave me." That is a significant spiritual shift. 4. Genuine miracles can coexist with unhealthy systems One thing that complicates the discussion is that real testimonies do occur. Even in imperfect churches, people sometimes experience healing, provision, repentance, restored marriages, and other blessings. But a testimony alone does not automatically validate an entire ministry model. In Matthew 7, Jesus warned that some people would point to mighty works and miracles, yet He would still question their relationship with Him. The biblical test is not merely: > "Did something happen?" but also: > "What fruit is being produced?" 5. The impact on real godly life This may be where your concern is deepest. When Christianity becomes centered on obtaining miracles, several things can happen: Scripture study becomes secondary. Character formation becomes secondary. Repentance becomes secondary. Love for neighbour becomes secondary. Endurance through suffering becomes secondary. Yet much of the New Testament focuses on exactly those things. A Christian can spend years chasing "breakthroughs" and never grow significantly in: humility, forgiveness, patience, holiness, generosity, love. Those are not spectacular miracles, but they are central marks of spiritual maturity. 6. A quieter Christianity often receives less attention Many genuine believers live relatively unnoticed lives. They: pray faithfully, care for family, work honestly, help neighbours, study Scripture, endure hardship without losing faith. Such people rarely trend on social media or television. Yet if you read the New Testament carefully, that kind of steady faithfulness occupies far more space than public displays of power. The greatest miracle presented in the gospel is not merely that someone's finances improve or a sickness disappears. It is that a human being is reconciled to God and progressively transformed into the likeness of Christ. 7. A balanced perspective I would be cautious about saying all miracle ministries are fraudulent. That would go beyond the evidence. At the same time, it is reasonable to question any system where: financial giving is repeatedly presented as the key to divine favour, fear and desperation are exploited, leaders become extraordinarily wealthy while members remain burdened, loyalty to a personality overshadows loyalty to Christ, spiritual products are marketed as though God's grace can be packaged and distributed. Those concerns are not merely modern criticisms. They echo warnings found within Scripture itself. Perhaps the healthiest question for any believer is: > If every bottle of oil disappeared, every blessed handkerchief vanished, every prophetic item became unavailable, and every miracle campaign stopped tomorrow, would my faith in God remain intact? The New Testament seems to point believers toward a faith that can stand even when all external aids are removed—a faith rooted in Christ, Scripture, prayer, obedience, and the work of the Holy Spirit rather than in objects, personalities, or religious transactions.