ESOCS Devotional 8 June 2023
MEMORY VERSE: “He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath seen perverseness in Israel: The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.” Numbers 23:21
TEXT: NUMBERS 23:13-30
13 Balak said to him, Come with me, I implore you, to another place from which you can see them, though you will see only the nearest and not all of them; and curse them for me from there.
14 So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim to the top of [Mount] Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord yonder.
16 And the Lord met Balaam and put a speech in his mouth, and said, Go again to Balak and speak thus.
17 And when he returned to Balak, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?
18 Balaam took up his [figurative] discourse and said: Rise up, Balak, and hear; listen [closely] to me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?
20 You see, I have received His command to bless Israel. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse or qualify it.
21 [God] has not beheld iniquity in Jacob [for he is forgiven], neither has He seen mischief or perverseness in Israel [for the same reason]. The Lord their God is with Israel, and the shout of praise to their King is among the people.
22 God brought them forth out of Egypt; they have as it were the strength of a wild ox.
23 Surely there is no enchantment with or against Jacob, neither is there any divination with or against Israel. [In due season and even] now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought!
24 Behold, a people! They rise up as a lioness and lift themselves up as a lion; he shall not lie down until he devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.
25 And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all.
26 But Balaam answered Balak, Did I not say to you, All the Lord speaks, that I must do?
27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I implore you; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.
28 So Balak brought Balaam to the top of [Mount] Peor, that overlooks [the wilderness or desert] Jeshimon.
29 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
When God is in your camp, church, home or business place, it is victory all the way, and the sky is your limit in terms of exploits. With God in your camp, the fear of you grips your enemies and detractors run to and fro looking for help against you, but all to no avail. Their hired prophets, diviners and magicians will work against them because the Lord will so command. Their mercenaries will fail and their instruments of war will be with confused noise. When God is in your camp, you are brave as a lion, and just as animals in the pasture tremble at the appearance of a lion, so everyone trembles at your presence.
With God in your boat, the sail is smooth and arrival at destination is sure (Jn. 6:21). Blessings from God are sure, and not reversible by your foes. Progress and prosperity are greeted with regular congratulation and frequent Jubilation. Your children excel in their career and in spiritual things. Your peace is as certain as the peace of a flock, fed by an able shepherd in green pastures besides quiet waters.
As you meditate on this passage today, I pray that from this day forward you will begin and continuously enjoy the blissful manifestations of God’s presence in your home, business and ministry. Let us now look at what you must do to attract the presence of God and enjoy continuance of his presence in your camp, Balaam’s statement in verse 21 is instructive: “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them.”
Although, Israel had been a sinful nation that so vexed God, she was at this time clean enough to enjoy the presence of God as no idols or graven images or strange gods were found among them. No sin of the degree that could provoke God to give them up to destruction was found in them at this time. To keep away from sin is to keep away from harm. When we keep our habitation holy, Yahweh is pleased to dwell with us. When a man keeps my words, the Lord says: “my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him” (Jn. 14:23).
God’s promise to those who would not indulge in any form of idolatry but would keep His Sabbaths, reverence his sanctuary, walk in his statutes and keep His commandments include: “And I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be me people” (Lev. 26:11-12).
- Make genuine efforts to keep your household believing in Jesus Christ, obeying God’s words and commandments so you will enjoy the glories of his presence in your family.
- Lord, give me grace to keep believing and obeying you, and mercifully make your dwelling with my family in the name of Jesus Christ.
FURTHER READING: Lev. 26:1-13; 2 Cor. 6:16-18
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ESOCS Devotional 8 June 2023
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