DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 34 to 35:8; Proverbs 30; Luke 5:1-16
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. Numbers 23:21
In one sense there was every reason for Balaam to go ahead and curse the children of Israel, but God was merciful towards the nation since they were His people. Sometimes we feel that because of our weaknesses and shortcomings we only deserve divine retribution. Remember that the Lord realises we are but dust (Ps. 103:14). Pick yourself up and remember He is with us, despite us. —Brian Russell
Not what I am O Lord but what Thou art,
That, that alone can be my soul’s true rest.
—Horatius Bonar