[Ohio-Communities-of-Faith] DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 15

[Donnie Parrett]

DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 15

WORD OF WISDOM

Don't tell secrets in the garden. The potatoes have eyes, the corn has ears,
and the beanstalk!

___

DAILY DEVOTION

The Test of Purging


I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he
purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the
word which I have spoken unto you.
John 15:1-3

Anyone who grows fruit or vegetables quickly learns the importance of
pruning. If we leave a tree or a plant to grow however it will, it will not
long be productive. On the other hand, if we get out the shears and the
pruning hooks and shape the plants, removing that which would hinder them
being fruitful, we will find a much better harvest. God does the same thing
in the spiritual realm. The difference is that a fruit tree will not
complain if you lop off some weak branches. Yet too often we protest against
the very means God has chosen to make us more like His Son.
Dr. John Rice wrote, "Jesus suffered, so we should not be too much above
suffering. And as long as it is the loving hand of God upon us, we should
not fret. Do you think the surgeon who wields a knife to take out a cancer
is your enemy? Of course not. God may sometimes give us thorns, as he did
Paul, who was exalted above measure. When God gives a thorn in the flesh to
us as He did to Paul, in order to humble us, is God our enemy? No, God is
our best Friend. He loves you and me and He is going to care for us."
There are things in all of our lives that God sees as hindrances to our
growth and development. Thus when we are undergoing purging, we need to
guard our hearts against bitterness or anger toward Him. He knows what we
need far better than we do. Our faith is not shown to be real when things go
well, but when we trust God as we undergo the hardships He allows or brings
into our lives.
We must not cling to that which God knows we would be better off not having
in our lives.

___

DAILY BIBLE READING

Numbers 22-24 New King James Version
Balak Sends for Balaam
22 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on
the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.

2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and
Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said
to the elders of Midian, "Now this company will [a]lick up everything around
us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor
was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam
the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near [b]the River in the land of [c]the
sons of his people, to call him, saying: "Look, a people has come from
Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6
Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too
mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of
the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you
curse is cursed."

7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's
fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of
Balak. 8 And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back
word to you, as the Lord speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with
Balaam.

9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?"

10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent
to me, saying, 11 'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the
face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to
overpower them and drive them out.' "

12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse
the people, for they are blessed."

13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go back
to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with
you."

14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, "Balaam refuses
to come with us."

15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more [d]honorable than
they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son
of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will
certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore
please come, curse this people for me.' "

18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak
were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the
word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you
also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me."

20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men come to call
you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you-that you
shall do." 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went
with the princes of Moab.

Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel
22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord
took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on
his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the
Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and
the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam
struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the
Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side
and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord,
she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the
wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further,
and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the
right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord,
she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused, and he struck the
donkey with his staff.

28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam,
"What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

29 And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have [e]abused me. I wish
there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!"

30 So the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have
ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever [f]disposed to do
this to you?"

And he said, "No."

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord
standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head
and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, "Why
have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out [g]to
stand against you, because your way is perverse[h] before Me. 33 The donkey
saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned
aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her
live."

34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, "I have sinned, for I did not
know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it [i]displeases
You, I will turn back."

35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but only the
word that I speak to you, that you shall speak." So Balaam went with the
princes of Balak.

36 Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at
the city of Moab, which is on the border at the Arnon, the boundary of the
territory. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not earnestly send to you,
calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?"

38 And Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any
power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I
must speak." 39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath Huzoth.
40 Then Balak offered oxen and sheep, and he sent some to Balaam and to the
princes who were with him.

Balaam's First Prophecy
41 So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the
high places of Baal, that from there he might observe [j]the extent of the
people.

The Prophecies of Balaam
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars for me here, and prepare
for me here seven bulls and seven rams."

2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a
bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your
burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and
whatever He shows me I will tell you." So he went to a desolate height. 4
And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have prepared the seven altars,
and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

5 Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return to Balak,
and thus you shall speak." 6 So he returned to him, and there he was,
standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

7 And he took up his [k]oracle and said:

"Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram,
>From the mountains of the east.
'Come, curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!'

8 "How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him,
And from the hills I behold him;
There! A people dwelling alone,
Not reckoning itself among the nations.

10 "Who can count the [l]dust of Jacob,
Or number one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my end be like his!"

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse
my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!"

12 So he answered and said, "Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has
put in my mouth?"

Balaam's Second Prophecy
13 Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place from which
you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not
see them all; curse them for me from there." 14 So he brought him to the
field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a
bull and a ram on each altar.

15 And he said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering while I [m]meet
the Lord over there."

16 Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, "Go back
to Balak, and thus you shall speak." 17 So he came to him, and there he was,
standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And
Balak said to him, "What has the Lord spoken?"

18 Then he took up his oracle and said:

"Rise up, Balak, and hear!
Listen to me, son of Zippor!

19 "God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21 "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
Nor has He seen [n]wickedness in Israel.
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a King is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox.

23 "For there is no [o]sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any [p]divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, 'Oh, what God has done!'
24 Look, a people rises like a lioness,
And lifts itself up like a lion;
It shall not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain."

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at
all!"

26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, "Did I not tell you, saying, 'All
that the Lord speaks, that I must do'?"

Balaam's Third Prophecy
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Please come, I will take you to another
place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from
there." 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the
[q]wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me here seven altars,
and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams." 30 And Balak did as
Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

Balaam Foretells the Happiness of Israel
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not
go as at other times, to seek to use [r]sorcery, but he set his face toward
the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped
according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3 Then he took up his oracle and said:

"The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor,
The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,
4 The utterance of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

5 "How lovely are your tents, O Jacob!
Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens by the riverside,
Like aloes planted by the Lord,
Like cedars beside the waters.
7 He shall pour water from his buckets,
And his seed shall be in many waters.

"His king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.

8 "God brings him out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox;
He shall consume the nations, his enemies;
He shall break their bones
And pierce them with his arrows.
9 'He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?'

"Blessed is he who blesses you,
And cursed is he who curses you."

10 Then Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands
together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and
look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore,
flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord
has kept you back from honor."

12 So Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also speak to your messengers whom
you sent to me, saying, 13 'If Balak were to give me his house full of
silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or
bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak'? 14 And now,
indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people
will do to your people in the latter days."

Balaam's Fourth Prophecy
15 So he took up his oracle and said:

"The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God,
And has the knowledge of the Most High,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

17 "I see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
A Star shall come out of Jacob;
A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And [s]batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of [t]tumult.

18 "And Edom shall be a possession;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession,
While Israel does [u]valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One [v]shall have dominion,
And destroy the remains of the city."

20 Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said:

"Amalek was first among the nations,
But shall be last until he perishes."

21 Then he looked on the Kenites, and he took up his oracle and said:

"Firm is your dwelling place,
And your nest is set in the rock;
22 Nevertheless Kain shall be burned.
How long until Asshur carries you away captive?"

23 Then he took up his oracle and said:

"Alas! Who shall live when God does this?
24 But ships shall come from the coasts of Cyprus,[w]
And they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Eber,
And so shall [x]Amalek, until he perishes."

25 So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place; Balak also went
his way.

Footnotes
Numbers 22:4 consume
Numbers 22:5 The Euphrates
Numbers 22:5 Or the people of Amau
Numbers 22:15 distinguished
Numbers 22:29 mocked
Numbers 22:30 accustomed
Numbers 22:32 as an adversary
Numbers 22:32 contrary
Numbers 22:34 Lit. is evil in your eyes
Numbers 22:41 the farthest extent
Numbers 23:7 prophetic discourse
Numbers 23:10 Or dust cloud
Numbers 23:15 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; Syr. call; LXX go and ask God
Numbers 23:21 trouble
Numbers 23:23 enchantment
Numbers 23:23 fortune-telling
Numbers 23:28 Heb. Jeshimon
Numbers 24:1 enchantments
Numbers 24:17 shatter the forehead
Numbers 24:17 Heb. Sheth, Jer. 48:45
Numbers 24:18 mightily
Numbers 24:19 shall rule
Numbers 24:24 Heb. Kittim
Numbers 24:24 Lit. he or that one