Balamm’s Ass

 Balaam’s Ass

February 27, 2026

Numbers 22:22-24 (NKJV) 

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.…

Today’s reading from Numbers includes the story of Balaam, his donkey and an angel. This was always a favorite Sunday School amongst us boys as it gave us an excuse to say “ass” in church! Anyway, this story illustrates several points about human nature. The first is that Balaam was so determined to go his own way and so angry with his donkey, that he didn’t even seem surprised that the donkey spoke. Now wouldn’t you think that would be the most remarkable thing in this story, but Balaam kept on beating the donkey and arguing with her and didn’t seem surprised that she spoke. Now that’s a lot of anger and self absorption that you don’t even notice a talking donkey! There once was a movie about a talking Army mule and a TV series about Mr. Ed, the talking horse, and the main subject was the fact that the animal could talk. But Balaam, even though he was a prophet, couldn’t see the obvious fact that his donkey was talking to him, and of course also couldn’t see the more important fact that an angel was about to cut his head off if he continued on his way! That’s a lot of self absorbed anger!

The other point is that God can use anyone. He sent an angel, and made the donkey speak, and eventually got his message through to Balaam that he was to reject the bribe to curse Israel and instead go bless them. If God can use a donkey, he can use anyone. So as they say, “don’t be a horse’s ass”, but listen to the Lord and his angels the first time and do what they say! As the prophet Samuel said, “to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22). It’s really not that complicated, as my mother used to say, “just do what you’re told”.

Now in the end, the story turns out ok for Balaam. He eventually heard the message and blessed Israel even though it earned the ire of King Balak. I suppose a talking donkey and a giant angel with a drawn sword would tend to get your attention! But far better for him if he had heard and obeyed the message in the first place. So don’t be like Balaam but listen to the Lord before he has to send a talking ass and an angel to block your way.

Supplication and Rejoicing

 Supplication and Rejoicing

February 26, 2026

Psalm 28:1 (NKJV) [A Psalm] of David. 

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You [are] silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.

Psalm 28:6-7 (NKJV) 

6 Blessed [be] the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! 7 The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

2 Corinthians 7:9 (NKJV) 

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

 All throughout scripture, we are urged to rejoice. But an aspect of rejoicing that we may overlook is its connection to repentance. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and that leads to joy. In Psalm 28, the first half is a cry to God to rescue him and help him. It is only after raising his voice with supplications to the Lord that he comes to a place of rejoicing and singing. King David was a demonstrative kind of guy, so I think that all those around him could tell when he was crying out to the Lord and when he was singing and rejoicing. I, on the other hand, am a pretty quiet and reserved fellow, so you might not be able to tell just by looking at me how I am feeling. I need to be reminded to show my feelings of rejoicing. Our worship leader puts it like this, “If there is the joy of the Lord in your heart, let your face know it.” And that is true, not only on the worship platform, but in daily life as well. So my prayer for myself is, “Lord, let me rejoice in your mercy and grace, and let it show to those around me.” 

But back to the initial point about supplication. In the verse in second Corinthians, Paul was rejoicing that that the people were sorrowful. But not just sad, but sorrowful over their sins so that they came to a place of repentance. True joy then is when you confess your sins and experience the grace of God to forgive. Supplication, or crying out in sorrow to the Lord, leads to a cleansing and a lifting of the darkness so that you can rejoice and sing to the Lord. So let this day be a day of rejoicing and a day of experiencing the mercy and grace of the Lord who is mighty to save and merciful to forgive.

Psalm 23

 Psalm 23

February 20, 2026

The scripture of the day in my reading plan is Psalm 23.

Psalm 23:1-6 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of David. 

The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want. 

2 He makes me to lie down in greenpastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 

3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You [are] with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. 

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.

This Psalm is familiar to all of us, but it’s sometimes good to go back and review the familiar things. We need to remember that the Lord is our shepherd and that we shall not want. We tend to forget and worry about daily needs, but when we remember that the Lord is in charge, He restores our soul and leads us in the paths of righteousness. So today, even if you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death, take heart and fear no evil, for He is with us. He comforts us like a shepherd with his rod and staff to guide and protect us. Surely our cup runs over and goodness and mercy follows us all the days of our lives. His peace comes from dwelling in His house forever. So love and peace and rest in green pastures this day.

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=eIuLtOKD9ns&si=Zvh5XxfKDHOEbhk1

Teach Me Your Paths

 Teach Me Your Paths

February 18, 2026

Psalm 25:4-5 (NKJV) 

4Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. 5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You [are] the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.

There seems to be a lot of darkness and confusion in the news this week. It can be depressing to see the evil and darkness exposed, but it is also a good thing, as the evil cannot be uprooted until it is exposed. But in the process, there are some who appeared to be good guys who are exposed as conspiring with the evil doers, and others that seemed nefarious who turn out to be working undercover to expose the darkness. So how do you know who to trust and who to believe?

As Christians, our only answer is to look to the Lord. As the psalmist puts it, “teach me your paths, lead me in your truth and teach me.” Only the light of the Holy Spirit can show us the true way and lead us in the right path. Many will try to confuse us and lead us onto another path, but there is a true way if we only wait on the Lord and ask Him to lead and guide us. Jesus himself warned us about us about guarding against this deception in the last days:

Matthew 24:4

4And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

Matthew 24:10-14

10At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

When we see the worlds lawlessness exposed and their love turn into hate, we know that the end is coming and that the Lord is coming back. So wait on the Lord all the day and endure to the end. 

Revelation 22:20-21

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Manifold LIght

 Manifold Light

February 13, 2026

Ephesians 3:8-10

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles theunfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light ^g5461 what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold ^g4182 wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

Paul compares his preaching of the gospel to bringing light to the nations (gentiles). He also describes this gospel as a mystery bringing the manifold wisdom of God. Now this is an interesting phrase, manifold wisdom. The underlying meaning of the Greek word  polupoikilos  is multicolored or various. From physics, we know that what we see as white light is actually made up of many frequencies and a prism can separate these out into a spectrum of rainbow colors. That is what Paul is talking about here. In preaching the gospel, he was bringing light to the nations, and not just a simple or dim glow, but a bright and multicolored light that illuminated various aspects of the wisdom of God. The gospel message is basic in its simplicity, but manifold in it’s application to various areas of life. We also need to preach a gospel that applies to every aspect of life.

Paul goes on to say that this gospel not only brings wisdom to the church but also informs the rulers and authorities in heavenly places that the kingdom of God has come. These worldly authorities are no longer in charge. When we look around he world today, we see many evil powers that are trying to subjugate the world, but we need to continue to preach the gospel that Paul preached so that they are put on notice that there is a new sherif in town, a new king is in charge, and that their days of evil rule are coming to an end. 

The way Jesus put it, we are salt and light.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be madesalty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyonelight a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Salt flavors and purifies and light cleanses and illuminates. The gospel of the kingdom brings light to the nations and freedom for the captives. The people of the nations need this word of manifold wisdom of God so that they can live in the light and be delivered from the darkness. So don’t give in to the dark messages of the world, but preach the message of light. Be salt and light and help bring the kingdom of God into all aspects or colors of this world.

________________________________________________

g5461. φωτίζω phōtizō ; from 5457; to shine, give light:--

bring to light(2), brought(1), enlightened(3), enlightens(1), illumine(1), illumined(2), illumines(1), light(1).

g4182. πολυποίκιλος polupoikilos ; from 4183 (various) and 4164 (colors); of differing colors:--

manifold(1).

Tabernacle of David

 Tabernacle of David

February 8, 2026

Acts 15:14-17 (NKJV) 

14 “Simonhas declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 “And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 

16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’ (Amos 8:11-12)

In these last days, the Lord is restoring the tabernacle of David, which is a place of praise and worship for all nations. When I think of King David worshiping, I think of Psalm 100.

Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Comebefore His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He [is] God; [It is] He [who] has made us, and not we ourselves; [We are ]His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations.

We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise, and with great singing and rejoicing. Today is the Lord’s day, so enter the tabernacle of David and praise the Lord and worship His holy name.

Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

 Who May Abide in Your Tabernacle?

February 6, 2026

Psalm 15:1-2 (NKJV) 

1 A Psalm of David. LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell inYour holy hill? 2 He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart;

The question of the day is “who may abide in Your tabernacle?” When the original tabernacle was built in the wilderness, not even Moses could enter in to it when the Glory of God was manifested there.

Exodus 40:34-35 (NKJV) 

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filledthe tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

But then as they journeyed on, the priests were to bring a burnt offering into the tabernacle every day to atone for the sins of the people. But only the high priest was permitted into the holy of holies, and that just once a year.

Hebrews 9:6-7 (NKJV) 

6Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest [went] alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and [for] the people’s sins [committed] in ignorance;

But Jesus ended this temporary practice and made a way for us to approach the Lord.

Hebrews 9:11-12 (NKJV) 

11 But Christ came [as] High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and moreperfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 10:19-23 (NKJV) 

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and [having] a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful.

Therefore, we may now enter boldly into the Lord’s presence, through the blood of Jesus and abide with Him and He with us. The old tabernacle, constructed in the wilderness, has been done away with, and the new tabernacle is the Body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NKJV) 

18Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

So the question still remains, “Who may abide in your tabernacle?”, but the answer has been flipped. We no longer sacrifice the blood of bulls and lambs in order to enter the tabernacle, but when we believe in the the blood of Jesus and live in such a way to honor Him, the Holy Spirit comes and abides with us, the tabernacle of the New Covenant.