Numbers 23.21 21 He has found no wrong in the people of
Jacob; he saw no fault in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and they
praise their King. (NCV)
Say what you will about the people of God: in the final
analysis, it only matters what God says about His people.
An ancient, and desperate, king once called upon a then
celebrity shyster psychic to come and curse the people of Israel. It didn’t work.
At least the psychic part didn’t. What is interesting is what the people of God
did to God before all this happened. And what is really interesting is what is said in this account of God’s
attitude toward His people.
The people of God are not perfect, but they are forgiven.
That is a source of great consternation among those who don’t know God. To most
unbelievers, God is a stern Meanie who makes harsh demands upon His people, and
then when they don’t live up to those demands, He punishes them sternly –
usually in the form of some kind of sickness or loss. (Kind of a: you-had-it-coming,
sort of retribution.)
What a pagan prophet said about the people of God is what
God says about His people: I have found
no wrong in the people of Jacob; I see no fault in Israel. I, the Lord their
God am with them, and they praise Me! The pagan prophet only knew what he
knew, and he only knew just enough to know that the Reason Israel could do anything
at all was because God made it happen. And whether we believe it or not;
whether it makes sense to us or not, God loves His children fiercely despite
what may or may not be their behavior: His kids are His kids and He doesn’t
kick them to the curb because they screw up from time to time.
That’s why the Bible quotes a foolish pagan who said of God:
He has found no wrong in the people of
Jacob; He saw no fault in Israel. The Lord their God is with them, and they
praise their King. I’m glad my God doesn’t hold my wrongs against me; and
brother, have I pulled of some doosies!
The lesson for me today is not what I was, not where I
was, not who I was. My friend Jim says: I may not be yet who I want to be but
[because of Christ] I am no longer who I once was. My God corrects me, comforts
me, and especially in my worst moments: calls me His own. It isn’t performance;
it isn’t possession, it isn’t position; it’s my Dad calls me His son. And that’s
enough.
God has found no wrong in me; He sees no fault in me. The
Lord my God is with me, and I praise my King. As hard as that may be to comprehend,
it’s as simple as that.
Father, I am confident of this one thing: You love me and
call me Your own. That’s enough. And from that one thing peace flows like a
mighty river and my life is Yours. You call me Your own. That’s enough. Guide
me, direct me, and help me to see over and over and over again, You call me
Your own. Amen.
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