May 13

Numbers 22
Psalms 62
Psalms 63
Isaiah 11
Isaiah 12
James 5

Daily Readings:

Numbers 22

1 ¶  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

2  And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3  And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

4  And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

5  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

6  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

7  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

8  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

9  And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

10  And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11  Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

12  And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

13  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

14  And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

15 ¶  And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

16  And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:

17  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

19  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

20  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

21  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

22 ¶  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

23  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

26  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

29  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

30  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

31  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

32  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

33  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

34  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

35  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

36 ¶  And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.

37  And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?

38  And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.

39  And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.

40  And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

41  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

Psalm 62

1 ¶  « To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. » Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.

2  He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.

3  How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

4  They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah.

5  My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

6  He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

7  In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

8 ¶  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9  Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

10  Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

11  God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

12  Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

Psalm 63

1 ¶  « A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. » O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 ¶  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4  Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5  My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6  When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 ¶  Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8  My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9  But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10  They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11  But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Isaiah 11

1 ¶  And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2  And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

3  And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4  But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5  And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.

9  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

10 ¶  And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

11  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

12  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

13  The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.

14  But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.

15  And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.

16  And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

Isaiah 12

1 ¶  And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.

2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

3  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

4 ¶  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

5  Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

6  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.

James 5

1 ¶  Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

2  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

3  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

4  Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

5  Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

6  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

7  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

8  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

9  Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11  Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 ¶  But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

13  Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

14  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

17  Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

18  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

19  Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

20  Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Mediation of the Day: from Charles J Rolls’ book, ‘The World’s Greatest Name’

J6-J01 The Justifier J6-J02 The Justifier J6-J03 The Justifier J6-J04 The Justifier

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