Forgiveness in Numbers

Numbers 23.
Remember how I said I was going to post things I'm learning from the Old Testament? Well, sometimes after reading a couple of chapters it's all I can do to try to understand it in the first place, let alone feel all spiritual-magic-learning-mode from it. I suppose that can happen with any book of scripture, but I've found it particularly difficult with the old testament, particularly much of Leviticus and Numbers. So, today as I said a little prayer before I studied, I changed my plea from "help me understand what I read" to:

"Help me get from this study what thou wouldst have me learn."

And, go figure, I got something out of it! I'm currently reading about Balak and Balaam. Don't ask me to tell you which is which, because I haven't gotten that far yet. One of them wanted the other to curse a group of people for him. Israel? Oh, goodness, that doesn't sound right. Again, I'm not perfect at the interpretation part. Well, what ends up being said is: "How shall I curse, whom God hat not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?" (verse 8). This reminded me of the scripture: "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."

God has the authority to decide whether or not a people should be cursed...er, if we pick a less sorcerer way of saying that: He has the authority to decide what happens to people spiritually. Because He knows each and every one of His children. It is not the responsibility of His children to decide those things. It is not our requirement to decide whether or not a person should be forgiven--it is required of us to forgive all men.

I'm glad that the Old Testament can help reinforce other scripture for me.

Until next thought,
Kelsey