Numbers 22:5-38
At this point in the story of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, they were traveling north of Moab. The first generation, with a few exceptions, had died off and the new generation was pushing again to enter the Promised Land. Now at the border and prepared for entry, they were faced with opposition from neighboring nations.
Balak was the king of one such nation, Moab. He felt threatened by the sheer number of Israelites that were inhabiting the surrounding area. Moreover, he had heard of how they had conquered other nearby nations that had opposed them. So in an effort to protect his land and property, Balak sent for a sorcerer, Balaam, to put a curse on them, thereby providing protection. Balak offered handsome sums of money as payment for this service, but Balaam resisted his invitation.
Even though he was a sorcerer and operated through magic and divination, Balaam knew who God was and respected his power. So when Balak's messengers came to summons him, he told them to wait until he could consult with God about what he should do. When God told him not to curse his people, Israel, Balaam sent the messengers away. (Not that we didn't already know, but even the devil has to submit to the will of God.) But Balak was persistent and sent for Balaam again, this time offering more compensation.
Again, Balaam made them wait until he consulted with God. I can imagine that conversation went something like, 'Lord these people are back and offering me more money now. You know I'm want to do what you want me to do, but that's a lot to turn down. And they must really need my help since they came back all this way [about 400 miles] to get me, again'! Even when we know the right thing to do, temptation can be very strong to do otherwise.
But God, not missing an opportunity to get his point across, allowed him to go under the condition that he only did what God told him to do. This part is a little confusing to me. God told Balaam to go, he had a plan to get the glory out of the situation, but along the way he blocked the path. He sent an angel to stop Balaam's progress, but he was only visible to Balaam's donkey. The donkey responded naturally to the sight of God's sword-bearing angel in the road by turning aside. When Balaam beat him, he went further, but crushed Balaams foot against a wall trying to squeeze by the angel. For this he was beat again. When the angel made it impossible to pass, the donkey just laid down in place. The lesson there is that God can use many things, people, circumstances, etc. to guide and protect you along life's journey.
After this third stop, Balaam was completely undone and embarrassed and went to beat the donkey again only to have his donkey question his motives - out loud, in spoken words that he could understand. But here's the kicker, Balaam proceeded to have the conversation with his donkey! There is no mention of his questioning how that was possible or if he was really hearing and seeing this. Nope; he just answered the questions and got the revelation of God's presence in that moment. I can't say that I would have reacted that way in that situation. Though, I do see that God chose to use the most radical available means to get Balaam's attention. I have been there before.
That revelation caused him to repent. Though he was willing to return home from there, God instructed him to go on to see Balak, but only to say what he told him to say...again. Even though Balaam knew and respected God, he had demonic powers under which he normally operated. But when God stepped in, he had to yield to his will, much to the dismay of Balak.
It doesn't matter who we meet or what they offer, or even where we are in our walk, we must always recognize that there is no power greater than God's. Help us, Lord, to always remember that you are in control of everyone and everything - even those people and things that blatantly deny and defy you. Help us to submit to your will right away, not only to avoid destruction, but also to glorify you. Keep us on the right path and cause us to speak your will over every situation in our lives. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
At this point in the story of the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, they were traveling north of Moab. The first generation, with a few exceptions, had died off and the new generation was pushing again to enter the Promised Land. Now at the border and prepared for entry, they were faced with opposition from neighboring nations.
Balak was the king of one such nation, Moab. He felt threatened by the sheer number of Israelites that were inhabiting the surrounding area. Moreover, he had heard of how they had conquered other nearby nations that had opposed them. So in an effort to protect his land and property, Balak sent for a sorcerer, Balaam, to put a curse on them, thereby providing protection. Balak offered handsome sums of money as payment for this service, but Balaam resisted his invitation.
Even though he was a sorcerer and operated through magic and divination, Balaam knew who God was and respected his power. So when Balak's messengers came to summons him, he told them to wait until he could consult with God about what he should do. When God told him not to curse his people, Israel, Balaam sent the messengers away. (Not that we didn't already know, but even the devil has to submit to the will of God.) But Balak was persistent and sent for Balaam again, this time offering more compensation.
Again, Balaam made them wait until he consulted with God. I can imagine that conversation went something like, 'Lord these people are back and offering me more money now. You know I'm want to do what you want me to do, but that's a lot to turn down. And they must really need my help since they came back all this way [about 400 miles] to get me, again'! Even when we know the right thing to do, temptation can be very strong to do otherwise.
But God, not missing an opportunity to get his point across, allowed him to go under the condition that he only did what God told him to do. This part is a little confusing to me. God told Balaam to go, he had a plan to get the glory out of the situation, but along the way he blocked the path. He sent an angel to stop Balaam's progress, but he was only visible to Balaam's donkey. The donkey responded naturally to the sight of God's sword-bearing angel in the road by turning aside. When Balaam beat him, he went further, but crushed Balaams foot against a wall trying to squeeze by the angel. For this he was beat again. When the angel made it impossible to pass, the donkey just laid down in place. The lesson there is that God can use many things, people, circumstances, etc. to guide and protect you along life's journey.
After this third stop, Balaam was completely undone and embarrassed and went to beat the donkey again only to have his donkey question his motives - out loud, in spoken words that he could understand. But here's the kicker, Balaam proceeded to have the conversation with his donkey! There is no mention of his questioning how that was possible or if he was really hearing and seeing this. Nope; he just answered the questions and got the revelation of God's presence in that moment. I can't say that I would have reacted that way in that situation. Though, I do see that God chose to use the most radical available means to get Balaam's attention. I have been there before.
That revelation caused him to repent. Though he was willing to return home from there, God instructed him to go on to see Balak, but only to say what he told him to say...again. Even though Balaam knew and respected God, he had demonic powers under which he normally operated. But when God stepped in, he had to yield to his will, much to the dismay of Balak.
It doesn't matter who we meet or what they offer, or even where we are in our walk, we must always recognize that there is no power greater than God's. Help us, Lord, to always remember that you are in control of everyone and everything - even those people and things that blatantly deny and defy you. Help us to submit to your will right away, not only to avoid destruction, but also to glorify you. Keep us on the right path and cause us to speak your will over every situation in our lives. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for reading! Your comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated.