A GOD UNLIKE ANYTHING OR ANYONE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me."

So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet with Him over there."

The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."

So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"

Then he uttered his oracle:

"Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

“I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.”

“There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!' The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims."

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"

Balaam answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?"

Numbers 23:13-26

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Balak, the Moabite king, we see a very persistent ruler who just won’t take no for an answer. For even though Balaam had told him that Israel was blessed by God and could not be cursed, we see in today’s passage from Numbers, chapter 23 that he still tells Balaam to try to get God to curse Israel again, this time in a different location and with a different perspective. His actions made me think about others who don’t seem to get it when God makes it clear what He desires. Rather, than obey Him, they continue to try and work things in such a way that they get their way, as if that is better than what God wants.

This is exactly what Balak was up to as he constructed seven more altars on the “field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah”, offering up the same sacrifices as he did at “Kiriath Huzoth” (Numbers 22:39-40) which was a “bull and a ram on each altar”. The scriptures tell us that from this new vantage point, Balaam could see “only a part” of Israel but nonetheless, Balak repeated his order for Balaam to curse the Israelites. And as before, Balaam told the king to stand by the offering while he went to speak to the Lord.

And so it was. Balaam went to God who in turn gave a second message to be shared with Balak, saying.

"Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”

“I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.”

“There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!' The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims."

How did Balak respond to these words from God?

We read where he alters his original request, retracting his command to curse but also asking that Israel not be blessed. As we look at this a little closer, we can see that it was quite a shrewd move by the Moabite ruler because if his wishes were carried out, then Israel’s blessing would be removed and therefore a curse could be substituted. The problem with Balak was that he believed he could outsmart Israel’s God and manipulate Balaam. And while the latter was altogether possible given Balaam’s humanity, the former was an utter impossibility. In fact, what Balaam didn’t understand was that the God of Israel was fully aware of what he was up to as He could see deep into the king’s heart and soul. He was the one true God, unlike anything or anyone in all creation.

As we look at this second message from God to Balak, we can glean some important facts to remember about our Lord, facts that give us a better understanding about His unmatched and unrivaled nature.

First, God is not a human being. He was not created and is not like us in any way. He is completely distinct and unique, without equal.

Since He existed before anything else, a point made clear by the first four words of the Bible (In the beginning God...Genesis 1:1), He is the Creator of everything and therefore the Maker and Master of all created things. He is all powerful (omnipotent), all knowing (omniscient), and present everywhere at every time (omnipresent). And since He is above all things, He cannot be controlled and/or manipulated like a regular person. This includes being enticed into doing wrong like us. He doesn’t lie or change His mind when He makes His decisions and He never goes back on His promises but rather delivers on them.

Secondly, when God decides to do something, no one can keep it from happening. In today’s scripture passage, God has decided to bless Israel and so no misfortune or misery would be able to fall upon them, despite any wishes of a king or the efforts of a diviner like Balaam. Neither of them could alter God’s plan and we need to remember this in our own lives today. The Lord’s will is going to be done, whether we like it or not.

Finally, we see that when God is for His people, they are protected and insulated from evil. Instead of being vulnerable as Balak viewed them, they were actually mighty and victorious like an attacking lioness or a lion. Because of the Lord’s strength and covering being with them, any attempts at sorcery were simply a waste of time. God was with the Israelites and no one would be able to stand against them as long as He was.

Friends, this God is the same God we serve today. In the midst of living in what can be a dark and sinful world, there is nothing or no one more powerful than Him so why would we want to seek refuge in any other place?

The truth of the matter is that God, our Heavenly Father, our Creator and King, longs for us to turn our attention His way and seek communion every second of every minute of every hour of every day. He is a God of sure promises and eternal hope, a God who isn’t absent but ever with us and definitely ever right on time, and He wants nothing more than to be in a close and intimate relationship with us and wishes to abundantly bless us beyond what we can imagine.

My brothers and sisters, is this not reason for us to lift up our praise, rejoicing in our God and celebrating the life we share with Him? For we are unbelievably blessed each and every day to get to experience the love, mercy, and grace of our Lord who is unlike anything or anyone we know.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEING YOURSELF AS YOU ARE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

God met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."

The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."

So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle:

"Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.'

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!"

Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"

He answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?"

Numbers 23:4-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of Numbers, chapter 23, let’s reset the scene.

Balak, the king of Moab, has constructed seven sacrificial altars as requested by Balaam, the diviner he had summoned to place a curse on the people of Israel. On each altar, a bull and a ram were offered up. This is where things were as Balaam went to God, seeking further guidance from Him.

As we move onto our passage for today, we see the Lord delivering this message that Balaam was to share with Balak, who was expecting a curse to spoken. He was not alone for the scriptures tell us that “all the princes of Moab” were also there, standing by the offering.

Here were the words from the Lord, given to Balak through Balaam:

"Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.'

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!"

To Balaam’s credit, he said just what the Lord told him to say. He obediently followed God’s orders and his message caught Balak off guard, angering him as he said:

"What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"

In response to this, Balaam simply says:

"Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?"

In other words, Balaam was telling the Moabite king, “What else would you expect me to do but say to you what God has said?” By this point, there was no doubt in Balaam’s mind that he was dealing with a real God, unlike the false ones he had made a living off of proclaiming as a diviner. In fact, I don’t believe that Balaam ever really had contact with a god at all before but he found out that pretending that he did was good for business. It kept him employed and well paid by others.

But this God, the God of Israel, was real. He was alive and active as well as powerful, demanding, and transforming. This God could make a donkey speak, and an angel appear that couldn’t be seen by all. This God could get deep down into Balaam’s very heart and soul, causing him to enter into self-examination to see the person he really was.

As we see in our passage for today, Balaam’s very words support his inability to carry out Balak’s wishes as he said:

“How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?”

In other words, if the almighty God of Israel found no reason to condemn His people then how could Balaam do so? After all, what authority did he have to curse or denounce others anyways? He was just as much a sinner as any other human being.

So in the end, Balaam concluded that he would rather be for the Israelite people than against them and so he chose to partner with their God rather than the pagans who tried to entice him to do wrong with their riches.

Friends, when we truly come to the place where we are following Jesus Christ, we too come to a place where we stop judging others and passing judgment. We become new creations, throwing off our former selves when we partnered with the world and it’s sinful ways (2 Corinthians 5:17) and embracing a life defined by righteousness and holiness only found in the One who proclaimed that He was the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who can bring someone to God the Father (John 14:6). With that, we find our way to “die the death of the righteous” as Balaam hoped he would.

You know, this all took me back to a time in life shortly after my divorce. It was a time when I was playing the blame game, laying all fault on my ex-wife for the infidelity she committed. But in that place, the Lord entered into my life and my heart, convicting me so I would see that in the end translation, I was just as guilty as she was for we were both sinners in need of a Savior, sinners desperately in need of His mercy and grace. This conviction got my attention and opened my eyes to how I had failed to lead my family spiritually and this slowly led things down the road of destruction. The Lord caused me to realize that I had not truly loved my wife as Christ loved the church. I had not done nearly enough to make her realize that she was a real blessing from the Lord to me.

In other words, I had failed just as much as she had. I had no right to curse or denounce her.

Friends, today I praise God that He gave me a second chance in life to make amends for my past mistakes and I have made the most of it. No longer do I quickly move to judge others or condemn because it’s not my place. For like Balaam saw, who am I to judge when I am just as much a sinner as the next person?

And so I in times when I feel temptation to criticize, I turn my life over to Jesus with all my heart, mind and soul. I make Him my treasure in life over everything else because He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

For when it comes right down to it, Jesus was the One who led me to the place of forgiveness and reconciliation, to a spirit of mercy and grace and love because He has showed it to me in what He did to save my soul. I’m just so grateful that He and the Father worked to help me see who I truly was and am so I can strive to be better and be who I was made to truly be in Them, just as God was trying to do with Balaam.

My prayer for you today is that you will allow the Lord to do the same in your life. For that to happen, you will need to humbly open up your mind to your sinfulness and accept the fact that you need to change. You have to desire to want a better life than this world has to offer, willing to radically alter the direction of your life toward Jesus.

You also need to see that what you’re living for in life, isn’t in the here and now but rather something far greater, something eternal. For when you place your belief in Jesus and allow Him to take who you are and lead you to where you need to be, living as He did, then death no longer has any power over you (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Rather than an end, it is simply a glorious beginning of the best life ever, shared with Christ and God forever.

When it comes down to your everlasting destiny, there are really only two options: Hell or Heaven. If you haven’t done so already, come to Jesus and He will save you from the eternal torment and suffering in the former while showing you a life that is beyond measure in the latter, now and for all eternity.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?"

"Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."

Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him. The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of the people.

Numbers 22:36-41

Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever He reveals to me I will tell you."

Then he went off to a barren height.

Numbers 23:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the opening thirty-five verses of Numbers, chapter 22, we were introduced to a very nervous nation of Moab as the Israelites encamped outside their border. They were very much aware of the recent string of victories Israel had against their adversaries and Moab felt it was next, so much so that it’s king, Balak, summoned a renowned diviner named Balaam to place a curse on Israel. Balaam was thought to have special power over the gods but he didn’t quite understand that he was dealing with the one true God.

We saw where Balak sent a group of messengers to Balaam with a command to come and see him for the purpose of placing a curse on Israel, a request that the diviner rejected the first time in obedience to what God commanded.

But Balak wouldn’t be rejected so easily and so he sent a second group to Balaam, this one much more distinguished than the first. They brought a new message from Moab’s king, promising Balaam riches if he would just come and do what he was asked to do. Once again, Balaam refused to go, making it clear that he wouldn’t do anything that God didn’t command, even if Balak gave him a palace filled with silver and gold.

So Balaam went to the Lord again and this time was given permission to go with the Moabite entourage as long as he was summoned by them and only said what God told him to say.

The next morning, the scriptures tell us that he saddled his donkey and set out for Moab with Balak’s men, although they had not told him to go. This disobedience angered God who confronted Balaam with a sword-wielding angel, an angel that only Balaam’s donkey could see at first. Balaam had agreed to do what the Lord told him to do (v. 20) but his actions spoke louder than his words.

Well, after three separate incidents where Balaam’s donkey acted in ways to save his life from the angel, each leading to a beating, the Lord opened his master’s eyes and Balaam repented of his sins. This led to God allowing him to proceed but still with the demand that Balaam only say what He told him to say.

When he arrived in Moab, we read where Balak chastises Balaam for not coming to him immediately and asks if there was any failure to understand the riches he had promised. Balaam responds to this by saying this:

"Well, I have come to you now but can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."

Balaam should have also added that he wasn’t to do anything the Lord didn’t tell him to do but he left that out. It’s obvious he wanted to do his own thing still because he tells Balak to "build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me” at “Kiriath Huzoth" where Balak had "sacrificed cattle and sheep" giving "some to Balaam and the princes who were with him".

Did God authorize this, a receiving of pagan sacrifices along with the construction of pagan altars and the offerings that would be made upon them?

We know he didn’t because the Lord would have never authorized such a thing. And in this instance, He didn’t tell Balaam to say that to Balak.

Again, Balaam’s behavior was showing that his promise to God was moot. His actions spoke louder than his words. It clearly showed that Balaam was still a believer in pagan ritual although he was carrying on conversations with and professing loyalty to the God of Israel.

Well, we read where Balak did as Balaam asked and then they both “offered a bull and a ram on each altar" while performing a pagan ritual. Once the sacrifices were complete, Balaam gives the Moabite king the following command:

"Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you."

And with that, Balaam left and went “off to a barren height”.

Through his actions in this passage, we see that Balaam fails to see where he has done anything wrong. He doesn’t understand that serving God is more than just saying the right things while not being committed to surrender your life to Him.

Friends, the Lord makes it clear that He expects anyone who comes to Him to lay down their former life, a life rife with sinful habits, so to begin a new life in Him, a life that is fully centered on His will and way. He demands that believers fully center and focus themselves on what He wants them to do and say with nothing but total obedience and submission acceptable.  When it comes to our actions, He will settle for nothing less than a complete alignment with His holy Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Everything we do should honor and glorify the Lord who made us and sustains us as our actions speak loudly for Him and show that we were indeed created in His own image (Genesis 1:26).

As you read this, do you find yourself like Balaam, pledging to be faithful to God through your words but then acting in ways that show your words are shallow and empty?

If so, now is the time to change your life for giving God lip service will never cut it. He wants us to serve Him in a way that shows we respect and deference to His Word and Way through modeling the life of His Son Jesus, the One who was and is the Way and Truth and Life (John 14:6).

In the end translation, our talk as believers need never be cheap. Rather, it can be extremely powerful and valuable when we allow the Lord to shape our words and couple them with the associated holy and righteous behavior that He desires.

For it’s then and only then that our actions will truly speak louder than our words.

In tomorrow’s message, we are going to see how God gets Balaam’s attention in order to turn him from his sinful ways, all the while using him as an instrument to minister to Balak and the Moabite people. I hope you’ll come back for that study.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

AN EYE OPENING EXPERIENCE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord, my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."

That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.

Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.

Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam and he was angry and beat her with his staff.

Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"

"No," he said.

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."

Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."

The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you."

So Balaam went with the princes of Balak."

Numbers 22:18-35

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue to look at the story of Balaam, we see where he once again goes before God, seeking guidance as to how he should respond to the latest proposal by Balak, the king of Moab. After once again asking Balak’s representatives to stay the night while he consulted with the Lord, we find him receiving the following command:

"Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."

So Balaam "got up in the morning” and “saddled his donkey” before heading out with the “princes of Moab". The scriptures tell us that this angered God and so He sent “an angel” who "stood in the road to oppose" Balaam.

Why was God angry?

The answer is found in His command for He only told Balaam to go if Balak’s representatives summoned him. A different translation of verse 20 adds some clarity to this and validates what God expected:

And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” NKJV

The scriptures don’t tell us that Balak’s men had called Balaam to go with them. Rather, perhaps more focused on the rewards that had been promised than on what the Lord commanded, Balaam got up, saddled up his donkey, and set out only to now encounter the “angel of the Lord” on the path before him, an angel who was armed and authorized to kill if needed.

As Balaam rode ahead, he couldn’t see the danger ahead but his trusted donkey could and so we read that when the beast of burden “saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she “turned off the road into a field". The sudden diversion was done out of loyalty to protect her master but Balaam didn’t see it that way and so he beat his donkey so to get her back on the road.

You know, maybe we have been walking into danger in our own lives at one time or another, a danger we were blind to but not to someone else who may have tried to warn us only to receive our rebuke. It can be easy to criticize Balaam in this story but perhaps we may be more like him than we want to admit.

Well, after the donkey was beaten back up onto the road, the scriptures tell us that the angel of the Lord "stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides". Once again, Balaam was oblivious to the peril ahead but the donkey wasn't. She saw the danger clearly and took evasive action, pressing "close to the wall" which crushed “Balaam's foot against it". Placing the blame on his donkey and unable to see what she saw, Balaam beat her a second time.

And so we read that the angel of the Lord confronts Balaam and his trusty donkey for yet a third time, standing "in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left". In other words, there was nowhere to maneuver or escape, no path to evade the angel and his judgment. Given this, the donkey did the best it could do, stopping dead and laying down on the road under Balaam, a move that made him angry once again and so he "beat her with his staff".

Well, at this point it was obvious to the Lord that Balaam just wasn't going to get what was happening without some form of intervention. And so since the donkey was more in tune with the situation than her master, the Lord miraculously gave her the power to speak.

Friends, this is what makes this account more than just some kind of folk tale. For the donkey would never have been able to speak on her own because donkeys lack the natural ability to do that. But through a Lord who can make all things possible, the ordinary animal became the extraordinary instrument that God used to gain Balaam's attention.

So what did the donkey say?

We read where she confronts her master by asking a question:

"What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Can you imagine the expression on Balaam’s face when he heard this?

He had to be in a temporary state of disbelief but it didn’t last long because he quickly provides an answer to his donkey’s question:

“You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."

Then the donkey said this in reply:

"Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"

In other words, the donkey was trying to get Balaam to see that if she was acting in a way that was atypical, there must have been a good reason for it.

Making Balaam think about what had happened and his history with the donkey, he simply acknowledged that she had never behaved like that in the past. God had begun working on Balaam through the donkey that had gotten his attention. Now, he was ready to fully open up his eyes to the matter at hand.

In the message today, we find God sending a sign to Balaam in the way of his suddenly disobedient donkey, a disobedience that was reflective of what had gotten him into trouble. As we continue in this passage, we see where it was time for an awakening.

For we read where "the Lord opened Balaam's eyes" allowing him to see the very danger that the donkey had seen prior, "the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn". Balaam's reaction was one of sudden, absolute repentance as he "bowed low and fell facedown" before hearing this from the angel:

"Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."

This prompted Balaam to humbly enter into confession, saying:

"I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."

In other words, Balaam was now ready to do what the Lord wanted and so he received the following instructions from his God:

"Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you."

And with that, Balaam "went with the princes of Balak."

You know, this Balaam story really gets my attention because if you’re like me, the Lord has had to move at times in my life to get my attention, sometimes through words spoken from someone else, words that opened my eyes and convicted me of my sinfulness and refusal to see what God wanted me to see.

You see, over thirty-three years ago, I was not a person that the Lord must have favored much. I was like countless other people out there who have led themselves to believe they were a good person. After all, I didn't drink or smoke. I had never done drugs or gotten into any trouble outside of a speeding ticket or two. And I always tried to help others whenever the opportunity presented itself.

In my mind, I wondered what could possibly be wrong with me.

The problem was that I based my self assessment on my standards. I saw that I was a good person based on my definition of good, even though there was plenty of things morally wrong with me too/.

For I loved to use profanity, knowing all the words and when to use them, even taking the Lord’s name in vain. I had a rather quick temper and would easily be angered by others who may have done me wrong. And I can honestly say that I wasn’t the nicest person when it came to dealing with others around me, especially if I was in competition with them in some way.

My attitude and non-Christian lifestyle resulted in bad things happening in my life. I was a reckless driver and received several speeding tickets over a two or three month period. I also had a couple of accidents because of my aggressiveness and lack of focus on the road. And just as I was driving on the highways with reckless abandon, so too did I “drive” through my life the same way. I ended up going through a divorce after nearly ten years of marriage and was left abandoned and alone in the aftermath, even though I didn’t see any of it as being my fault at the time. After all, it was easier to blame others than take accountability for myself.

In the end translation, the Lord was trying to get my attention but, like Balaam, I was unable to see any of it. I saw problems everywhere else except within me where they really were.

Well, God didn't send a talking donkey into my life but He did speak to me through a beautiful woman I ran into while volunteering at a local elementary school. I didn't even know her first name when we first met and our conversations were only professional for several months but then one day, we talked about what we were going to do for the upcoming weekend and after that conversation, I decided to ask her to go to dinner with me. I sent her flowers to the school and she accepted the date where I learned her first name, Grace. Later, I would come to see that her middle name was Grace because her first name had to be “Amazing”.

You see, Grace told me that if we were going to have a relationship, God would have to be first and I told her that was fine with me, even though I felt a churning anxiety inside grounded in guilt over not having lived for the Lord since I graduated from high school. Questions came fast and furious to my mind:

Would God accept me back?

If so, would I remember any of what I learned when I was younger?

I hadn't been to church regularly for around 13 years so how would the Lord feel about me when I returned?

I also hadn't read the Bible for a long time either so would I remember anything? Would I even know the Old from the New Testament?

Well, just as the Lord had opened Balaam's eyes after speaking through the donkey, He had opened my eyes through the words He spoke through my Amazing Grace, leading me to a spirit of remorse and repentance for my many years of unfaithful living. He also started to reform and refine me, getting me back on the right path, the narrow path that led to life and righteousness (Matthew 7:14).

And so, here I am today, more than thirty-three years later, working hard for the Lord daily with the hope that I will be able to be the one through which the Lord speaks to another, to be the one through which he uses to open the eyes of someone who needs it so that might see the wrongs of their ways, repent, and become the person God wants them to be. I know I am eternally grateful for how the Lord took me, a man who was once lost and made him eternally found.

Brothers and sister, my prayer is that we all would be drawn to the words of a favorite contemporary hymn which serves as a plea for God to open our eyes so we will see Jesus,. The One who saw we were heading down the wrong path into danger just as Balaam was, the One who was willing to be beaten and ultimately killed in order to save those who lived with their eyes once blind to the sin that was taking them down the road to destruction in Hell.  The song is called "Open Our Eyes Lord" and the words are as follows:

Open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus,

To reach out and touch Him,

And say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord

And help us to listen.

Open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus.

Yes Father God, today and every day, we want to see Your Son Jesus, our Savior. Open our eyes so we can do this we pray.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

STANDING STRONG

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said:

"This is what Balak, son of Zippor says: ‘Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’"

But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord, my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."

Numbers 22:14-18

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the beginning of Numbers, chapter 22, you'll remember that the wandering nation of Israel encamped near the Jordan River in the plains of Moab and across from the city of Jericho. They arrived there fresh off of victories in several clashes with opposing nations and this had Balak, the Moabite king, and his people nervous as they wondered whether or not they would be next.

This anxiety led to Balak hoping he could stop the Israelite surge by manipulating their god and so he dispatched an entourage to a renowned diviner named Balaam, hoping he would be able to place a curse on Israel. Little did the Moabite king know that he was dealing with the only true God, a God who would not be moved or influenced by any sinful pagan.

In yesterday’s message, we saw the Moabite entourage bring Balak’s proposal to Balaam who then attempted to make contact with Israel’s God. To his credit, he listened to God’s command to not carry out a curse on Israel because they were a blessed people. Further, the Lord told Balaam to not even go to Balak with the men he had sent. Through all this, we see where Balaam is faithful and obedient to God's command as he sent the representatives back to Balak with the report that he had refused to go with them.

This brings us to our passage for today where we pick up where we left off yesterday. In it, we see where Balak wasn’t ready to take “no” for an answer from Balaam. Look again at these verses here:

So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said:

"This is what Balak, son of Zippor says: ‘Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’"

But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord, my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me." Numbers 22:14-18

After hearing about what had happened and Balaam’s rebuttal, Balak wasn’t ready to give up his efforts. We read where he "sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first" who went to Balaam, saying:

"This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’"

We should note here how Balak tries to tempt Balaam with first the promise of reward and then the assurance of authority, as the king was ready to submit to Balaam’s orders. All this was preceded by the king telling Balaam to "not let anything keep you from coming to me" and this implied that even Israel’s God shouldn’t be allowed to interfere.

It was another test for Balaam who we see stayed true to the Lord, sending the following reply to the second request from Moab’s king:

"Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord, my God."

These words of Balaam are words that all believers should write on their hearts today for Satan is always trying to tempt us to do his bidding, no matter what God says. He ever seeks to turn us away from the principles and commands of God, and far too often, we take the bait and fall prey to the sin he draws us into.

So how can we still stand firm and strong against Satan's advances, remaining ever faithful to God's direction and expectations?

The answer can be found by looking at His only Son and our Savior, Jesus. For in the opening eleven verses of Matthew, chapter 4, He provides all His disciples a primer in how to handle the advances of Satan when they come.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.

The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if You will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”

Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.

Here, we see where Jesus had been fasting without food in the wilderness for forty days and nights after He had been baptized by John in the Jordan River. It was there, in His weakened human state, that we find Satan approach and try to tempt Jesus three times:

1. The tempter came to Him and said, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matthew 4:3)

2. Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If You are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" (Matthew 4:5-6)

3. Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give You," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:8-9)

Three attempts and all three times Satan failed to get his way.

So how did Jesus do it? How did He ward off the advances of the devil?

We see in every instance, He used the power of the very Word of His Father God. Consider His three responses:

1. Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " (Matthew 4:4 from Deuteronomy 8:3)

2. Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Matthew 4:7 from Deuteronomy 6:16)

3. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'" (Matthew 4:10 from Deuteronomy 6:13)

How effective was this tactic?

So much so that we see where the “devil left Him” after which He was attended to by angels (v. 11).

Friends, our Lord Jesus came, lived, and died to save us from our sins but He also came to teach us how to live this earthly life. We only need to follow His lead as we seek to learn how to deal with the challenges that will come before us.

In this particular case, Jesus shows us how to deal with Satan's temptations and the key is skillfully using the scriptures as a defense mechanism. Later, the Apostle Paul would say this within the context of putting on the full armor of God to spiritually defend ourselves:

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:13-17

Friends, the weapon we yield against the enemy is none other than the Word of God but we can’t be properly armed if we don’t know the scriptures. This is why daily Bible study is crucial not just for our spiritual protection but our faith development.

The bottom line is that God doesn’t send us into the world without a means to defend ourselves. In and through His power and His Word, manifested to full strength through His Holy Spirit, we can stand strong each and every day against the enemy, finding victory now and forever more.  

Is this not good news that we can rejoice and be glad in today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A GOD LIKE NO OTHER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.

Now Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."

So Balak, son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam, son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land.

Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."

The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the Lord gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.

God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"

Balaam said to God, "Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'"

But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."

The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."

Numbers 22:1-13

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter 21 of Numbers, we see the Israelites on the offensive and victorious during their wilderness travels. Their conquest began with Arad, followed by the Amorites and Bashan, and word quickly began to spread about them and how they weren’t gaining wins by their own power but the power of a mighty god who was with them and for them. We should note that this is exactly how the pagan nations perceived Israel’s God. They saw Him as just like any other gods that they worshipped and failed to understand that He wasn’t like any other deity they knew.

As chapter 22 opens, we see where the Israelites had advanced to "the plains of Moab", camping "along the Jordan across from Jericho". We read where this brought more than a little anxiety on the people of Moab who saw themselves as potentially the next victims of the Israel juggernaut. The scriptures tell us that the Moab ruler, "Balak son of Zippor” was fully aware of what “Israel had done to the Amorites” and he and the Moabite people were “filled with dread” and “terrified because there were so many people”.

What did Moab do to try and prevent being destroyed themselves?

Going back to our passage, we see where the Moabite people "said to the elders of Midian”:

"This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."

And so to try and thwart Israel, we read where Balak, the king of Moab, “sent messengers to summon Balaam” who lived in “Pethor, near the river in his native land."

Now, Balaam was a renowned diviner who was believed to have the special gift of communicating with and manipulating the gods but what Balak didn’t grasp was that Israel’s God was no ordinary god but the one and only God (capital “G”).

And so Balak sent his messengers to Balaam with the following message:

"A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."

With this guidance, the "elders of Moab and Midian” left and went to Balaam, carrying “the fee for divination" with them. After finding the diviner, they relayed what “Balak had said" and in response, Balaam asked them to "spend the night” as he would bring them “the answer the Lord” gave him.

Balaam then went before God saying:

"Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.'"

After hearing this and knowing Balak’s request was not only useless but foolish as well, God gives the following command to Balaam:

"Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."

Indeed, the Israelites were blessed because they had the real God on their side, the God who was like no other, having no equal or rival.

Well, after receiving the words from God, Balaam goes to Balak’s entourage men the next morning and tells them the following:

"Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."

Balaam may have tried to communicate with many gods in his time but in this instance, he connected with the one and only real God, the holy God of Israel, a God that could not be manipulated by anyone. Of interest, we see here where Balaam fully chooses to obey God completely and follow His commands.

Friends, today we don’t serve a multitude of gods who specialize in different parts of our worldly existence. No, we serve one God, the Lord God Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and earth, the Master and Ruler over all created things. This God was the One who brought forth the heavens and earth, the sun and moon to separate days into morning and evening. He created the seas and the lands that divide the seas, and then created every living thing that lives in either which included mankind that was formed in His own image.

This God governs and reigns in utter sovereignty over everything and in one crowning moment of power, love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace, He sent His one and only Son from Heaven to earth to serve as a living sacrifice that would atone for the sins of anyone who would simply believe in Him as Savior. This blessed assurance of eternal life for all Christian believers guarantees that one day they will live with the one true God forever one day.

Brothers and sisters, indeed, there is only one God, a God like no other, a God who is with us and for us, a God through which all things are possible. Let us give Him all our honor, glory, praise, and thanks today and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.