Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
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, we see a very persistent ruler who just won’t take no for an answer. Even though Balaam had told him that Israel was blessed by God and could not be cursed, still he tells Balaam to try 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 extends His expectations to them. Rather, than obey what God says, “They continue to try and work matters out so they get their way…so that their desires are met, not God’s.
This is exactly what Balak was up to as he constructed seven more altars on the “field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah”. It was there that he also conducted the same sacrifice as before…offering a “bull and a ram on each altar”. Scripture tells us that from this new vantage point, Balaam could see Israel but “only a part” of them vice all. And, of course, Balak repeated his order to Balaam to curse Israel for him after which Balaam once again told Balak to stand by the offering while he went to speak to God.
God gives Balaam his second oracle or message to deliver to Balak and Balaam carries out God’s command. He tells Balak:
"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."
After hearing this, Balak responds with a statement that retracts his command to curse but is also intended to take away the blessing that protected Israel…a pretty shrewd move since if the blessing were removed, then Balak could try once again to curse. Balak just didn’t get the fact that he was not going to trump God…not ever.
As we look at God’s message to Balak, we need to glean some important facts about the Father…facts that can help us as we continue to relate to our Maker.
First, God is not a man. He is not like us. He was not made in our image. He is God…distinct, unique…without equal. He was before anything existed. And so He cannot be controlled and manipulated like a regular person might be. He also doesn’t act like a sinful human being would. He doesn’t lie or change His mind when He makes His decisions. He doesn’t go back on His promises….He delivers on them.
Secondly, when God decides to do something, no man or woman can change it. In today’s scripture, God has decided to bless Israel. No misfortune or misery is on them. And no mere diviner like Balaam nor any ruler like Balak is going to have any ability to change or alter what God already has in place. And neither can we.
Finally, we see that when God is His people, they are victorious and immunized from evil attack. Instead of being vulnerable, they are like an attacking lioness or a lion. No sorcery or divination was possible. Any attempt would be a waste of time. Truly, since God was with Israel who could possibly be against them.
Friends, we serve an omnipotent God who can do all things. There is nothing or no one any more powerful than Him so why would we want to seek refuge in any other place. Our Father…our Maker and Creator…longs for us to turn to Him and commune with Him every second of every minute of every hour of every day. He is a God of promises and hope…a God who wishes to bless us beyond anything we could ever imagine. He is a God who is not an absentee God. No, He is a right on time God…an ever present God…a God who was our hope in ages past and is our hope for years to come…all the way to eternity. And does this not give us reason to praise, rejoice and celebrate life. We are so blessed and thanks be to God for His love, mercy and grace as shown to us clearly through His Son, our Savior, Jesus. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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