A GREATER REWARD

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In Christ, Mark

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

When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him and he uttered his oracle:

"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!

"Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water.

"Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.

"God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?

"May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!"

Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the LORD has kept you from being rewarded."

Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord -and I must say only what the Lord says'?

Numbers 24:3-13

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

As we continue to study from the Book of Numbers, chapter 23, we come to the third oracle or message from the Lord to Balaam who then shares it with Balak, the king of Moab.

Within God’s message, we see a lot of similarity to the first two messages as Israel is portrayed as blessed and powerful because their Lord is very much and for with them. And Israel’s God, who Balaam was supposed to manipulate, instead transformed and manipulated him. In other words, the diviner was divined by the Almighty Lord.

As we look at this passage for today, we can see specific signs as to how Balaam was transformed.

First, we read where he became "one whose eye sees clearly…whose eyes are opened". And while Balak couldn’t see the way and will of the Lord in the lives of Israel or even in the matter at hand, Balaam did. This is because he believed and trusted in God, even if at first he really didn’t quite grasp His omnipotence. The Lord was patient with Balaam as he began to see how Israel’s God was like no other god he had ever attempted to communicate with before. It was this God that fully opened Balaam’s eyes so that he could see how very blessed Israel was, so much so that he wished he could join them (Numbers 23:10).

Secondly, Balaam was one who heard “the words of God" and his eyes were opened only when he fully listened to the words that God planted in his heart and mind. Through these words, Balaam was able to understand Israel’s special relationship with their Lord and see that he too had formed his own special relationship with their God.

Third, Balaam was one who saw “a vision from the Almighty".

In all three of the oracles/messages, God had painted a vivid picture of Israel and their power by using illustrations, providing clarity and comprehension to the visions He provided. The Lord compared Israel to the lion or lioness and to the wild ox. Their situation is shown as being blessed complete with beautiful valleys and gardens, aloes and cedars. Their water would flow with abundance to their seed which in turn would allow them to flourish and grow in and through Him.

Truly, when we hear the word of God and open our eyes to what He is telling us, then and only then we will clearly see His vision for us and many times those around us through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, we see where Balaam fell “prostrate" before God as he came to completely acknowledge and respect God as being all powerful and mighty. He came to realize that compared to the Lord of Israel, he was nothing. For after believing he had power to manipulate the gods, he learned that there was only one God and that God could be controlled by no one. The God of Israel bowed down to no man but rather expected all mankind to bow down before Him, just as Balaam did in a show of total submission and humility.

Indeed, Balaam had gained a great deal from God through their relationship. In fact, his reward from coming to know the Lord was so rich that Balaam felt that he couldn’t do anything of his own accord but rather from the command of the Lord. Even if Balak would give him the wealth of his palace filled with silver and gold, it would pale in comparison to the affluence he had through Israel’s God.

Friends, today there is also no greater reward we can find than that which comes from God, a reward that makes us spiritually rich beyond measure through our belief and trust in Jesus as Savior. This belief not only brings with it salvation and the assurance of eternal life but also the gift of the Holy Spirit that leads and guides us through this life before we enter the holy one to come. All this should bring us to the place where Balaam ended up, prostrate before the God who reigns and rules over us as Maker and Master and yet loves us dearly and perfectly as our Heavenly Father.

As I close, here are some words spoken by our Savior Jesus, words that speak to the sense of spiritual discovery found by Balaam and all God believers since. For Balaam found that he gained something of far greater value than anything the world could offer through having a relationship with God and we’ll discover the same thing when we submit to Him.

Jesus said:

"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:24-27

My brothers and sisters, our God has given a greater reward to anyone who places their hope in His Son, a reward that blesses us with hope now and forever. Let us give thanks to Him today and rejoice.

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.