Last month, God prompted me to pray 🙏🙏🙏 for the exposure of false prophets and poor leaders. This lead me on a journey through the Bible, I went from Ezekiel to Isaiah, Isaiah to Jeremiah, & Jeremiah to 2 Chronicles. My search ended in the book of Numbers, with Balaam a practitioner of the dark arts 🔮🔮🔮. Sounds interesting huh⁉️ Maybe I’ll write about it later, this post has a different direction. ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Balaam practiced divination or sorcery. He used supernatural powers to “bless” & “curse” people for profit. He was known & sought after, readily obliging for the right price 💰💰💰.
Steve Pepple/Flickr
As ancient Israel departed Egypt and migrated to the land sworn to Abraham hundreds of years earlier, they came across many established nations. Yet because God commanded His blessing over them, they assailed those in their path like a torrential storm. Well an enemy took notice…
OPPOSITION ALWAYS COMES WHEN YOU’RE GOING THE RIGHT WAY.
Balak, the king of Moab, saw how the surrounding nations were handled and was filled with fear. He took an offensive stance, attempting to strike first he summoned Balaam to speak a curse over Israel.
Gustav Gonget/Flickr
Now Balaam wasn’t a pious man, or else he may have reconsidered the source of his “gift,” nonetheless before commencing to the vexing he requested a night to hear from God (Numbers 22:8). Well Surprise, Surprise‼️ God can speak to anybody! That night the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob visited, giving Balaam specific instructions not to go & not to curse Israel. (Numbers 22:12).
WHATEVER GOD SAYS ABOUT YOU OVERRIDES WHAT OTHERS SAY, DO OR ATTEMPT.
The next morning 🌅🌅🌅 Balaam arose, quickly declined the offer and sent the king’s men away. But as with any form of temptation it subsides only temporarily. Temptation always waits to reemerge at a more opportune time (Luke 4:13).
TEMPTATION IS AS RELENTLESS AS THE SEA. DAY BY DAY, HOUR BY HOUR, MINUTE BY MINUTE HER WAVES WASH UP & DOWN THE SHORE… NEVER QUITTING.
Another Round
Balak didn’t relent and neither does your enemy. He sent more men and these men held higher ranks (Numbers 22:15). Spiritually when you overcome, the fight is never really over…you will have periods of rest, reassurance of victory & the promise of complete peace in the afterlife. In this life, as you grow, warfare will increase and so will the strength of the forces against you. The key 🔑🔑🔑 isn’t what you go through, but that you actually continue through it…refusing to give up and in doing so forfeit the battle. ☑️☑️☑️
Influenced by his situation Balaam requested another night to hear from God. 😕😕😕 Wait writer, hadn’t he already been told what to do❓ YES‼️ Balaam already knew what to do, yet he still went back to God. Why⁉️⁉️⁉️To hear what God had to say about the same situation that had already been discussed 😑😑😑. While there is nothing wrong with being persistent and speaking to God about the same thing (Luke 18:1-8), God’s standpoint on reckless behavior doesn’t change.
A Reckless Path 👣👣👣
Let’s get back to our story, to my surprise God tells Balaam to go (Numbers 22:20) and he heads for Moab the next day, but while in route something strange happened with his mule 🐴🐴🐴.
- First, while they were in route the donkey completely veered off the path. 😧
- Next, as they continued the commute, the 🐴🐴🐴 walked so close to a wall that Balaam’s foot was crushed against it. Ouch‼️🙀
- Finally, the 🐴🐴🐴 just stopped and laid down under Balaam.
There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
Proverbs 14:12 New Living Translation (NLT)
Balaam struck his lifelong helper for a third and final time before God opened its mouth. She spoke…why do you keep hitting me, do you not see the 👼👼👼 angel of the Lord with his sword drawn opposing us⁉️ At that moment Balaam’s eyes 👀 were opened to the spiritual realm and he saw too.
John/Flickr
My immediate thought is why would God consent to Balaam going to have an angel ready to kill him⁉️⁉️⁉️ The answer is found in the purity of Balaam’s heart, or the lack there of.
And the Angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? See, I came out to stand against and resist you, for your behavior is willfully obstinate and contrary before Me.
Numbers 22:32 Amplified Bible (AMP)
His intentions couldn’t be hidden, his vanity & selfish ambitions bonded him to this path, leading directly to death 💀💀💀. Ultimately, his life was spared, just as God keeps us from death time and time again, when we venture to walk the road of indulgence. Eventually Balaam made it to the king and truly held firm only speaking what God approved of, blessing Israel over and over.
WHY DID IT TAKE ALL THAT❓It took a near death experience to convince him to commit to what was right❓ Why does it take so much for us⁉️⁉️⁉️
#TRUTH To continuously question the guidance God gives, reveals waywardness in your heart. It uncovers a double minded attitude that actually tries to manipulate God. All initiated by this unfaithful ❤️❤️❤️. And yes, when we try to convince God to let us have our way…*coughs*…our sin, we are attempting to control Him, even if it seems innocent.
How many of us are on a reckless rendezvous, a deadly affair, flirting with destruction daily because we want what we want more than what the Creator of the universe says is best⁉️⁉️⁉️
WHEN OUR HEARTS ARE TRULY COMMITTED TO GOD ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF WHAT HE SAYS ISN’T AN OPTION.
Do you know angels sit and wait for God’s word to be spoken, for His commands to be uttered to respond. When our way is obstinate to God’s the angels that should be working to promote us oppose us, as they did Balaam…
Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands.
Psalm 103:20 New Living Translation (NLT)
The Crossroads
Greko FF/Flickr
Where do you find yourself in this story? Are you as Balaam walking in resistance to God’s way, not fully yielding your heart and your life to Him…or are you as Israel walking the course God has laid before you?
Several years ago, God and I had a minor discussion. I was like God I’m strong willed and You made me this way for a reason. He agreed, but added I was also stubborn.
God then said stubbornness is like idolatry. How I asked?
When I put my foot down to God and refuse to accept His will, I essentially put myself before Him…I make myself a god and He said thou shalt not have any other gods before Me (Deuteronomy 5:7). I say I’m smarter than You God…the One whose thoughts I can’t perceive and understand except He shows me.
He is the One who says His thoughts are as high as the heavens are to the earth in comparison to mine (Isaiah 55:8-9).
He is the One who questioned Job with, “Where were you when the foundations of the earth was laid…” (Job 38:4). Where was my wisdom when God founded creation, that I dare to think my intellect can hold a candle to His…
I was like okay Lord 😭😭😭🙌🙌🙌 Thank You for showing me, please forgive me and remove this rebellion from my life.
If you recognized yourself, like I have many times, walking a dangerous road, it happened…do not – I REPEAT – do not beat yourself up. Just confess it, renounce it and God’s help is available (Proverbs 28:13). All He wants is for us to recognize we have a problem & open our hearts to change…our surrender 🙌🙌🙌 is our invitation to God for His help. So just accept it, we all need it…
If you recognized yourself as walking the narrow road, I pray the grace and strength of God over your life. Endure hardships as a good soldier of Christ and know that you will receive a bountiful reward at the appointed time, as long as you continue to forge ahead (2 Timothy 4:5, Galatians 6:9)‼️‼️‼️
Prayer
Father, I thank You for showing us where we are & thank You Lord for sparing our lives, for giving us another chance to have all You desire for us! Forgive us in areas that we need forgiveness. Strengthen us in areas that we are weak. Seal us with Your Holy Spirit that we may make it to one day hear You say welcome home.
In Jesus Name‼️
Scripture Reference
The Way to Heaven and the Way to Hell
“You can enter true life only through the narrow gate. The gate to hell is very wide, and there is plenty of room on the road that leads there. Many people go that way.
Matthew 7:13 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
But Samuel answered, “Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obeying his commands? It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams. Refusing to obey is as bad as the sin of sorcery. Being stubborn and doing what you want is like the sin of worshiping idols. You refused to obey the Lord’s command, so he now refuses to accept you as king.”
1 Samuel 15:22-23 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
