March 15, 2019
Numbers 22
Is it fair that God would send Balaam on a mission and then try to kill him?
This story starts with a crystal-clear warning to Balaam that he must never speak a curse on the people of Israel. Whoever curses Israel will be cursed and whoever blesses Israel will be blessing. This has been and continues to be a boundary God has set. But the greedy and self-seeking sorcerer can only see the prestige and Swiss bank account numbers in the deal. So, despite his earlier refusal to work for King Balak he starts to yield to his corrupt motives. You can see the bribe of King Balak starting to work on his heart. To be sure, the Lord had finally given Balaam grudging permission to go down to Moab, on the condition that he would faithfully only speak a blessing on Israel. But because of the fierce struggle between duty and greed the Lord knows he is going to cave when faced with the temptation. So, it is time for a life size object lesson. In this confrontation with the angel God remind Balaam that without complete obedience to God's word he would face instant death. Hence the dramatic scene, where God used the donkey as His mouthpiece to rebuke the stubborn and thick-headed prophet that the next step of disobedience would carry mortal danger.
It is important for each of us to be completely obedient to the Lord in our words and actions. Compromise is always deadly.
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