Numbers 23:1–30,
1 Corinthians 6:12–7:16,
Psalm 20:1–9
Balaam is still in these readings and in my thoughts. He
was ordered to curse the Israelites, but he replied, “How
can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? For from the top
of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling
alone, and not counting itself among the nations! Who can count the dust of
Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright,
and let my end be like his!” (Numbers 23:8–10)
This sounds so good, but remember one thing – he willingly
went with Balak to do what he was told and instead, God puts a blessing in his
mouth. Then the king ordered him again to curse Israel. Balaam did not. This
time he said, “Behold, I received a command to
bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in
Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord
their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them
out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no
enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said
of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’” (Numbers 23:20–23)
Two times Balaam willingly goes with Balak to curse the
people of God, and two times God puts a blessing in his mouth instead. Is this Balaam
being obedient, one of the good guys? I don’t think so. He is too willing to do
the cursing. If he was a righteous man, he would never have gone with the king
in the first place. Even though the Lord overruled, this does not make Balaam a
special person! He was making arrogant choices.
The title of this devotional guide is “Connect the
Testaments.” Sometimes I cannot see a connection. This time, the NT reading is
also about decision making, but Paul is a far cry from Balaam. He knew that in Christ,
and because of the grace of God, he was a free man, but he didn’t act without
considering what he was doing or the consequences. He said, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are
helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.”
(1 Corinthians 6:12)
This does not mean that if Paul had been in Balaam’s shoes
he would have thought it lawful to curse God’s people, but he would not have
acted as if it was okay, or talked as if he was being obedient when he wasn’t. Christian
freedom is not about mocking God or playing games. It is not about messing
around with orders from the enemy, thinking I can do that and God will bail me
out of trouble. I am not given freedom so I can say I trust Him and then rely
on something else, either myself or some other source of wisdom or strength and
do whatever pleases me.
“May he grant you your heart’s
desire and fulfill all your plans! May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions! Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer
him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in
chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.” (Psalm 20:4–8)
My “chariots and horses” cannot answer my prayers, fulfill
my plans, or save me from sin. Even if anything I trust besides God happens to ‘deliver’
me now and then, eventually they fail. Only the Lord can stand forever, and I
stand only in His mercy in grace. This cannot be mocked or messed with but
rejoiced in as my source of strength so as not to be like Balaam.
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