Good Monday morning to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you had times in your life when you simply scratched your head trying to figure out what God was doing as you evaluated the circumstances happening around you? Has it ever seemed that God was allowing something, or actually doing something in your world, which was ‘counter intuitive’ or ‘outside the norm’ of what you expect from God?
In our journey with Moses and the Hebrew people, who’ve been wandering the desert for several years, after refusing God’s invitation to enter His land of promise for them, we come to Numbers 22. It’s one of those events that could leave you scratching your head and wondering about God. Actually Moses has no part of this event. But Moses, who records these events, as the author of the first 5 books of the Bible, gives us an insight into a series of events that are very important for us to grasp, if we will widen our understanding of God. I believe such things may well be happening in our day, in the places where you and I live!
When we come to Numbers 22 the Hebrews have been wandering the desert for about 39 years, and we can assume most if not all of that older, faithless generation has died. It would very soon be time for God to lead the next generation, their children, who by now are adults, to the border of the promised land, giving them the opportunity that their parents had, almost 40 years before. I wonder how often these older generations of Hebrews discussed their desert wandering with the younger generations, challenging them to be sure they would not make the same skeptical, faithless mistakes when God would bring them to the moment of decision and opportunity? May I ask, have your parents taught you, warned you, encouraged you… to be ready to take great steps of faith when God opens a door of opportunity for you?
Moses begins this remarkable story in Numbers 22:1 “Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan river across from Jericho.” Yes, you’re right… the Hebrews have finally, after 40 years of wandering, arrived at that large, well watered, open plain area, on the east side of the Jordan River. It is a lush area of rich farmland because of the river. On the west side of the river was, and is today, the famous city of Jericho. I think Moses and the people knew the time would be soon that God would once again open the door of opportunity for them to enter the land of Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants more than 500 years before.
But in those 500 years the whole region of what we today know as Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria had experienced rapid population growth. The area east of the Jordan river, today known as the country of Jordan, was populated by a people then known as the Moabites, descendants of a man named Moab. Perhaps you remember him? He was the son of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, conceived shortly after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, in an incestuous relationship with his daughter. You’ll find that sad story in Genesis 19:26-37. Because of those family roots, these Moabites were actually distant relatives of the Hebrews. Yet some animosity had evidently grown up between them over the centuries, even though now was really the first time, in about 500 years, that they’d been geographically close to each other! As you and I look around our far reaching extended families, do you see some angst, some animosity that exists between some part of your extended family that have roots in events many, many years ago? How do you feel about those deeply rooted strained relationships? Has God positioned you to do something about it?
In Numbers 22 Moses tells us the king of these Moabite people was named Balak and evidently the stories of how God had sustained these Hebrews with food and water in the desert for 40 years, and led them by a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, and how God had protected them from attacks of marauders, had all led Balak to feel greatly threatened, as he looked down from the high hills of Moab on this great throng of people spread out along the Jordan river valley. Then, as now, there were sorcerers practicing witchcraft, divination and other types of contact with the dark, demonic world. A man named Balaam was evidently well known among a group of these sorcerers. You’ll remember about 40 years before Moses and Aaron had confronted the sorcerers of the Pharaoh of Egypt when God began the deliverance of His people through the power of plagues. Perhaps you remember Pharaoh’s sorcerers were able to duplicate God’s first three plagues of staffs turned to snakes, water turned to blood, and frogs that multiplied and covered Egypt? However, it’s important we remember the sorcerers could duplicate but could not control or stop the plagues of God found in Exodus 7&8.
In Numbers 22 king Balak sends emissaries to find and summon sorcerer Balaam. Balak was afraid this migrating huge throng of Hebrews might overtake his land and he felt his best option was not a military confrontation but rather a spiritual curse upon them. King Balak felt if the dark spirit world would come against the Hebrews perhaps they would die of some illness pandemic, or they’d go insane and kill each other, or perhaps hallucinations would cause them to flee back to the desert. For King Balak it wasn’t important what scheme the dark spirit kingdom used, only that these Hebrews would turn away from him and his land.
I’m going to urge you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends, to listen to the audio, dramatized Bible version of Numbers 22. You’ll find the link at the bottom of this page. And then consider these thoughts… We have no previous history of the sorcerer Balaam. We meet him here for the first time. Did he somehow have previous encounters with the God of the Hebrews or was he simply in the practice of seeking to make contact with the spirit or god of any group of people, for a fee of course? It is clear Balaam did engage with the God of the Hebrews multiple times, in fact, through this remarkable story. Numbers 22:8,9 says “Balaam said to those king Balak had sent, ‘spend the night here and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me.’
And sure enough, in response to Balaam quest to speak with the God of the Hebrews, God did in fact engage with Balaam and gave him very specific instructions. And amazingly Balaam followed those instructions very carefully and specifically. In fact as I look at it, Mr. Balaam was far more obedient to God’s instructions than the Hebrew people had been, yet he was not a Hebrew and not a God worshipper, as far as we know! Why would God do that? Why would God speak to, give instructions to and even use for His glory in His larger plan, a man who doesn’t know God, isn’t committed to God, and was even a sorcerer? What do you think about that my friends?
We have several examples through history, in the Bible, of God working through people who did not have a relationship with God, or in some cases didn’t even believe in God! The Pharaoh in Joseph’s day (Gen. 41), or the Pharaoh in Moses’ day (Exodus 7-12), or King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel’s day (Daniel 4) are three examples. Evidently when sorcerer Balaam had his encounters with God, he was so convinced of God’s almighty power, His majesty, and maybe His holiness, that Balaam was determined to NOT disobey God. Balaam said “Even if king Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.” (Numbers 22:18) Does Balaam’s use of the phrase “the LORD my God” tell us that Balaam had become a believer in God? I don’t know that, but clearly he was profoundly impacted by God and was fearful of going against God’s instructions to him.
May I ask… regardless of your family religious heritage, or even your own personal spiritual journey up to this point, how would you describe the relationship you have with God? Perhaps more importantly, how much silver or gold or popularity or anything else would it take for you to go against what you know is God’s truth for you, or God’s instructions to you for living? The truth is many people today who say they believe in God and even are committed to God find themselves swayed by the opinions of their friends, or social media, or political pressure, or the fear of standing against culture pressure in order to stand faithful to God. What about you, my friends? How strong is your spiritual courage, your commitment to honor God with your life? For Mr. Balaam, his standard was extremely high. Even a palace full of gold and silver would not tempt him to turn away from God! Wow!!
I think that’s a good place to pause for today. You’ll recall these Hebrews had turned away from God and built a golden calf when Moses had been up Sinai with God for a few days, even though they’d seen God’s power, heard God’s voice, and made a covenant to love, honor and obey God! They rebelled against God multiple times in the desert and even refused to step out in faith with God when He opened the door to the promised land. And here Mr. Balaam, a sorcerer, proclaims his allegiance to God even if tempted with a palace full of gold and silver! I’m deeply challenged by that, and so let’s just pause right here asking ourselves these three questions:
1. In your past what has motivated you to turn away from God making choices you knew were contrary to God’s commands, God’s guidance of you?
2. What has motivated you to turn away from God’s truth and believe lies or distortions of God’s truth?
3. How strongly are you standing today for what you know to be God’s truth, God’s ways in our immoral world?
Tomorrow we’ll rejoin the story to see some remarkable things which happened next. Today, let’s honestly compare ourselves to Mr. Balaam!
Today’s Scripture is Numbers 22:1-18.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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