Numbers 23:1-30


The saga between Balaam and Balak continues to play out as Balak is desperate to have a curse pronounced on Israel and Balaam seems desperate to please Balak so he can get paid.  I find it very interesting that Balak is convinced that his only hope is for God to curse Israel.  He recognizes that he is dependent upon God yet he insists on maintaining his own power and position.  This is called wanting to have your cake and eat it too.  Balak wants God to fight his battles and be able to defeat his enemy, yet he has no interest in serving God or submitting to God.  He wants to maintain the power of his position as ruler over his nation; yet he needs God’s help in order to do that.  It is a very dangerous when we try to make God our servant instead of being servants of God.  As Balaam instructs Balak on how to make sacrifices to the Lord and God appears to Balaam with messages for Balak; we see God’s relationship with Israel.

GOD HAS DETERMINED TO BLESS ISRAEL: Despite all of their unfaithfulness and complaining; God has made His determination to bless Israel very clear.  He will punish them and correct them, but He will also bless them.  They very existence of the nation of Israel after four hundred years of slavery in Egypt is a clear demonstration of God’s blessing.  They have survived their wanderings in the desert and have defeated several nations because of God’s blessing on the nation.  The size of this nation is a clear testament to God’s blessing on this people.  God makes it very clear to Balaam that He is going to bless Israel and not curse her.  Balak is very upset with this message so he tries again to convince God or Balaam or both to pronounce a curse on Israel.

GOD IS FAITHFUL TO KEEP HIS PROMISES: God’s determination to bless Israel is not based on Israel’s worthiness or faithfulness; it is simply based on God’s faithfulness.  He has promised to bless the nation and He will keep His promises.  There are much greater stakes involved here than the survival or defeat of any nation.  The true issue is the glory of God.  If God should curse whom He has promised to bless; what does that say about God?  This is why it is such a blessing to have the Word of God, because it reveals to us all of the promises of God and it gives us, as believers, true hope.  That which God has promised, He will most certainly do.  God keeps His promises, not because of our faithfulness or because we have done something that is worthy of His blessing; but because He is faithful.  The glory of God is always top priority in this world, so we can rest assured that He will always keep His promises. 

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