Balaam
had a reputation for taking fees for divinations and his
services were desired and highly sought after. Balak send men to
pay him a fee to put a curse on the Israelites so he could defeat them
.
Balaam
sought God's will, spoke with God and was told not to curse them because
they were blessed. He then refused to go to Balak and told the men why.
He followed God's leading- - - - this time.
When
more princes came with the same request, he gave the same answer (Numb
22: 18-19) . He stayed consistent with his words, ...but how about his
heart?
God told
him to go but to only do what He said to do. (Num 22:20)
So, off
he went on the Mission and met with difficulties on the
way. Three times his donkey responded to the
angel in the road and was beaten by Balaam. Although he was unaware of
it, his difficulties on this mission turned out to be his
protection. The donkey protected Balaam from being killed by the angel!
What are
the donkeys in our lives?
What things in our lives frustrate, anger,
and depress us as they stop us on the road to somewhere?
What are
we NOT seeing as we focus on the "donkey?"
What are
our motives in the first place?
Balam was committed to speaking only what God told him to say, yet he
was very blind in other areas. Even after he got there, he
did not stray from the message he was to give, no matter how much he
was bribed and threatened to do so.
Another
point to look at here is the motives of Balak. He wanted Balam to put
words in God's mouth to fit his own needs. He may have sought a
"man of God" for a word, but his heart did not want the truth.
Even after Balam told him what God said, he tried two more times to get
him to see things his way and say God that agreed.
God evaluates all of our
motives and actions, such as Balaam's desire for power and money. Our
inner heart attitudes will eventually be revealed, no matter how well we
disguise them outwardly.
"Character" is what we truly are compared to what we seem to
be. It is different from "piety" which is a personal
relationship with God. Character refers to the quality of a person. The
two are inseparable. God is interested in our character, and something is
very wrong if a pious person does not have good moral character.
When we
talk about good moral character, the term "virtue" often comes
up. The ancient Greeks used the term to mean "excellence." If
we use that as part of our definition of character, we see four cardinal
virtues.
1.
Discernment :
Unless you
discern what the real motive is , what is really going on. what people
feel, and what is really important, you will always make wrong
decisions.
Rom
12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
2.
Courage:
This is the
power to do well even when it gets tough and turbulent. It is having
the character to do well when things are tempting, and when things are
painful. It is the power to do well in the face of a threat, even to
your life, your security, the things you hold dear, your future, etc.
3.
Temperance:
This means
being in charge of your own life. To manage, control, orchestrate all
the stuff that's going on inside. A temperate person gives the
control to God, and accepts the genuine responsibility as a challenge
from God. He does not let a person or circumstance or substance
control him. Like other gifts of the Spirit, temperance needs to be
practiced lest it be lost.
4.
Justice:
A person of
justice always tries to be fair and doesn't treat one person
differently than another. The following verse is an example of the
prophets' calling out for justice:
Micah
6:8
"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
Application:
So, what
have we to learn from all this ? I can only speak for myself,
and it has taken me literally weeks to put all these pieces together.
God has laid this lesson heavily on me, and it wasn't until last night
that the final piece of the puzzle was revealed to me.
It is so
awesome when you get a direction from the Lord!
You know where you are
going, and you are excited about it. You know you are doing His work,
and it energizes you. That is the first instant when satan will attack.
In whatever way he can he will begin his attack on this plan. The sooner
he can get you off track, the greater his victory. So, if we start off
on our journey without caution and without a sense of need for constant
prayer, we have already gotten into trouble. What satan does not know is
what God has put in place for our warnings of danger. Just as Balaam
went off on his trip with "good intentions," and was blind to
God's warnings, so are we. Balaam had missed his first
warning......Somewhere along the line, he gave the message that he could be
bribed. He had not been forceful enough in his answer, or there would
not have been a second group to ask him for his services.
So, then the
first time of attack is right when the "call"comes. Right then
and there, we need to seek God with our whole heart. No matter how noble
or wonderful the call may be, it has to be His will, or we go out of His
will.
Say
we miss the first warning, and we head into the journey, ministry or
whatever, thinking we have it all under control. We know where we are
going and we are going to do God's work. We may be so excited and happy,
that we are blinded. Or we may be so serious about this work that we
don't look anywhere but to the goal. Our focus is already off the
Father. Just as Balaam was blind to the angel, we may be blind to
anything God put in our way to stop us. And I firmly believe it is often
angels in our case too. This is where I said satan doesn't really know
what God has planned to help us see. He knows before we take off that we
are going to miss the dangers that are right in front of us.
Think of
it - if an angel could drop men to their faces and make then speechless
because of their awesome appearance, how blind can we be to miss them?
That's pretty blind!!! Balaam's donkey was able to see the angel,
and she responded appropriately. All Balaam knew was the donkey was
messing up his trip. His focus was still on the destination. Three
times, this happened to him. Instead of sensing the danger, he beat the
donkey. Now really, if this donkey had never done this before, and
suddenly was behaving so badly, should that not have been a clue?
What
would your reaction be? I suspect many of us would pray...of course we
would, we're on a journey for the Lord! And just what would we pray?
"Lord, you know I am doing you work. Please solve this problem so I
can get back on the road..and do it quickly!" Right? and if we
could, we'd have other people pray for us. We might even go so far as to say we
are being attacked and satan is trying to stop us in our mission. We
could put on all sorts of pleas for help so we can get the Lord's work
done!! We could even borrow a donkey, maybe.
Are you
getting my point? This was NOT a work of satan that made the donkey lie
down. It was a work of God!
How many
times do we get stopped in our way and blame satan? Why don't we stop
and ask if the Lord is trying to tell us something?
Let me
give an example of what I am talking about:
We are
going to start a new small group. We have the lesson plans and the group
already together. The time and place are set, and we head off for the
first meeting. We are so excited about this class and know we will grow
so much from it! But before we can even get there, everything that can
go wrong at home , does. The baby sitter doesn't show up, the car won't
start; you get a headache... but we push forward, and solve all the
problems, maybe yelling at someone in order to get there. But, we will
get there! The traffic is awful, and we know we'll be late.....We hit every
red light, and then remember we were supposed to pick up something on
the way. We finally get there and can't seem to concentrate. The people
irritate us, or we get a headache....and we go home tired and irritable.
In this day, it is natural to say satan didn't want us there. But we
plan to keep on going- we will show him!
How do
we know it wasn't the Lord trying to stop us on our way? We cannot know
if we don't take the time to focus on Him!
Think
back of the times when you did stop, and I bet you were able to discover
the reason God stopped you. I know I
can remember some very specific instances that has happened to me.
Another
point... the third time Balaam really clobbered the poor donkey. He beat
him with his staff . This is how focused he was on his trip: the
donkey spoke to him, and without hesitation, he talked right back to it!
A miracle occurred right there before him, and he didn't even notice!
Now, we would notice a donkey talking to us, wouldn't we? Or would we?
Would we enter into a conversation with it like Balaam did?? Would we
tell it off for making us "look foolish!" like Balaam did?
Would we answer a question a donkey asked us? Balaam did- and that's
when he saw the angel!
Here's the next painful
part: How many times
have we gotten angry at someone who gets in our way of ministry?
Maybe our
kids. Maybe a stranger? Who or what do we lash out at when we get slowed
down, stopped or frustrated? Perhaps that person or thing is our donkey!
I will
give you a personal example from my life, as an example of what I am
talking about. I am a nurse and love my profession and I loved the way I
could do God's work in it. When I suffered a back injury, and after many
years of trying to get back into the work force, I finally had to accept
that I could no longer do the work. For those years, I fought, prayed,
and did everything I could possible do to get back to work, Nothing was
successful! I was angry that I could not conquer this battle against
satan! In those three years, my focus was to get back to my
"ministry" in the medical field. The more I hurt, the more I
determined to get past it. I was so relentless, that I ended up damaging
my wrists during intense exercising for my back! My hands became almost
useless, and I wore splints for 2 years . I was so frustrated and
depressed. All I wanted to do was get well, and instead I was worse off.
Then I opened my eyes. God did not want me to go back to work then. He
wanted me home . I have no idea how much time I wasted fighting Him and
thinking I was fighting against satan, but I do know I must have missed
many opportunities to do His work! Once I refocused, everything changed!
I did get into a ministry-- with teenagers, of all things! That was never
anything I had even thought about! It was an intense growing time for me
(and a whole other story), and only one of many areas that God opened up to me.
My
health was my "donkey" at that time. My body was shutting down to stop me
from going the way I was heading. There was nothing wrong with my work, but God
wanted me somewhere else. He had been leading me that way for a while,
but I had totally missed it because I was so wrapped up in my work. It has
taken me a long time, but now I know to listen to what God is telling me
through my health. If I am not going where He is leading, my health
suffers. If I am doing what he wants me to do at that moment, He gives
me just enough strength to do it. I have to rely on Him completely-- and
that is what He wanted all along!
Don't
get me wrong, I am not saying God made me sick to punish me. I believe
that He did what He had to do to get me to listen to Him. My donkey laid
down !
As
you read this, can you identify? Are there things in your life that slow
you down or stop you in your work for the Lord? Are there things or
people that you "beat" and yell at? These very people or
situations may very well be who speak God's words to you! They may
reveal to you what God has been trying to tell you.
We will
never know for sure if it is God or satan stopping us unless we stop,
refocus on Him and listen. If we hear His voice, and He reveals where we
have sinned, we must repent as Balaam did and commit to do His will Even
if it means going back! (Num 22:34-35).
Then the Israelites
traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan
across from Jericho.
Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the
Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many
people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the
Israelites.
The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, This horde is going
to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of
the field." So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at
that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was
at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said:
"A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the
land and have settled next to me. Now
come and put a curse on these people, because they are too
powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and
drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless
are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.
The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for
divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak
had said.
"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and
I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me." So the
Moabite princes stayed with him."
God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with
you?"
Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab,
sent me this message:"A people that has come out of Egypt
covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them
for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them
away."
But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not
put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."
The next morning Balaam
got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own
country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam
refused to come with us. Then Balak sent other princes, more
numerous and more distinguished than the first.They came to
Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do
not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will
reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a
curse on these people for me."
But Balaam answered them, "Even if 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. Now
stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what
else the LORD will tell me."
That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men
have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell
you."
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with
the princes of Moab.
But God was very angry
when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to
oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two
servants were with him.
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road
with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a
field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. Then
the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two
vineyards, with walls on both sides.
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to
the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her
again.
Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow
place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to
the left.
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under
Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the
LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam,
"What have I done to you to make you beat me these three
times?"
Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If
I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."
The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which
you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of
doing this to you?" "No," he said.
Then the LORD opened
Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the
road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your
donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because
your path is a reckless one before me.
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three
times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed
you by now, but I would have spared her."
Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did
not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if
you are displeased, I will go back."
The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but
speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the
princes of Balak. When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he
went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at
the edge of his territory.
Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent
summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I really not able to
reward you?"
"Well, I have come to
you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just
anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.
Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and
the princes who were with him.
The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from
there he saw part of the people.
My dear brothers, take
note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about
the righteous life that God desires.
They have left the
straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of
Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was
rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey--a beast without
speech--who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the
prophet's madness.