Numbers 22:1-20. Stand On God’s Side With Pure Motives-my devotional

Numbers 22:1-20                                                                            9-13-16

Key Verse: 22:12                                                                            Kevin E. Jesmer

“But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.’”

Part 1: Do Not Be A Compromising Servant of God (1-13).

Verses 1-13, “ 1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. 4 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, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates 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. 6 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 land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.” 7 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. 8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the LORD gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him. 9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘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.’” 12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” 13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

God went ahead of his people, preparing the field for victory. Look at verse 3. “and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.” Even though the miracle of their deliverance had happened 40 years before, still, it was very well known by the surrounding countries what God had done. Look at verse 5b, “…Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.” Israel’s thorough defeat of the Amorite kings struck terror in the hearts of the Moabites. The Lord made their enemies fearful, thus blazing the path before them. We may think that It is all about us and all the good and wise things we have chosen. But when you sit down and think about it, it can be see that the Lord himself has gone on ahead.

As a side note, I really don’t blame the king for panicking. The Israelites were about four million by now, or even more. His whole kingdom would be threatened. He would have heard of the victory of the Israelites neighboring kingdoms. He was responding very naturally. It is what any king would have chosen to do. I don’t even blame the king for going to the local soothsayer offering to pay to invoke a curse on God’s people. He was again reacting as any regular pagan king would do. He would try to muster as many local resources as he could to defeat the people who were threatening his kingdom.

It was an inevitable clash between two cultures. It seems to be unavoidable. The only way for King Balak to overcome and servive the Israelite threat would be to completely surrender and submit to the Israelites, surrendering his people and his kingdom to the mercy of God. His nation would then become vassals if Israel. Some would convert, others would become slaves. But they would survive. That is if Israel did not decimate their cities.

It would have taken a supernatural movement of the Spirit of God to get the whole pagan nation lay down their arms and surrender unconditionally. And not only that, adopt the culture and the religion of the Israelites, the conquering and occupying nation. That was the way of salvation for Balak if God would have allowed it. But Balak would have none of that. It was too high of a mountain to cross. He was more willing to fling his nation into a battle that was impossible for them to win.

Ultimately it was God’s will for this conflict to happen for it was time to bring his people into the Promised Land and it was time to bring judgement on the idol worshipping nations that were engaged in such cruel forms of worship for so long.

In this passage we are introduced to a man named Balaam. The Moabites turned to him in their desperation. Look at verses 4-5a, “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, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land.”  Who was this Balaam? Balaam was a sorcerer, one called upon to place curses on others. He had some reputation. he was widely known for his effectively evoking curses and blessings. Belief in curses and blessings was a common in the Old Testament times, and even in some cultures today. Sorcerers were thought to have some power and influence with the gods. This King of Moab wanted Balaam to use his influence with the God of Israel to place a curse on Israel, hoping that by some sort of magic, God would turn against his own people. Balak and the elders did not have any idea who they were dealing with!

Here is where Balaam’s’ story can be read. Numbers 22:1-24:25; Numbers 31:7-8; 16; Deuteronomy 23:4-5, Joshua 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:5, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, Revelation 2:14.

Numbers 31:7-8  (NIV)  “They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beorwith the sword”.

Numbers 31:16  “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the LORD’s people.”

Numbers 23:4-5,  “4 God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.” 5 The LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

Deuteronomy 23:4-5, “4 For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim[a] to pronounce a curse on you. 5 However, the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.”

Joshua 24:9-10, “9 When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. 10 But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.”

Nehemiah 13:2, “2 because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)”

Micah 6:5, “My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.”

2 Peter 2:15, “15 They have left the straightway and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.”

Jude 11, “11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.”

Revelation 2:14, “14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.”

Balaam was a prophet without integrity. Balaam’s duplicity is revealed in his willingness to talk with the elders of Moab. Look at verse 7-8, “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. 8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the LORD gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.” A person’s conversation accurately represents his or her character. A person of integrity is the same on the inside as what he or she appears to be on the outside. Balaam was considered a prophet. Some say that he was a soothsayer. Balaam was a compromising prophet with spiritual gifts, but no truth in his heart. He was a man ready to obey God’s command as long as he could profit from it. Though not one the Israelites, he was willing to acknowledge that the Lord, was indeed a powerful God. But he did not believe in the Lord God of Israel as the one true God. Later on, he encouraged the Israelites to worship idols. (Numbers 31:16) Sure, Balaam entered into his prophetic role seriously, but his heart was mixed. He had some knowledge of God but not enough to forsake his magic and turn wholeheartedly to God. Through this conversation, it might seem that Balaam is turning to God, but this was not so. Other passages in the Bible show that Balaam couldn’t resist the tempting pull of money and idolatry. (Numbers 31:16; 1 Peter 2:15) although he realized the awesome power of Israel’s God, his heart was occupied with the wealth that he could gain from Moab. The mixture of obedience and profit eventually led to Balaam’s death. He later died when the armies of Israel invaded. Balaam is symbolic of the deception of maintaining an outer facade of spirituality covering up a corrupt inner life.

God spoke to Balaam in verses 9-12, “9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘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.’” 12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”. How gracious God is to speak to this man directly! When Balaam prayed, God told him not to go with Balak’s emissaries and not to curse Israel, for God had blessed them. So Balaam sent the Moabite emissaries away.

Why would God speak through the sorcerer like Balaam? Nobody knows for sure. What is for sure is that God wanted to give a message to the Moabites, for they had already chosen to employ Balaam. So Balaam was available for God’s use, much in the same way that he used Pharaoh in Egypt, though Pharaoh was wicked. (Exodus 10:1)

A person’s duplicity cannot stop the Lord from doing his work.

God was willing to listen to Balaam and even speak through him. If Balaam will not obey God, the Lord will use him anyway to deliver a message, and a series of astounding prophecies as we will see later.

I think that Balaam was a compromising prophet because he was willing to entertain and consider the request of the Moabites. If he was a sincere prophet, in tune with the Lord and the moving of the Holy Spirit, he should not have entertained the emissaries and rebuked them directly. He should not have had to seek the Lord to inquire about cursing or blessing Israel. He should have already known that Israel was God’s chosen people and that God would not curse them.

We, as servants of the Holy God, must never entertain unholy requests from godless people. We must never entertain them as something plausible, especially if what they are requesting is seriously against the will of God. We need to be very clear about where we stand in regards to faith, right from the beginning. There is a time when a servant of the Lord needs to take a stand and say, “no way!” to falsehood. God’s people need to be clear about where they stand in regards to their allegiance to the Lord. Who is on the Lord’s side? God may be calling you to take a stand. “Lord, help me to be a “clear” servant of God who can speak the truth and uphold the truth right from the start.”

There is another important point in this passage. You cannot curse what God has blessed. Look at verse 12, ““But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” Balak’s power and money and Balaam’s greed could not stop the people of God. They could not thwart the will of God. God’s plan was blessed. God’s people were blessed. The movement of the people into the Promised Land was blessed. No one or nothing could curse what God has blessed.

Part 2: Think Twice When It Appears That You Have A Green Light (14-20)

Verses 14-20, “ 14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.” 15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.”18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the LORD will tell me.” 20 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.”

The Moabite officials went back to Balak and reported about Balaam’s refusal to come and curse Israel. The king of sent more emissaries and more money to Balaam asking him to curse Israel. He offered Balaam so many riches to do what he was requesting (14-17)

Balaam answered them in verses 18-19, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the LORD will tell me.”  Balaam’s words of refusal were clear (18), but his actions were not. He invited them to spend the night and he would inquire of God again.

Why was Balaam continually opening his heart and his home to these people? Maybe he was flattered that some very important emissaries came. Maybe he wanted to get rich. Maybe he was flattered that a king was giving him all kinds to attention. His accommodating them and letting them sleep there meant that he was fishing around for a green light from God. Again he should have clearly said, “No way. You people need to repent and join the people of God and be “on board” with what God is doing.”

Sometimes were are eager to get accepted by others, especially by people in high positions and even other pastors. We look for recognition and validation of ourselves. We may even choose to compromise the truth in order to do so. But we must stand on the side of truth no matter what, even if it means to be rejected. Galatians 1:10 reads, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God ? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Balaam invited them onto his home. He inquired of the Lord that night and God answered him. God has already made his will about this matter very clear in verse 12, “But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”. His will was that he not go with these elders. If Balaam was right with God, he would not have even inquired of the Lord regarding the cursing of Israel. He would have known that Israel was God’s chosen people. Not cursing them was a no brainer. He shouldn’t even have entertained the emissaries and even rebuked them directly for making such an unholy request.

God knew the struggle that was going on in Balaam’s heart. He understood his greed and his willingness to compromise his relationship with God for money. But God was done with contending with Balaam. Look at verse 14, “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.” If he really wanted to go with the emissaries, then God would let him go. God let’s people do what they really want to do. God gave Balaam conditional permission to go. But remember God’s permission was not God’s agreement.

We must think twice when God seems to be allowing your choice. Just because God seems to be allowing something, does not mean that God is pleased with what we have chosen. There is a time, if we are stubborn and persistent in asking for something, then God will step back and say, “OK, go ahead”, even though what we choose is not the path that is pleasing to God or even glorifies God. I think that most parents experience with this with their kids. We need to choose the will of God. We need to choose what brings glory to God. We must never deceive ourselves that all of our desires that we hold onto, so stubbornly, is what God wants.

Prayer, “Lord, there are time that selfish motives fill my heart. I am tempted to exploit my relationship with you for some kind of profit. Keep me from asking again for what I know does not please you. Help me to serve you with a pure motive to glorify your name.”

One word: Serve the Lord with a pure motive.