I have heard and enjoyed the story of Balaam and his donkey, but I have not before thought very deeply about the kind of man Balaam was. So I asked myself,
What can I learn about Balaam from scripture?
· God meets with him. (Numbers 22:9)
· He is not an Israelite. (Numbers 22:5)
· He displays humility:
Numbers 22:
34 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.”
Numbers 23:
3 Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me.
· He has knowledge of offerings. (Numbers 23)
· He understands Israel
· He advised the Midianite women to turn the Israelites away from God through sexual immorality. (Numbers 25; 31:9,15-16)
· He practices divination and sorcery. (Numbers 22:7; 24:1)
Now, I count it strange that God would meet with this kind of man. Yes, he has some positive qualities, but toward Israel, his chosen people, I have seen some rather harsh consequences: a man stoned for breaking the Sabbath (as instructed by God), whole families swallowed up by the earth for Korah’s rebellion, two of Aaron’s sons killed by fire for offering unauthorized fire to the Lord. So I wonder, why would God work through Balaam?
In a way I am touched, that while God is following his chosen people through the written word, there are evidences of God’s presence in other lands. Melchizedek, and Jonah in Nineveh
While we are instructed to judge by the fruit of what we see, I think it is a useless venture to spend exhaustive amounts of time trying to determine if someone is “really saved”, or if God is “really working through them” and why he would do so, when we see bad fruit. I spent time wondering, Why Balaam? Until I realized I was getting nowhere. I had theories about his humility, yes. But ultimately there were things I just could not reconcile. So instead, I thought it more worthwhile to focus on what I admired about him. This does not mean I understand his failures, or why God seemed to bestow grace on him and not others. Perhaps it all comes back to God’s holiness and sovereignty.
So here are the amazing words I would like to become a part of who I am:
1. Balaam finds it inconceivable to denounce (condemn, accuse, criticize) those God has not. Why is it so easy for me to criticize others? Lord, give me the self control to refrain from criticizing those you have not criticized.
Numbers 23:
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the LORD has not denounced?
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the LORD has not denounced?
2. Balaam finds it obvious that he would speak what the Lord instructed. Lord, grant me boldness to speak the words you have given me.
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
3. Balaam says he cannot do ANYTHING on his own, GOOD OR BAD beyond the command of the Lord. Wow. How many times do I participate in “good” activities without first consulting God.
Numbers 24:
13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD…
4. Balaam displays humility when confronted. (See Numbers 22 listed above.) Often my human reaction is justification. He follows a simple pattern: Admitting his sin, Explaining his ignorance (without defensiveness it seems to me), and offering act in the opposite manner. He didn’t just apologize, he thought of something he could do, and waited for God’s opinion on his solution. (God had a different plan- good thing he asked!)
Thank you God for these words I plan on committing to memory, so they can become a part of how I make decisions, how I speak and how I live.
Sorry you had to hear from me twice- I think we got confused about who was supposed to post. Oh, well!
ReplyDeleteAs I continue to think about Balaam, other thoughts have come to mind. Sandra pointed out that he was killed. I had to go back and find it. The fact that his death is specifically mentioned seems that God is saying something- and I doubt it is positive. Balaam almost reminds me of a man like Sampson- someone who has a certain understanding of God, but lacks a key ingredient. Sampson didn't love God enough to put Him first in all areas of his life. He also died a tragic death. Moses in contrast to Balaam loved the people of God. He fell down and fasted- praying for God's mercy for a people that frustrated him. Balaam seems to respect God, but not love Him by loving His people. I still want his respect for God, and the sense of absolution. I want the attitude that says, "Of course I would only say and do what God wants- is there any other option?" But please God, give me a heart like Moses and David. I want to love you and love your people. Take out my heart made of stone and give me a heart of flesh. Give me a love for you and your people.
ReplyDeleteI don't think too highly of Balaam, especially after reading that God classifies him as a false teacher in 2 Pet 2:15-16 (you should read the whole chapter for the full effect of Peter's opinion of false teachers) and also in Jude 5-16
ReplyDeleteBalaam is mentioned in v 11. He just strikes me as the kind of person that flatters you with his lips but despises you in his heart.
Amy and I discussed this and I believe the problem we have is why God allowed him to speak
anything at all. Why didn't God stick to his original plan not to let Balaam go? As I have continued to look at this and meditate on it more, I wonder if God wanted to show Balak and maybe even other kings of the surrounding nations that He is sovreign. Balaam's final message lists some of the enemies that Israel would defeat in the future. The damage that Balak hoped to inflict on Israel would fall on his head and those of his people.
It's not enough to know ABOUT God. We need to get to KNOW God, His ways, His character, who He really is. Balaam did not know God. God was just another diety in Balaam's long list of gods. His god truly was satan and God made sure Balaam understood that He was in control and He had the last word. We read in 31:7-8, "They attacked Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the men. All five of the Midianite kings - died in the battle. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword."
I meant to post this excerpt from "How to Read the Bible For All It's Worth" by Fee and Stuart. I read the chapter about how to read and apply the law of the Old Testament. These are some of their summary statements:
ReplyDelete"1. Do see the Old Testament law as God's fully inspired word for you.
Don't see the Old Testament law as God's direct command to you.
3. Do see God's justice, love, and high standards revealed in the Old Testament law. Don't forget to see that God's mercy is made equal to the severity of the standards." The authors compare treatment of women and slaves in the law compared to the surrounding cultures. The rights protected by God's law are much more advanced. For example, in Israelite law if a person murdered someone (regardless of status) they were to die. The law of Hammurabi, a Babylonian King, based the consequence on the status of the person killed. If you killed a slave you would only have to pay a fine.
4. Don't see the Old Testament law as complete. It is not technically comprehensive." The authors explain that the laws mentioned are examples, and could not possibly cover every situation that came up.
"6. Do see the Old Testament law as a generous gift to Israel, bringing much blessing when obeyed. Don't see the Old Testament law as a grouping of arbitrary, annoying regulations limiting people's freedom." The prohibition against cooking a young goat in it's mother's milk, according to the authors, is referring to a fertility practice of the pagan cultures. Concerning the clean and unclean foods, Fee and Stuart argue that the unclean foods are either 1. more likely to carry disease in the desert climate 2. not economical or 3. commonly used foods in pagan worship.
I found the book very interesting, so look out- I will probably quote from it again!