Sometimes you can’t say what people want you to. That’s always uncomfortable.
My hat is off to Balaam, who was off to a really bad start when he was beating and cursing his donkey, unaware that the Lord was opposing him. When a prophet is unaware of what the Lord is doing…that’s a bad sign. It might be time for a career change.
But the lesson that Balaam learned on the road to Moab seems to have helped him grow. There had to be tremendous pressure to offer some good news to king Balak, who was standing there, surrounded by his dignitaries and statesmen. This is the sort of setting in which a bad report can sever your head from your shoulders. I wonder if Balaam feared for his life as he delivered God’s word to Balak?
Three separate times the Lord confirms that Israel is going to be victorious and Moab will be crushed. For some reason Balak seems unable to accept it. Maybe he didn’t really believe in God at all, and just thought that Balaam was being obstinate. Maybe he thought that if he winked and nodded, or patted his sword it would send the right signal that the prophecy needed to be altered. Whatever the reason, it didn’t work.
You might think that once God makes up his mind, it can’t be changed, but that’s not true. In fact, in the last part of today’s reading Phinehas changes God’s course of action. There are times when we can appeal to the Lord and He will change His mind. But there are also times when He won’t. That’s what makes Him God. If we could change His mind by our actions, we would be able to manipulate Him, but we can’t. God decides, He isn’t forced to respond to whatever we do. In this case, there is no sign of humility or repentance from the pagan king Balak. Had he cried out for mercy, called a national day of mourning and fasting, he might have avoided it…but he just keeps asking the same question and doesn’t react to the word he receives.
I guess that’s one lesson for today. When God speaks, it’s my turn to react to what God has spoken. If the word is against me, then my immediate response should be repentance and request for mercy. If the word is for me, then it would certainly be praising Him and thanking Him. What I should not do is keep asking the same question again and again after I have received an answer. Paul asked three times and God told him to stop. There were three confirmations here as well. I’m not sold on “three appeals” but I think at some point near to that we should accept that God isn’t planning to change His mind, and we need to live with it.
For a better example of what we should act like, examine Phinehas. The moment he spotted disobedience and rebellion he took personal action to immediately end it. Zeal for the House of God consumed him. There was no thought to personal safety, no thought of being brought up on charges, or what this might mean politically (this was a local leaders daughter). Nothing entered Phinehas’ mind except the thought to preserve the purity of God’s house. Three cheers for him. His quick action stops a plague that was almost certainly going to wipe out all of Israel on the doorsteps of the Promised Land.
I am so frustrated with the Israelites right now. Why do they simply not seem to understand holiness? And why do some of those same desires to wander away still live in me? Let’s covenant together to be done once and for all with dalliances with the devil. No more enticements to evil, no more compromising the calling. Let’s agree together to follow the righteous example of Phinehas and live a zealous life that pleases the Lord. A life where we refuse to offer a weak, politically correct message in order to maintain peace and relations with a people that God has no intent of approving of.
Faithfully,
PR