18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”
20 And
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go
with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So
Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of
Moab. V.12, 20, 22 Numbers 22:18-21 NKJV New King James Version
“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.”-Numbers 22:20 NIV New International Version
Several versions give different
renditions to the reply of God to Balaam at this second visit. Some
commentators say that God only gave Balaam permission to go if the men came to
call him(as seen in the King James Version ) and that since there is no record of the men coming to call
him, then he should not have gone.The New International Version however renders
verse 20 of God's reply as "Since the men have come to call you
",making it appear that God had no choice in the matter as the men had
come again. However, most commentators generally agree on one point which is that
the permission of Balaam to go was conditional.This grudging permission did not seem to deter Balaam from going
ahead with Balak's request. The heart of Balaam was clearly fixed
with a mind of his own and although we are more apt to use the word
for children, the error we see here is "Stubbornness".
So what
is stubbornness? According to Meiam –Webster Dictionary, Stubbornness is unreasonably or perversely unyielding,
resolute, performed or carried on in an unyielding ,obstinate or persistent
manner.One is said to be stubborn
when he is obstinate,inflexibly fixed in opinion;not to be moved or
persuaded by reasons or is inflexible.There is a good side to
stubbornness as there are times we need to be inflexibly fixed
about some issues but our focus for now is on wilful stubbornness
here and its dire consequences as seen here and in other Biblical
characters such as Pharoah(Exodus 13:15) and Saul(1 Samuel 15;1-24).
The
Prophet Samuel put his finger on the very root when he told King Saul
that stubbornness is as the sin of iniquity and idolatry(1 Samuel 15: 23) and
although we usually associate idolatry with graven images, the idolatry
of stubbornness is our failure to give God the rightful place to have the first
and final say in our lives.This is because there is another god we have chosen to obey which
sadly if truth be told,is ourselves.The position of stubbornness is one
that is far from righteousness(Isaiah 46:12).When we are stubborn, we do not
pay attention to God (Zechariah 7:11),resist the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 7.51) and find a reason to be an exception to the rule like Balaam.
There
are several reasons for stubbornness amongst which include pride (Nehemiah
9:16) and ignorance( Ephesians 4:18).Not left without
consequences,Stubbornness makes us go backwards and not forward in our
relationship with God (Jeremiah 7:24) Although God loves hearts that
are quick to repentance,Stubbornness makes repentance fractious .In
relation to our fellow men, Stubbornness causes insistence on our own way
almost all the time which shows lack of consideration for others, making
them feel devalued. It can also lead to
unreasonable behaviour(Gen 49 5-6) which ultimately destroys
relationships.
An
attitude of the heart,Stubbornness may be subtle and an error to watch
out for especially as it has been equated with the sin of idolatry.
The very first commandment warns us against idolatry (Exodus 20:3) and in Old
Testament Bible times, stubbornness was such a serious issue that a stubborn
child was surrendered by his parents to be killed(Deuteronomy 21:18-20).For us
today,it is not a stubborn child but “ourselves” , the "I" also referred to as the "flesh" which
in a nutshell is anything rising in opposition to the plan and will of
God(Galatians 5:17).The same cruel treatment given to a stubborn child
has to be given to the flesh to ensure it does not usurp the authority of
the Spirit(Romans 6:11-12,Galatians 5:16).We are indeed admonished to
kill the flesh( Romans 8:13).This is a daily struggle(Luke 9:24-27) which
even the great Apostle Paul admitted to having(Romans 7:21-25)..One of the secrets to avoiding this error is to be yielded to the Spirit with a continuous daily
filling(Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 5:18 ) while maintaining a heart that is
quick to repent(Proverbs 28:13-14).Let us remember that continuous stubbornness
will lead to destruction (Proverbs 29:1 ) as we ultimately see in the
life of Balaam( Numbers 31:8).God promises to guide and lead us in the best
pathway as long as we are not stubborn like the mule (Psalms 32:8-9). Lord
deliver us from stubbornness and idolatry(1 John 5:21).
Yours in
His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
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