Then Balaam said to Balak "Stand by your burnt offerings and
I will go ,perhaps the
Lord will come to meet me and whatever He shows me, I will tell you "So he
went to a desolate height. Numbers 23:3 NKJV New King James Version
We continue to look at the life of Balaam and compare with our
lives so as to avoid the many errors that Balaam made on the way to the final
error for which he is most known for(greed).It seems that it was the greed and
his eye on the reward he would get that shaped
the several choices that he made.
When we compare the conversation of Balaam with the messengers
from Balak at the very first and second meetings Numbers 22:4-8,18-19 there appears to be a change in Balaam's demeanour when he finally meets Balak( Numbers 23:3).
He is no more as sure as he was of an answer from God.
Whereas when he
was originally met by the messengers from Balak in Numbers chapter 22, he told them categorically
that they should wait as he would hear from God and get back to them( Numbers
22:8),however some chapters down the line it is the same Balaam who now tells
Balak that perhaps the Lord would speak to him(Numbers 23:3). Earlier on
in this series,we did commend Balaam for
having the kind of relationship with God that is enviable. What made Balaam move
from a state of absolutely sure to a state of perhaps?Could it be that his
sense of perception was dulled by continuous disobedience? Sometimes in our
lives, we find out that we are not as perceptive as we used to be and the issue
may just be in the area of obedience. Refusing to do what we know God has asked
us to do has a way of hindering our relationship or standing as a veil between
us and him.It could also stop the receiving of further instructions as there is
no need to have more instructions to disobey.
Disobedience itself is an act which stems from the spirit of
rebellion. God had a right to tell Balaam what to do but because Balaam was
more concerned with having his own way, he refused to submit to
authority, thus became guilty of rebellion. And he was ready to use different
ways to manipulate God and that in itself is witchcraft. No wonder the Bible
likens witchcraft to rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23).
In the next half of verse
23 of 1 Samuel 15, we are told that obedience is better than sacrifice. I must
confess that the Bible is quite exact as the very thing we do after being
rebellious is to be manipulative and then try to offer sacrifices to serve as
alternatives for our obedience. All through the Bible however, we learn that
obedience is non-negotiable. This is best summed up in the words of Apostle
John and Jesus who confirm that
obedience is the mark that we really know him ( 1 John 2:4) and love him(John
14:15).
Sometimes acts of
sacrifices may be a way of avoiding what we know is our call of duty, and
although they may seem impressive to others, God has regard only for the man
who trembles at his word instead(Isaiah 66:2).ready to obey them.
Balaam indeed did many sacrifices for so many rams and bullocks
were slaughtered during his consultation (a staggering total of almost 50
animals ), but in spite of all these, God’s verdict for Israel(they cannot be
cursed Numbers 22: &23:8 ) did not change as He cannot be manipulated
The place of obedience in
our relationship with God cannot be overemphasized. It is our regard for God
that makes us reverence and obey his Word. When God speaks, he speaks to be
obeyed .Reasoning God’s word has a way of dulling our perception to his Spirit
as we see in the life of Balaam.
In His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer.
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