Numbers 23
Balaam offered sacrificesverses 1-2
And Balaam said to Balak
Build me here seven altars
and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken
and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar
a bullock and a ram
Balaam meets with LORDverses 3-4
And Balaam said to Balak
Stand by your burnt offering – and I will go
peradventure the LORD will come to meet me
and whatsoever HE shows me I will tell you
And he went to an high place
and God met Balaam – and he said to HIM
I have prepared seven altars
I have offered on every altar a bullock and a ram
LORD tells Balaam HIS messageverses 5-10
And the LORD put a WORD in Balaam’s mouth
and said
Return unto Balak
and thus you shall speak
And he returned to him – and lo
he stood by his burnt sacrifice
he and all the princes of Moab
And he took up his parable
and said
Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram
out of the mountains of the east
saying
Come – curse me Jacob – and come – defy Israel
How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
Or
How shall I defy whom the LORD has not defiled?
FOR from the top of the rocks I see him
and from the hills I behold him – lo
the people shall dwell alone
and shall not be reckoned among the nations
Who can count the dust of Jacob
and number of the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous
and let my last end be like his
Balak want second chanceverses 11-15
And Balak said to Balaam
What have you done to me?
I took you to curse mine enemies
and behold you have BLESSED them altogether
And he answered and said
Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD
has put in my mouth?
And Balak said to him
Come – I pray you – with me unto ANOTHER place
from whence you may see them
you shall see but the utmost part of them
and shalt not see them all
and curse me them from thence
And he brought him into the field of Zophim – to the top of Pisgah
and built seven altars
and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar
And he said unto Balak
Stand here by thy burnt offering
while I meet the LORD yonder
LORD gives Balaam second messageverses 16-24
And the LORD met Balaam – and put a WORD in his mouth
and said
Go again unto Balak
and say thus
And when he came to him – BEHOLD – he stood by his burnt offering
and the princes of Moab with him
And Balak said
What has the LORD spoken?
And he took up his parable
and said
Rise up Balak and hear – hearken to me you son of Zippor
God is not a man – that HE should lie
neither the son of man – that HE should repent
has HE said – and shall HE not do it?
or has HE spoken
and shall HE not make it good?
BEHOLD – I have received commandment to BLESS
and HE has BLESSED – and I cannot reverse it
HE has not beheld iniquity in Jacob
neither has HE seen perverseness in Israel
the LORD his God is with him
and the shout of a king is among them
God brought them out of Egypt
HE has as it were the strength of an unicorn
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob
neither is there any divination against Israel
according to this time it shall be said of Jacob
and of Israel – What has God wrought
BEHOLD – the people shall rise up as a great lion
and lift up himself as a young lion
he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey
and drink the blood of the slain
Balak tells Balaam to not bless Israelverses 25-26
And Balak said to Balaam
Neither curse them at all – nor BLESS them at all
BUT Balaam answered and said to Balak
Told not I you saying
All that the LORD speaks that I MUST do?
Balak in a third locationverses 27-30
And Balak said to Balaam
Come – I pray you – I will bring you unto ANOTHER place
peradventure it will please God that you may
curse me them from thence
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor
that looks toward Jeshimon
And Balaam said to Balak
Build me here seven altars
and prepare me here seven bullock and a ram
And Balak did as Balaam had said
and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 8 How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? Or how shall I defy, whom the LORD has not defied? (2194 “defy” [za‘am] means to curse, scold, to speak out against, be indignant, express wrath, denounce, abhor, to be abhorrent, or to be very angry with any one)
We have two types of believers when it comes to the attitude of negative statement and positive statements. There are pastors, teachers and others who think that they are the only ones who know the truth and are holding to the truth and they condemn those who don’t agree with them. There are pastors, teachers and others who know the truth and speak the truth and want to encourage others to come to the truth while they are still working with them.
Remember that every believer is at one of three levels of growth in Christ. There are newborn or baby believers who are just beginning to learn the truth of the word of God. There are young men who have grown in the truth and are learning more truth from the word of God. Finally, there are mature believers who are eating the meat of the word of God on a regular basis and use their knowledge to help those who are in the other two stages of growth.
The Bible also talks about “carnal” Christians who are living as if they are not believers. They need to be corrected with truth in a loving manner to help them restore their fellowship with the LORD. Some of these individual will be judged by the LORD will premature death if they don’t turn their life around for the LORD.
Here we are dealing with someone that is not a believer trying to get someone who the LORD is speaking through to condemn those who are the chosen of God in the Old Testament.
A genuine believer is not supposed to condemn other believers. We are not the judge. We are a fellow believer sent to help though love those who are still learning the truths of the Word of God.
There are too many individuals who think God has called them to be negative toward all those who don’t believe the same way as they believe. It hurts the name of Christ. It grieves the Holy Spirit.
CHALLENGE: We need to teach the truth in love to all those we meet. If they don’t agree with us and are genuine believers the LORD will deal with them. Our love might help in this ministry.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! (3477 “righteous” [yashar] means right, upright, straight, just, correct, pleasing, fitting, level, or pleasing in the eyes of)
DEVOTION: Here was a man who was able to go into the presence of the one TRUE God and ask HIM questions. He had a relationship that was right with God until he decided to look at money rather than to honor the LORD of the universe.
He wanted to die righteous but he looked at the riches of this world and thought that he could have both his righteousness and the money. It didn’t work that way. He found that out but still thought he could have both.
Is money wrong? NO! It is the love of money that is wrong. He knew what was right way to earn money and he did that for most of his life. But in the end we found that his desire to be righteous was overweighed with his desire for money.
Do we know what it means to be righteous? Do we know what it means to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD? The answer for most of those reading this devotions is YES! The Bible tells us what is right and what it takes to die in a right relationship with the LORD.
Some people think that on their deathbed they can make a decision to follow Jesus after they have lived a life of not following HIM. That doesn’t usually happen. Is it impossible? I don’t know.
As pastors and those interested in the souls of those around them we can’t wait to tell they of the provision of salvation that is offered by the LORD for them through Jesus Christ. We have to tell them the truth of their condition without Christ.
We can have a desire to be like the righteous but that is not enough. We have to be declared righteous by the LORD and that can only happen if we confess our sins and genuinely ask the LORD to control our lives.
CHALLENGE: Balaam really liked money. It became his god to replace the real GOD of the universe. We need to watch our hearts!!
: 19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (5162 “repent” [nacham] means breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, comfort self or console)
DEVOTION: Here we have Balaam going to Balak to curse the children of Israel. Balak wants a curse but Balaam wants to only say what the LORD tells him to say. There is conflict. Balak is ready to pay Balaam a lot of money.
Balaam is taken to three different places to look at only part of the children of Israel, so that, he might just curse some of them. The LORD would not allow this to happen. Each time Balaam comes back from talking with the LORD regarding the sacrifices Balak is offering and the children of Israel. Each time the LORD tells him to bless the children of Israel. He blesses them. Balak is not happy.
Balaam explains that the LORD is not like men. The Creator of the universe is not like men. HE will not lie. HE will not say HE is sorry for what HE is doing. HE will not change to please men. HE makes a statement and it is going to happen. There is NO doubt in Balaam’s mind that God can do everything HE says HE will do. HE is as good as HIS word.
When we think of God we realize that HE is not man. HE is longsuffering with man, but there comes a point where HE sends a warning and then judgment. The Moabites had reached that point, and they would rather try to curse the people of God than to work with them. If they had repented and served the LORD, would things have been different?
Other Scriptures seem to imply that when a group of people repents, God can change HIS dealings with them. If there is no repentance, than there will be judgment.
Are we watching the warning signs sent from God to us? Balak tried to have Balaam curse Israel three times in this chapter. Each time Balaam came back and told Balak that the LORD had blessed Israel. Balak had offered an offering to the LORD but the LORD did not honor the offering. Can we sometimes want something so bad that we go to the LORD three or more times and continue to ask HIM for it after HE has said NO each time?
Can we call on heaven to curse someone and not realize that the LORD is telling us to be sorry for our treatment of him/her? God works differently than we intend sometimes. Or is it most of the time?
CHALLENGE: We need a clearer picture of who God is and how HE works in our world. Continue to study the attributes of God. HE is stating HIS purposes and we are to report HIS purposes to those around us.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, “Told not I you, saying, All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?” (6213 “must” [‘asah] means to carry out or perform an action, commit, execute, keep, maintain, attend to, or institute)
DEVOTION: Compromise was what Balak wanted Balaam to do. He wanted him to not listen to the LORD and do what he told him to do.
Balaam had made it plain that he would meet with the LORD and the LORD would tell him what to say and he would say it. There was no room for compromise at this point in Balaam’s life.
The same should be true in our life when we meet with the LORD through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God we should be willing to do whatever we learn from our meeting.
Today it is not usually the type of meeting that Balaam had with the LORD where the LORD was giving us the words to say to anyone who was questioning our stand for the LORD. We know that the LORD promised the disciples that when they stood before anyone the Holy Spirit would give them just the right words to say to the individual or group. This is still true today.
Many of us have been in situations where we didn’t know what to say but the LORD gave us just the right words to influence a person toward the LORD and HIS standard.
We are to be a witness for the LORD regularly. HE brings people into our life that don’t know HIM and need to know HIM. Our dependence on the LORD for just the right words is very important because if we go with just our thoughts the individual might not come to have a personal relationship with the LORD or not grow in his relationship with the LORD. Our words are important. They can be words that are given to us of the LORD or our own thoughts. Which should we share? You know the answer.
The words that Balaam gave Balak didn’t please him but we are not in the business of pleasing people when it comes to telling them the truth!!!
CHALLENGE: Always seek wisdom from above when dealing with people. HE will give you just the right words to say.
: 27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I prayer you, I will bring you to another place; peradventure it will please God that you may curse me them from thence. (5869 “please” [yashar] means straight, direct, right, be smooth, to be or become pleasing and desirable, to be even, level, be agreeable, or to be straightforward)
DEVOTION: The world doesn’t want to give up on condemning those who are followers of Jesus Christ. Here we have Balak the king of the Moabites asking Balaam to try a third time to get the LORD to condemn HIS own people.
It sounds so foolish but this is the way the world thinks. They think that they can convince God to condemn HIS people. The world doesn’t like our place in the world. They would like to end the world of the presence of every believer in the LORD.
Balak was king of the Moabites who are descendants of Lot the nephew of Abraham. So these people know who the LORD is because of their relationship with Abraham. They are working against the Israelites who are relatives. They want the LORD to curse their relatives and bless them instead.
It really sounds weird that people could think this way but it is the way those who are dead in trespasses and sins think. They think they should be blessed by a God that they don’t believe in and those who believe in the one true God should be cursed.
Remember this is all taking place in a place that is dedicated to a false god called Baal. So Balaam is really a unique individual who has the ears of the LORD and communicates with the LORD. In the Old Testament individuals could receive instruction from the LORD and yet not be genuine followers of the LORD.
The world never gives up on trying having Christians compromise their beliefs. Balaam is one who was worn down by their offer of money. What will it take for us to compromise our beliefs?
Our world is slowly encouraging those who say they are followers of Jesus Christ to compromise on issues the Bible is plain about. The real problem is that there are false churches that go along with these issues which make other believers doubt their stand.
CHALLENGE: Don’t doubt your stand against issues the Bible is plain about. Teach the truth.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentverse 20
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, 16, 17, 21, 26
God (Elohim)verses 4, 8, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27
God has not cursedverse 8
LORD has not defiedverse 8
LORD has put in mouthverses 12, 16
LORD met Balaamverse 16
God is not manverse 19
HE has spoken – HE will make goodverse 19
LORD his Godverse 21
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Balaamverses 1-30
Build me seven altars
Go to meet the LORD
God met with him
LORD gives Balaam words to say
Built second group of seven altars
Parable
Cannot reverse blessing
Answer to Balak:
Told I you, saying, All that the LORD
speaks, that I must do?
Build me third seven altars
Balak – king of Moabverses 1-30
Wanted Israel cursed: enemies
Son of Zippor
Neither curse them at all
nor bless them at all
Takes Balaam to third place
Top of Peor
Looking down toward Jeshimon
Princes of Moabverses 6, 17
Nationsverse 9
Field of Zophimverse 14
Top of Pisgahverse 14
Egyptverse 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Cursing children of Israelverses 7, 8, 11, 13, 25, 27
Defy God’s peopleverses 7, 8
Lieverse 19
Iniquityverse 21
Perversenessverse 21
Enchantmentverse 23
Divinationverse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Meet with the LORDverses 3, 15
Listen to what the LORD will showverses 3, 12, 26
Not cursing God’s peopleverse 8
Not defying the LORDverse 8
Righteousverse 10
Blessedverse 11, 20
Speak what LORD puts in mouthverses 12, 26
Repentverse 19
Depend on promises of Godverse 19
Presence of the LORDverse 21
Strengthverse 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jacobverses 7, 10, 21- 23
Israelverses 7, 10, 21, 23
LORD his God is with himverse 21
Strength of a unicornverse 22
Rise up as a great lionverse 24
Lift up himself as a young lionverse 24
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
23:10a Evidence of God’s election of Israel and the fulfillment of his promise to Abram to make a great nation through him and bless him was the dramatic growth of the population while enduring the hardship and oppression in Egypt (Gen 12:2–3; 13:16; Exod 1:7, 10; 12:37). This theological point is reiterated in the initial military census of Num 1:1–46 and 2:1–32, and again in the second census of Num 26:1–51. In the Book of Balaam this issue was initially raised by Balak in his message to Balaam (22:3–5). Now it has been confirmed by the prophet himself.
The parallel clauses of counting the dust of Jacob and numbering the fourth part of Israel result from a minor emendation of the second colon of the Masoretic Text, which literally reads “and the number of the fourth of Israel.” The Samaritan Pentateuch (and the LXX) contain evidence of a variation from the Masoretic mispār, which is divided into two words with spr being read as a verb form rather than a noun (mî sāpār, “who can number”). Albright suggested that the text be further emended to read turbaʿat yisrāʾēl, “the sands/dust-cloud of Israel,” since the particle ʾet does not elsewhere occur in ancient Hebrew poetry. Keil suggested that the Masoretic reference to the “fourth” part of Israel was an allusion to the fourfold division of the nation as described in Numbers 2. Balaam’s ability to see the outskirts of Israel (22:41) would refer to one of the groups of three tribes and perhaps one of the corps of the Levites or the priests themselves. The point being made was that Israel was so numerous that one could not even count a small fraction (one-fourth) of their population since they raised a dust cloud during their trek through the Moabite plains.
23:10b In the final stich of Balaam’s first oracle, consisting of a couplet in complementary parallelism, the prophet reflects upon his life in light of what he has observed and the revelation he has received. Noordzij has stated the matter most astutely: “Balaam sees the divine blessing that rests on Israel as surpassing anything he has seen thus far; he would consider it his good fortune to die as the children of Israel can die, not only because his own death would then not be premature and violent (cf. Job 4:7), but also because he would then have the assurance that his offspring would belong to a blessed nation and would continue to live in safety and peace, a blessing that was even rarer then than it is in our own time.” He dearly wanted what Israel possessed, but would he be willing to submit to the covenant stipulations and obey God fully? For a moment as he realized that he did not have Israel’s number in order to condemn them, he may have thought of making a full commitment to this new deity. But we know that at the end of the story he was not willing to submit to God’s plan for blessing, for he counseled the Moabite leaders to subvert Israel through idolatry and immorality (25:1–18). For this he would die the death of violence in retribution (31:8, 16) rather than the death of the upright as expressed in the present passage. (Cole, R. D. (2000). Numbers (Vol. 3B, pp. 405–406). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
23:7–12. Balaam’s first of four major oracles consists of a brief statement of how he happened to be there and what he had been instructed to do (v. 7). He then asked how it was possible to curse Israel, the people whom God had blessed (v. 8; cf. Gen. 12:1–3). Balaam said that he could look down from his lofty vantage point and see these blessed ones who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations (cf. Deut. 32:8–10). They were like dust in number (cf. Gen. 13:16), and to be identified with them in life or death was a blessing of God (Num. 23:10). Balaam almost seemed to wish that he were one of God’s people. Balak’s reaction to the oracle was predictable, since Balaam had hardly cursed Israel (v. 11). But Balaam could only reiterate that he must … speak what the Lord had put in his mouth (v. 12; cf. 22:38; 23:3). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). Numbers. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 243). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
23:10 Who can count the dust of Jacob. Here is Oriental hyperbole signifying a very populous nation as Jacob’s posterity was to be (cf. Gen 13:16; 28:14). fourth part of Israel. The camp was divided into 4 parts, one on each side of the tabernacle. If one could not count the part, certainly no one could count the whole. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nu 23:10). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Balaam’s first oracle (22:41–23:12) gives Balak evidence that Balaam is not in his service despite the efforts of both to draw the Lord’s favor from Israel to Moab. Balaam, following Balak’s example, calls for sacrifices. He wants to make sure that he does all he can to perform as the Lord expects of him. He asks for seven (the complete number) altars, seven bulls, and seven rams. Balak is ordered to stand by the altar of burnt offerings, thus indicating that he, by these offerings, seeks the blessing of the Lord for himself and Moab. Balaam goes off by himself, hoping to be assured that he, having set Balak in a favorable position, will be able to evoke a curse on Israel and a blessing on Moab. After all, should a man offering seven rams and seven bulls on seven altars not receive what he desires? This setting up of a sacrificial rite is part of the divination process; the Lord rejects it completely.
Balaam goes to a barren height to look for an omen. It is not related how the Lord meets and speaks to Balaam; that he did cannot be doubted. Balaam is commanded to speak as the Lord directs, not as Balak and he desire. So, from a vantage point at which an outlying part of Israel can be seen, Balaam speaks—not as a diviner, but as a man under the Lord’s control. He states the case: “Balak brought me from Aram to curse and denounce the Israelites. But God has blessed them; I cannot curse them.” He gives three reasons why he cannot curse Israel: (1) Israel is unique (v. 9); they are not as other nations. Israel is God’s covenant people, a holy, royal priesthood. The Lord has given himself to them, and is related to them in a bond of compassion, love, and life. He has covenanted with them. (2) Israel is a numerous people (v. 10a). They cannot be wiped out or even reduced in number by evil words or magical powers. (3) Israel is righteous (v. 10b). They have the Law of the Lord and are called to live according to it. As they do so in submission, faith, and obedience, their covenantal relationship with the Lord is unbreakable. Balaam includes a self-condemnation in the form of a pious wish: as a diviner I am unrighteous, doomed to death; would I were with Israel, then I would live and die in a living relationship with the Lord. Balak fully realizes that Balaam has blessed Israel contrary to his request. Balaam fully realizes that as a diviner he is powerless. (Van Groningen, G. (1995). Numbers. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 100). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
23:7–10 The first oracle of Balaam set the pace for the rest. There were seven oracles in all. Each is introduced with the words he took up his oracle and said (23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 20, 21, 23). The word translated oracle is the word usually translated proverb. In this case, it means “prophetic speeches.” In the first oracle, Balaam described the purpose for which he was called, to curse Israel. However, he was unable to curse Israel because God would not allow it. From the worship site of pagan idolatry (22:41), he viewed Israel from a distance and saw that they were a people distinct from all other nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob suggests his attempt at ascertaining their number by divination. The numbers were vast, and he had no handle on them. my end: This is a reference to Balaam’s destiny. He would not share Israel’s glorious life in heaven. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 222). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 10. Who can count the dust of Jacob, &c.] The people of Israel, their posterity so called, not because of their original, the dust of the earth, but because of their numbers, being as numerous as the dust of the earth, or sand of the sea, as it was promised they should be, Gen. 28:14 and which is here confirmed by the prophecy of Balaam: and the number of the fourth part of Israel; one of the four camps of Israel, as the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan; for this people was divided into four camps, under so many standards, which were those of Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan, see ch. 2 and one of them is represented by Balaam as so numerous, as not to be counted, or should be so, see Hos. 1:10, 11. The spiritual Israel of God, though comparatively few, are in themselves, and will be when all together, a great number, which no man can number, Rev. 7:9: let me die the death of the righteous; which are among them, as Jarchi, among the Israelites; for they were not all righteous, nor are any, of themselves, or by their own works, but by the righteousness of Christ: or the death of the upright ones; such as are upright in heart and life, who have right spirits renewed in them, and walk uprightly according to the rule of the divine word; such as are Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile; the word used is pretty near, in sound and signification, to Jeshurun, one of the names of Israel, Deut. 32:15 and 33:5 the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem render it, “the death of the true ones,” who are truly righteous and upright, truly gracious persons; who have the truth of grace, and the root of the matter in them: these die as well as others, yet their death is different from others, not in the thing itself, but in the concomitants and consequences of it; they die in the Lord, in union to him, in faith of him, in hope of eternal life by him, and their death is precious to him; and in consequence of this they are carried by angels to glory at death, are immediately in heaven with Christ, and it will be well with them to all eternity. Balaam had some notion of this; and though he did not care to live the life of such, he wished to die their death, or that he might be as happy at death as they; by which he bears a testimony to the immortality of the soul, to a future state after death, and to an eternal life and happiness to be enjoyed by good men: and let my last end be like his; which is a phrase expressive of much the same thing as before: death is the end of a man in this world; and the end of a righteous man in it is peace, rest, salvation, and eternal life, or is what follows upon it, and he then enters into: some render it, my reward, which comes to much the same sense, the above being the righteous man’s reward, not in a way of debt, but grace; others render the word, my posterityc; but it is not certain Balaam had any, and if he had, his concern seems to be more for himself than for them. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 821–822). London: Mathews and Leigh)
Chap. 23, ver. 10.—“Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.”
This is a thought in which all the world would agree, if they could speak out their real feelings. Those who are most backward and unwilling to lead the life of the righteous man—even they would wish to die the righteous man’s death.
I. By the death of the righteous is not meant merely a happy end, but any circumstances of death whatever after a holy and obedient life. The worst death of those who are accounted righteous before God is better than the best and easiest death of an unrighteous person.
II. Nothing can exceed the apparent truth and piety of Balaam’s thoughts concerning death. Yet at the time he uttered them he was about the devil’s work, doing all he could to corrupt souls, and make God and man enemies to each other, for the sake of a little filthy lucre. His words have passed into a kind of proverb, as describing a happy death. His own death was perhaps the most miserable of all that are recorded in the Old Testament.
III. Let no man, therefore, deceive himself, nor imagine that all is as yet tolerably right between him and his God, because he feels his heart warm at devout expressions like this of Balaam; because, when he thinks of it, he would wish to die the death of the righteous. Do not rest satisfied with anything short of consistent Christian practice. Other ways may make you comfortable for a time, but this will bring a man peace at the last.
Plain Sermons by Contributors to Tracts for the Times, vol. iv., p. 63.
I. Balaam was half converted, and so he was not converted at all. He would not wholly part with his besetting sin, and so it mastered him and destroyed him. He would not serve God more than he thought he need, and so he ended in deadly opposition to God, disserving God as greatly as he could, and seducing others from His service, and so soon as he had finished his work of evil losing his life and his soul.
II. What the direct warnings or inspirations of God were to Balaam, that God’s voice in His word and in our consciences is to us. The special sin of Balaam was that he indulged and fed with his heart’s blood one darling passion (covetousness), and that, not daring or wishing to go against the direct command of God, he tried in every way he could to evade it. While our soul keeps back one thing, while we are contriving in one thing to cheat our conscience and hold back part of the price from God, all is but Balaam-service; we are as yet none of His.
E. B. Pusey, Lenten Sermons, p. 69.
References: 23:10.—F. W. Robertson, Sermons, 4th series, p. 42; H. Alford, Quebec Chapel Sermons, vol. iii., p. 218; T. T. Munger, The Appeal to Life, p. 109; M. Dix, Sermons Doctrinal and Practical, p. 1; Sermons for the Christian Seasons, 1st series, vol. ii., p. 493; C. C. Bartholomew, Sermons chiefly Practical, p. 1; E. Blencowe, Plain Sermons to a Country Congregation, 1st series, p. 210; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xiii., No. 746; New Manual of Sunday-school Addresses, p. 258; C. J. Vaughan, Harrow Sermons, 2nd series, p. 247; E. Bickersteth, Oxford Lent Sermons, 1858, No. 11; Clergyman’s Magazine, vol. viii., p. 218, and vol. xii., p. 221; G. Calthrop, Pulpit Recollections, p. 42; S. Leathes, Truth and Life, p. 86; R. Heber, Parish Sermons, p. 354; Preacher’s Monthly, vol. v., p. 335, and vol. vii., p. 290; Bishop Harvey Goodwin, Parish Sermons, 2nd series, p. 17; I. Williams, Characters of the Old Testament, p. 126. ((Nicoll, W. R. (Ed.). (1958). The Sermon Outline Bible: Genesis–2 Samuel (Vol. 1, pp. 293–294). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
The CHURCH in an age of CRISIS by James Emery White
Only 19 percent of all Protestants know that salvation comes through faith alone, not by works. And 45 percent cannot name the four Gospels. Only 55 percent know that the Golden Rule is not one of the Ten Commandments. (p. 25)
Anybody who is part of the religious community believes that you don’t just hold views, you live them. Manifesting your faith is part of having it and not part of some optional bolt-on. Judgement seems to be following contemporary society, which seems to think that secularist views area statements of the obvious and religious views are notions in the mind. (p. 29)
Which is most popular? According to the study:
1. 31 percent believe in an Authoritative God
2. 24 percent believe in a Benevolent God
3. 24 percent believe in a Distant God
4. 16 percent believe in a Critical God
5. 5 percent are atheists.
The authors are right to highlight the importance of this study. “A person’s God is a direct reflection of his level of moral absolutism, his view of science, his understanding of economic justice, his concept of evil, and how he thinks we should respond to it.” (p. 32)
In 1984, only 14 percent of Americans wore seat belts. Anyone else remember bouncing unrestrained around the back of the family station wagon like I did? Three years later, after seat belt laws were enacted in 30 states, that percentage tripled to 42 percent. Last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 90 percent of Americans faithfully buckled up while on the roads.
We often say Politics is downstream from culture. That’s mostly true. While laws tend to reflect ideas and trends already embedded in the larger culture, especially in the arts, education, and business, the state still has significant power to influence behavior and the larger culture as well.
In the case of the seatbelt, the state wielded its power for good. However, the same power can be used to normalize beliefs or behavior that is not good. That risk is greater in cultures already sliding down the slippery moral slope.
For example, Vermont recently became the first state to mandate that every public middle and high school make free condoms available to students. The bill’s sponsor, a Republican state lawmaker, believes that this new law will reduce teenage pregnancies, and therefore abortions. Strangely enough, the sponsor does not seem to think the law will normalize and increase sexual behavior among teenagers. Why the assumption that the law only incentivizes desirable outcomes but not undesirable ones?
According to most contemporary studies, sexual activity among teens is way down. Though these studies typically fail to include porn addiction as sexual activity, we can all agree that fewer teens experimenting sexually is a good thing. At the same time, these studies show that adults often misunderstand the culture and incentives affecting teenage sexual behavior.
For example, a 2017 Harvard study found that the scale of the so-called “hook-up” culture among teens was “overestimated.” In other words, all the movies, TV programming and news coverage portraying American high school kids as highly sexually active are wrong. In fact, these Harvard researchers found that the way “hook-up” culture is so often portrayed actually propagates it, putting more pressure on teenagers to have sex.
Similarly flawed thinking is behind Vermont’s new legislation. Lawmakers and educators, by assuming teens are sexually active and suggesting in public policy that we should all resign ourselves to helping them do it “safely,” only add pressure and incentives to the already-fragile equation of media, hormones, and opportunity.
I find it a bit strange–and ironic–that lawmakers and other cultural elites who are so quick to claim power simply throw up their hands and claim to be powerless when it comes to sexual activity among young people. “Well, the kids are going to do it anyway,” they say. “We might as well enable it.”
What if lawmakers back in 1984 said, “Well, looks like no one’s wearing their seat belts. We might as well accept that risky behavior and increase the speed limit while we’re at it”? That would have been absurd. So, why is that the approach so many adults take when it comes to sex?
That’s not a rhetorical question. A culture that already views sex as the core feature of our identity finds the suggestion that we teach kids not to have it unthinkable. A culture that views sex as the pinnacle of human existence will consider any parameters on sexual behaviors to be emotionally, spiritually and physically dangerous. In other words, what has changed is not merely our moral standards, but our entire view of the universe and the human person.
Every available metric of social and mental health suggests that today’s kids are more depressed, more anxious, and feel more lonely and isolated than any generation before them. The last thing young people need is adults telling them that “no-strings-attached” sex is a good idea. Or even possible. We have the data. Teens who engage in sexual activity are more likely to be depressed than other teens. They’re more likely to attempt suicide. Two-thirds of kids who reported having sex in high school told researchers in a 2000 study that they regretted it. Kids who abstain from sex are also more likely to go to college. Free condoms for kids will only lead to more loneliness, more isolation, and more pain.
At each and every stage of the sexual revolution, the promise has been that “the kids will be fine.” They aren’t. “Safe sex” for children is a misnomer. Neither schools nor governments should incentivize behavior we know will harm students, but that’s exactly what Vermont is doing. We should do all we can to ensure other states don’t follow suit. (BreakPoint)
Christ is our Savior and example; the center of life for Christians.
INSIGHT
People can no more save themselves than they can fly to the moon. Both are utterly impossible. And because of our spiritual condition and the spiritual laws of God, we stand a greater assurance of making our spiritual condition worse instead of better by trying to save ourselves. Paul says that we were dead. We had decrees written against us that we were powerless to remove. God made us alive together with Christ and removed the decrees against us by nailing them to the cross (vv. 13-14). We must gain salvation by grace through faith in Christ or not have it at all. (Quiet Walk)
The news came as a shock. Having already survived prostate cancer, my father had now been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. To complicate matters, my father is my mother’s full-time caregiver, attending to her own chronic illnesses. With both parents needing care, there would be some difficult days ahead.
After flying home to be with them, I visited my parents’ church one Sunday. There, a man named Helmut approached me, saying he’d like to help. Two days later, Helmut visited our home with a checklist. “You’ll need some meals when the chemotherapy starts,” he said. “I’ll arrange a cooking roster. What about the mowing? I can do that. And what day is your rubbish collected?” Helmut was a retired truck driver, but to us he became an angel. We discovered he often helped others—single mothers, the homeless, the elderly.
While believers in Jesus are called to help others (Luke 10:25-37), some have a special capacity to do so. The apostle Paul calls it the gift of mercy (Romans 12:8). People with this gift spot needs, rally practical assistance, and can serve over time without getting overwhelmed. Moved by the Holy Spirit, they’re the hands of the body of Christ, reaching out to touch our wounds (vv. 4-5).
Dad recently had his first day of chemotherapy. Helmut drove him to the hospital. That night my parents’ fridge was full of meals.
God’s mercy through a truck driver’s hands.
By Sheridan Voysey (Daily Bread)
CONFIDENCE IN PRAYER
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
1 John 3:21
This matter of “confidence” is absolutely vital to true prevailing prayer. Let me remind you how the Scripture puts it. Have you noticed that the word boldness is used in connection with prayer in the Scriptures? You often find it in the epistle to the Hebrews: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (4:16); or again, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19); or, “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). Or consider what Paul says in Ephesians 3: “…in whom we have boldness and access with confidence by…faith” (verse 12). That is the way to pray; if our petitions are to be of any value, we must have boldness and assurance and confidence in our access.
How is this to be obtained? Well, it seems to me that we are here dealing with the answer, and it is a question of sonship. The consciousness of our sonship and the assurance of our sonship is to be determined by our love of the brethren. It works like this: If I am truly loving the brethren, then I remember that I am a child of God. Therefore, when I am before God in prayer I argue like this: “I must think of God now not as my Judge but as my Father.” John goes on to remind us of that in 1 John chapter 4. I do not come to God, therefore, in a spirit of fear, because “fear hath torment” (1 John 4:18). So, assured of my sonship, I know that God delights in me, that God indeed is much more ready to bless me than I am to ask to be blessed.
A Thought to Ponder
I must think of God now not as my Judge but as my Father.
(From Children of God, pp. 128-129, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Circumcision of Christ
“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” (Colossians 2:11)
During the millennia when God was preparing the earth for the coming of the promised Messiah, the sign of relationship was focused on physical purity through the unique nation of Israel. Hence the requirement of male circumcision, a poignant identity that would emphasize the genetic line as well as reinforce the personal commitment.
That dramatic message, amplified throughout the lifetime of Israel in the feasts and liturgical observances, was radically changed when the Messiah came in “the fulness of the time” (Galatians 4:4) to fulfill and complete the promises. Thereafter, the mystery of the grand plan of God was revealed “which was kept secret since the world began” (Romans 16:25): “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:19). Now the message is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
This “circumcision” of Christ is “not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21). This public declaration (not a private ceremony for Jewish families) demonstrates that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The sign of the new relationship is for all who believe in the completed work of the Messiah. This “circumcision” dramatizes the creation of the “new man” (Romans 6:4) and tells the story of salvation in a way that anyone can both participate in and remember. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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