And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him(Num. 24:1-2).
Balaam was a crafty, devious, and ambitious man. He was also a prophet of God. And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak (Num. 23:5). To many of us, those two sentences seem contradictory, but to God, they make perfect sense. Regardless of the state of his heart, Balaam was God’s creation; therefore, he was God’s to use in any manner He saw fit. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence (I Cor. 1:27-29). Yet, while God did indeed make use of Balaam, Balaam did not serve God.
Balaam was driven by greed and ambition. He had seen the Lord’s power displayed among His people and coveted it for himself. His fear kept him from crossing God or God’s people directly, but he was always on the lookout for the angle that would allow him to capitalize on his worldly reward. Foolishly, Balaam believed that he had discovered a way to ‘have the best of both worlds.’ 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 (Num. 23:10)! He felt that God would count him as righteous as long as he truthfully shared the words God put in his mouth and that he was free to look out for his own interests the rest of the time.
There are many highly successful people today who share Balaam’s outlook. They know the right doctrine, sing the right songs, and can even quote the perfect Scripture to fit any situation. They work hard to attain leadership positions and influence over other believers. Once they have achieved their goal, they immediately set to work controlling the narrative to their own advantage. They regularly brag about their relationship with the Lord and profess the belief that their eternity lies with Him, but they do not allow that to hold them back from seeking out the best the world has to offer in the meantime. They see no harm in doing whatever it takes, short of out-and-out public blasphemy against God, to achieve their worldly goals.
Just as He did with Balaam, God will, at times, use these people to forward His plan or share His blessings with others. Being used by God, however, is not the same thing as willingly and humbly serving Him. It is impossible for a person whose heart still firmly belongs to the world to enter into His service.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (Matt. 6:24).
Thought for Today: Fear of God does not equal faith in Him or even true belief in His existence.
Christ Revealed: As the prophesied Star and Sceptre (Num. 24:17). Christ is coming to reign in great glory (Rev. 19:15-16). Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom (Heb. 1:8).
Word Studies: 23:3 peradventure = perhaps; 23:10 dust = descendants; 24:14 advertise = let you know; 24:18 do valiantly = be triumphant; 25:1 commit whoredom = have intercourse; 25:3 kindled against = became angry against; 25:7 javelin = spear; 25:13 seed = descendants, offspring; atonement = effected reconciliation; 25:17 vex = besiege; 25:18 wiles = treacherous deceit; beguiled = deceived.
Pray For Staff:Jennifer Palafox • Government Official: Rep. John Rose (TN), Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ), Rep. Mike Flood (NE)• Country: Slovenia (1,988,292) Central Europe • Major Language: Slovenian • Religious Freedom • 57.8% Roman Catholic; 2.4% Muslim; 2.3% Orthodox; 0.9% Other Christian; 3.5% Unaffiliated; 23% Other/ Unspecified; 10.1% None • Prayer Suggestion: Pray when distressed and afflicted (Jon. 2:2).
Optional Reading:Luke 10