new church life: september/october 2016
Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know
that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. (Numbers
22:5-6)
Balaam invites the messengers to stay for the night. And these were no
ordinary messengers, but men of status called elders. They are ambassadors
sent to impress Balaam, and to impress upon him how dire the situation is.
Even so, he acknowledges that he must first consult with the Lord.
God does not give permission, however, for Balaam to go and curse the
multitude of Israel. Instead, He gives a simple but powerful revelation about
them: “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they
are blessed.” (Ibid. 22:12) It doesn’t get any simpler than that, does it? There
is nothing unclear about that message. All the information Balaam needed
to make a decision about this request from King Balak was revealed with one
sentence:
1. You shall not go with [the messengers]
2. You shall not curse the people
3. They are blessed
And so, when Balaam woke up in the morning, he turned down their
request and sent the elders on their way.
But Israel is still around and Balak is still afraid of Israel and refuses to
take no for an answer. He sends messengers once more, only this time he sends
more people than before – princes of higher status than the elders from the
first trip. The princes deliver this message:
Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you
greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this
people for me. (Ibid. 22:16-17)
Balaam, as before, doesn’t give an immediate answer. He says he will
consult with the Lord once more. But why? What more could the Lord say?
Wasn’t He already clear enough the first time when He said: “You shall not go
with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
What Balaam should say to the princes might seem very obvious to us,
but the tension is now starting to build. What compelled Balaam to consult
with the Lord a second time? Was it honor? Was he swayed by the impressive
princes before him? Was it riches? Or maybe, no matter how many times a
request was made, this was standard protocol. Who can say?
Whatever the motivation, Balaam does consult with the Lord a second
time, and this time he is actually given permission to go! “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.” (Ibid. 22:20). So here we have it! God has given Balaam his
blessing under one condition: Balaam may only perform pre-approved deeds.
(Something tells me that cursing Israel will not be among those pre-approved
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