The Danger of Doing Your Own Thing

The Danger of Doing Your Own Thing

You can read about Balaam in Numbers 22 through 25

   Israel had been condemned by God to wander through the wilderness until a whole generation died off.  And after 38 years the next generation gathered again at Kadesh and began to make plans to go into the land. They had traveled around the borders of Moab, the Moabites had thought that when the Israelites reached the plains of Moab the Amorites would defeat them. But that didn’t happen - the Israelites defeated the Amorites.  Now the Moabites knew they had to do something.  Balak, the king of Moab, formed an alliance with the king of Midian, and they sent emissaries off to Mesopotamia to hire a sorcerer to come and curse the nation of Israel for them.  So elders of Moab and elders of Midian departed with money to hire Balaam, and they repeated Balak's words to him. And he said to them, "Spend the night here, and I will bring back word to you as the Lord may speak to me."   

   And God came to Balaam and said, "Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people; for they are blessed." 

   There are at least two ways in Hebrew to negate an idea, and God, in his revelation to Balaam, uses the strongest possible term, the same term which are used in the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not go.  Thou shalt not curse." (The Hebrew words “lo halom” – “Not - You must go.” And “lo qalal” – Not - You must curse.”) 

   So Balaam knew exactly what God wanted. There was no question in his mind. God had clearly revealed his will to Balaam.  And Balaam knew that God's word was not in question, because later on, in one of his oracles, he says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent."  Simply put:  "God speaks the truth, He does not lie, and he does not change his mind."

   The reason that God speaks the truth is that he knows what is profitable to us in this world; what will make life worthwhile and what will destroy us.  He knows, and he reveals the truth, not to cramp our style, but because he wants us to avoid the things which ultimately are destructive in life. Therefore he cannot change his mind because He loves people, and to change his mind would mean that we would be exposed to things that would destroy us.

   God knew that if Balaam cursed Israel, Balaam would suffer. God wasn't concerned about Balaam's curse that somehow it would frustrate God's efforts with Israel and would destroy them, God was concerned for Balaam.

   Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than the former. [The Hebrew says that he sent "heavier" leaders!]  And they came to Balaam and asked him again.  So Balaam told them to wait and he would ask God again.   God had already said no, don’t go and no, don’t curse them.  What more questions could Balaam have? 

   And God permits Balaam to go with them, not because he is a softie but because he will not control Balaam to the point that Balaam cannot act according to his own will if he insists upon it.  And that is the way that God deals with us.  If we insist upon going our own way, then God takes his hands off of us and he lets us go.  There is a passage in Psalm 106 in which David says with reference to Israel, "He [God] gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul."  And this is what he does with Balaam.  He says, "All right, Balaam, I know your heart, so I'll let you go."

   And in Numbers chapter 31 there is an account of the invasion of Midian and the destruction of the Midianites by the nation of Israel, and it says in verse 8 that "they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword."

   So Balaam died the death of the wicked, and he died separated from God.   Had he listened to God and stayed home, he might have lived to an old age.  But he went and did his own thing and it cost him everything. 

   The fate of Balaam should serve as a warning to us to listen and let God’s Spirit guide us and not ignore His warnings and do whatever we want.  God knows best.

Stephen Cram                                                           May 18, 2014                         

Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ. 

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is from the New King James Version of the Bible.