The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 22:21-22b,
"Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him."
Here is an interesting twist. God was angry with Balaam, a pagan sorcerer, when he left to see Balak who had summoned him. Balak, who was king of Moab and fearful of Israel, wanted Balaam to curse Israel and sent envoys to fetch him. We read in verse 20 that God told Balaam to go ahead and go with the envoys to see Balak. But two verses later we read that God was angry when Balaam went. What gives?
It turns out that prior to God telling Balaam to go in verse 20, God had already told Balaam not to go, verse 12. Following that, Balaam had gone back to the Lord to "find out what else the Lord will tell me." Verse 19. Although he claimed to do only what the Lord told him, verse 18, he nonetheless went back to the Lord to see if he couldn't go ahead and do what he wanted to do in spite of already knowing what the Lord wanted.
The Lord simply gave him over to his own desires (he "loved the wages of wickedness", 2 Peter 2:15). Now Balaam would face God as his opponent.
This reminds me of the way Paul tells us that God gives people over to their sinful impulses and reap the judgement for it. "Therefore God gave them [those who reject God] over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." Romans 1:24. "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts." Romans 1:26a. "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28.
"Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him."
Here is an interesting twist. God was angry with Balaam, a pagan sorcerer, when he left to see Balak who had summoned him. Balak, who was king of Moab and fearful of Israel, wanted Balaam to curse Israel and sent envoys to fetch him. We read in verse 20 that God told Balaam to go ahead and go with the envoys to see Balak. But two verses later we read that God was angry when Balaam went. What gives?
It turns out that prior to God telling Balaam to go in verse 20, God had already told Balaam not to go, verse 12. Following that, Balaam had gone back to the Lord to "find out what else the Lord will tell me." Verse 19. Although he claimed to do only what the Lord told him, verse 18, he nonetheless went back to the Lord to see if he couldn't go ahead and do what he wanted to do in spite of already knowing what the Lord wanted.
The Lord simply gave him over to his own desires (he "loved the wages of wickedness", 2 Peter 2:15). Now Balaam would face God as his opponent.
This reminds me of the way Paul tells us that God gives people over to their sinful impulses and reap the judgement for it. "Therefore God gave them [those who reject God] over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." Romans 1:24. "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts." Romans 1:26a. "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28.
The horrific judgment of God can be found by the insistence of a compulsion to sin or oppose God's desires. Those who do so just may find themselves in the appalling and dreadful position of being given over to their sinful impulses by God, only to face his opposition and judgment.
Something to think about here.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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