Balaam’s Curse
There is an interesting story in Ancient Scripture, and this occurs just before Israel crosses the Jordan and into the “Promised Land.” We are today on the same, but “spiritual journey,” that mirrors the Exodus, so this is critical for us, because we are about to face the same problems as we are about to cross Jordan and into the Heavenly Promised Land. Let us re-cap the situation. Balak is the King of the Nation of Moab and is stressed out, as out of the wilderness to his south came a few people, that is fine, quite normal as it is the main highway south, but the flow never stopped until there were millions of them, all camped along the Jordan River under the shade of the gum tree forest where they grazed their flocks.
When inquiry was made, he found that this group had just conquered and destroyed the very powerful Amorite Nation, Numbers 22:4 “And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all [that are] round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor [was] king of the Moabites at that time.” Balak was just convinced that his entire nation and population would cease to exist before Israel, hence his urgent plea to Prophet Balaam for help in conquering Israel before Israel conquered him.
Numbers 22:6 “Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they [are] too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, [that] we may smite them, and [that] I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest [is] blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.” Simple solution to King Balak, get Balaam to curse and to weaken them, and his Army should be able to clean up the stragglers, simple concept, except he forgot to calculate for God, and God’s Blessing and Protection on his obedient children.
After three failed attempts by Balaam to curse Israel, where Israel got blessed instead, Balak decided that this method was a failure as he could not overcome them because God was overshadowing and protecting them. Balaam then had a simple strategy, you will never get to Israel when God is their shield and protector. Simple solution; just get them to sin, which separate them from God by their Sinning, “The Wages of Sin Is Death,” so God himself will destroy the sinners and you do not even have to enter the Battle. Numbers 31:16 “Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.”
Before Balaam they are un-touchable. Numbers 23:21 “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is] among them.” After Balaam’s diabolical strategy we have sin removing the protection of God, judgement follows as the consequence of sin, Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Israel had to now face the consequences of their “Sin” which weakened and destroyed, so the plague swept through their ranks and 24,000 sinners perished. Numbers 25:3 “And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.”
How so very sad that Israel, or “The Church” has somehow lost sight of where they are going, have lost sight of God, and are now following a dumb Idol and Satan, when only a short time before they were committed Christians, how quickly they lost sight of the Living God, and we can so easily let the cares of this life sway us. Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
JB Phillips said something like, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mould.” Romans talks about conforming to Sin, but God is crying out for us to be Transformed, this is “New Birth” language, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see. How come we often meet Christians who are more “Conforming” and are worldly in their speech, manners, and behaviour, when they are supposed to be “Transformed” and a totally new creation, as old things are passed away and behold all things are new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Balaam has certainly assessed the situation very quickly, and the Devil is most pleased the see Christians straying off the path of God and Scripture, he quickly sets traps, ensnares the unsuspecting, and carries them off to perdition. The saddest part is that the Christian fails to check their progress by the Bible, listens to smooth sayings, and drifts away from God, and then loses their “Eternal Life,” how so very sad.
Baal has a masculine as well as a feminine form, which simply means “Husband” or “Wife” but God wants to be our “Husband” in spiritual terms and is doing all he can to shower us with love and adoration and gifts, but we so often commit “spiritual adultery” and chase after the god’s of this world who have no consideration at all for us, and like the “Prodigal Son,” go live in a pig pen when our “Heavenly Father” is calling us to come home to a fresh clean home with wonderful love and fellowship and a banqueting table awaiting.
Dear Reader; why not commit right now to ditch Satan, sin and Baal and come back under the blessing of God, as very soon sin and sinners perish and the redeemed cross over to the Promised Land. So let us repent, put our lives in correct order, and call sinners to repentance and live the “Godly Life” right now.
