Title Chapter 23 God's Will for Israel
Contents
Chapter 23 God's Will for Israel
1. Introduction
- Balaam, who came to the land of Moab after many twists and turns, was promised a huge price and was ready to curse Israel. However, contrary to the expectations of Balak, king of Moab, only blessings for Israel poured out from Balaam's mouth three times. Needless to say, Balaam, who had prophesied in exchange for a price, must have been very upset.
2. Lesson
1) Verse 5: And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, saying, "Go back to Balak and say:
- The humble reality of Balaam, who had a reputation as the best expert on the spiritual realm, has already been revealed in Chapter 22. He did not see the angel that even the donkey had seen. God opened his eyes, and then he could see the angel that the donkey had seen and turned down (verse 31). Even these spiritual experiences could not stop the ghostly steps drawn by his greed.
- Now, Balaam, who was asked to curse Israel, built 7 altars, offered sacrifices, and finished preparations. At this time, God spoke a word from his mouth, and it was about Balak. Balaam had no choice but to return to Balak and deliver the message. God is not controlled by anyone. God speaks when He wants to speak and is silent when He is silent. If you wish, He will also give the word to the mouth of the donkey so that it can speak like a human.
- Learn to wait on God. Any prophet is just a dumbass if God does not give him a word. When the word of God comes to an ordinary person, he or she is immediately established as a prophet. Let's remember that when God poured out the Holy Spirit on 120 people who were waiting for God in Mark's upper room, they were raised as powerful evangelists.
2) Verse 8: How can I curse those whom God has not cursed, and how can I rebuke those whom the Lord has not rebuked?
- Balak and Balaam planned this to curse Israel. However, God's will for Israel now is a blessing, not a curse. There was a time when Israel rebelled against God and was cursed by God. At that time, if any prophet had blessed Israel, God blocked their ears and made their prayers futile (Jeremiah 11:14, 14:11-12).
- Are you living in God's love? Or are you accumulating God's wrath on your head? The only hope of the saints is to abide in the love of God. This is because God's infinite grace is poured out at this time (Romans 8:33-39). When this promise fires like fire in my heart, I am not afraid in the slightest under any circumstances. However, when the flame of this promise is extinguished in my heart, it is the natural state of the saints to be driven mad by fear and anxiety, no matter how good the circumstances are. We have changed into beings that cannot live without walking with the Lord. This belief that God is with us is our greatest treasure and all our assets. You will be able to empathize with David's testimony recorded in the Psalms (Ps. 3:60, even if ten million people try to surround me, I will not be afraid. cf. Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us).
3) Verse 9 I saw them on the rock, and I looked upon them from the hillside, and this people shall be alone, and I will not regard him as one of the nations.
- Balaam's evaluation of Israel as his spiritual eyes were opened. It was not an ordinary country among the nations of the world. They were God's people piled up in the robe of God's grace. We don't know who we are when we see them with our naked eyes. It's just what it looks like before or after being born again. However, the reality of the saints described in the Bible is the same as the reality that Balaam sees now. (Ephesians 1:3 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ). (Ephesians 2:6 He also raised us up and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus). This is our reality. * Prayer topic: Open our eyes so that we too can see the spiritual reality that Balaam saw!!!
4) Verse 21: The LORD seeth not the transgression of Jacob, nor the rebellion of Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and the voice of the king is in his midst.
- This is not to say that the people of Israel are without fault or rebellion, but that God simply does not see them. This is the great secret that the world does not know about us Christians. God sees us as the righteous, His children, and the world's invaluable treasure. Through the atoning death of Jesus on the cross, all our transgressions and sins were removed without a trace in the sight of God. This is the one who believes and lives by holding onto this hope. This promise is eternal and immutable because it was given by God. Verse 19. Since God is not a human being, He is not arrogant; He is not a Son of Man, so He has no regrets. We do not live by our emotions or circumstances, but by living on this eternal and unchanging promise of God.
- God is with him, and there is a voice in the midst of him calling for a king: Our king is one God. The voices that exalt Him, praise Him, and cry out to Him must be loud. Hallelujah!