“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” (Num 23:19-20).
God is not a man. His ways are not man’s ways and neither are His thoughts man’s thoughts (Isa 55:8). His name Jehovah simply means that He is the self-sufficient and self-revealing God. He is God Almighty and nothing is impossible with Him. This truth needs to be revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. Until then, we will fail to appreciate the unchanging nature of God and the integrity of His word. Often, like Balaam, we come to the inevitable conclusion that God is not a man, after several failed attempts to win God over to our way of thinking.
Balaam, who was supposedly a prophet of God, failed to understand this truth. His greed had blinded him to God’s nature. Hence, he tried severally to influence God against Israel, for selfish reasons, but did not succeed. No wonder God says, ““For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” (Mal 3:6). Imagine if God were a man who, like Balaam, could be bought! What would Israel’s fate have been? (For a wider scriptural context, it will be worth your while to read Numbers chapters 22, 23, and 24 in full).
While on their journey from Egypt to the promised land, Israel had camped in the plains of Moab. Israel’s reputation for her phenomenal conquest of the Amorites preceeded her: “Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel.” (Num 22:2-3). It was clear to the Moabites that Israel was not an enemy to underestimate. So they sought extra-human power to help them defeat Israel in the impending battle.
Therefore, Balak, the king of Moab, sent a delegation to Balaam. His request was clear: “… please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. 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.” (Num 22:6). Is it not something, that the king of Moab sought spiritual reinforcement in order to overcome Israel in battle? There is an important principle which Balak knew, and which we ought to know: the spiritual dimension rules the physical dimension. Remember, the physical world originated from the spiritual realm. The real battle of life takes place in the spiritual realm, where it is either won or lost. What we witness in the earthly realm is usually a manifestation of the outcome of that conflict.
Had Balak had his way, Israel would have suffered defeat, irrespective of her diligence or skill in military maneuvers. Thankfully, he failed, even though, at Balaam’s suggestion, he had offered many sacrifices, with each performed at a different strategic location with the hope of coaxing God to grant his request. Prophet Samuel’s pointed question to king Saul might as well have been extended to Balaam and Balak for their folly: “So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” (1Sam 15:22). No amount of sacrifice is enough to make God act out of character, for He is not a man.
Though Israel was oblivious of the transaction between Balak and Balaam, the God, from whom nothing is hidden, kept watch over His people. He is indeed the Keeper of Israel. Child of God rest assured that God is keeping watch over you, even when you are unaware of the evil plans against you. For, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. …” (Isa 54:17). Shalom.
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