Theological
Commentary: Click Here
Today we get
a chance to really see where Balaam’s heart resides. By the third temptation, Balaam doesn’t need
to go and consult God to do His will. He
knows what God will say. He knows where
God’s heart is. It’s not that Balaam is
opposed to going to God, he just doesn’t need to. By this point in time, he and God are in a
like mind. He blesses the Hebrew people
a third time. He doesn’t care about the
wealth and prosperity that Balak can offer to him. He cares about being in a like-mind to
God. That’s highly commendable.
As for
Balak, look at how he responds. He is
angry. He doesn’t get his way. He dismisses Balaam. To his credit, he doesn’t try to get even or harm
Balaam. But Balak refuses to see what
God is trying to tell him. He refuses to
pay attention to the fact that these are God’s people. Instead of looking to see what God is doing
and being intrigued, he goes away and finds interest back in His own thoughts
and his own ways.
I typically
enjoy the Balaam discourse when I study it in scripture. I find it to be a very true and honest
discourse on human behavior. We are
tempted. We fall away. We ignore the people around us why try to
keep us safe and alert us to the danger of our choices. Eventually we listen. We return to God. We become like-minded with God and we gain
His perspective. This is just such a
simple and true perspective on what faith is like and what relationship with
God looks like from His perspective.
The amazing
thing in all of this is that He still loves us and wants to work with us. That is a thought worth having. Again and again the witness of God’s Word is
that even though His servants are flawed, He still loves them and invites them
into what He is doing in their life.
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