Numbers 22 :15-21 – Make God’s instruction a priority.

Balaam was a double-talker who lacked integrity. We can describe him as a person who would speak with a forked tongue. He chose to be deliberately misleading. When he gave God’s response to the elders of Moab and Midian, he left out the part that said he was unable to curse Israel because God had blessed them. He told them that  “the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” What he was signaling was that he personally would like to go if not for the LORD who had refused to let him go. So by the time the elders returned to Balak and reported to him, the message was distorted. What the king heard was “Balaam refused to come” and not “God had blessed Israel and he was not able to curse them.”

With the different message, Balak misread the whole situation. He thought that Balaam wanted more money for his service. He concluded that the latter wanted to negotiate the fee for his service. So he sent more distinguished leaders on this second trip to Balaam to entice him. So they came to the “prophet” saying, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse these people for me.’” They made him an offer that was hard for him to refuse, so he was thrown into a catch-22 situation. There was first the clear command of the Lord that specifically stated, “you shall not curse the people for they are blessed.” Then there was the lucrative offer of position, honor, and material reward.

In verse 18, Balaam gave another politically correct answer that was incongruent with what his heart wanted. He said, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God.” He revealed the real position of his heart when he again retained this second delegate for the night, like he did with Balak’s previous entourage.

Verse 20 shows us that nothing escapes God. He knew what was on Balaam’s heart. So He came to Balaam in the night and said, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.” The duplicity of Balaam could again be detected in verse 21. He arose early the next day and followed the delegate without telling them that God had placed a restraint on him. He could go but was only to say what God wanted him to speak.

Here we conclude with a pertinent question that should have confronted Balaam: where should his priority be? The answer may seem obvious to a person who loves the Lord and knows his God-given mission. But Balaam was a mercenary. He was in the ministry for the profit he could get out of it. Balaam set for us an example we must not emulate. If we want to be pleasing to God and serve Him honorably, we must not allow money, status or prestige to be the reason why we serve Him. We serve Him because we love Him. And because we love Him, we choose to do what is right and pleasing to Him. God knows the intention of our heart!