Daily Prayers – Page 35

48.m. “Wilderness” – 12.s. Men – Vows

Num 30:1-2  Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, “This is what the LORD has commanded. If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

Psalms 56:12     I must perform my vows to you, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.

Psalms 76:11   Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared,

Psalms 119:106    I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules.

Job 22:27     You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows.

Psalms 22:25     From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5   When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

Psalms 66:13-14    I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you,  that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.

Psalms 50:14    Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High,

Matthew 5:33-37 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I tell you not to swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ Anything more comes from the evil one.

A vow made to God is no small thing. God commanded that His people should be careful to keep their vows and to fulfill every oath they made. Psalm 15:4 describes the godly man as the one who swears to his own hurt and does not change. “Vows either took the form of a promise to give something to God, usually a sacrifice, or a pledge to abstain from something.” Wenham also notes the common tendency: “But when the crisis passes and the prayer is answered, there is a temptation to forget the vow.”

A commonly overlooked and unappreciated sin among God’s people is the sin of broken vows – promising things to God and failing to live up to the vow. Under the old covenant, it was commanded to make an offering to atone for the breaking of vows (Leviticus 5:4). Therefore, those who honor God:

· Will not be quick to make vows to God, especially unwise vows.

· Will be serious about fulfilling vows that they do make.

· Will regard broken vows as sins to be confessed and to be repented of. (Guzik)

The “vow” was positive; the “bond” negative or restrictive. By a vow a man engaged to dedicate something to God, or to accomplish some work for Him: by a bond he debarred himself from some privilege or enjoyment. A vow involved an obligation to do: a bond. (Barnes)

If a man vow a vow unto the Lord—A mere secret purpose of the mind was not enough to constitute a vow; it had to be actually expressed in words; and though a purely voluntary act, yet when once the vow was made, the performance of it, like that of every other promise, became an indispensable duty—all the more because, referring to a sacred thing, it could not be neglected without the guilt of prevarication and unfaithfulness to God. (Brown)

If a man vow a vow unto the Lord,…. Which must be in a thing that is lawful to be done, which is not contrary to the revealed will and mind of God, and which may tend to the glory of God, the honour of religion, the service of the sanctuary, the good of a man’s self or of his neighbour; or in things purely indifferent, which may, or may not be done, without offence to God or man; as that he will not eat such a thing for such a time, or he will do this or the other thing, as Jarchi observes; who moreover says, that he may forbid himself what is forbidden, and forbid what is free and lawful; but he may not make free or lawful what is forbidden, that is, he may not vow to do a thing which is contrary to the law of God, such a vow will not stand. (Gill)

I think we sometimes think of vows to God like New Year’s resolutions. In the moment of having a date of starting we make a resolution to do something or to stop doing something with full intent upon completion. The first week may be squarely focused and set in our mind, but then something alters the normality of our life and the resolution is not easily maintained. Soon the resolution is nothing more than words written or spoken and the commitment to continue with unwavering focus is no longer there.

Vows to God were not resolutions. They were solemn acts of devotion and commitment without a hint of not performing. The thought of not fulfilling a vow to God or to another person was not an option or thought. Vow or not to vow – Jesus Said – “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no”

48.l. “Wilderness” – 12.r. “Appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them”

Num 27:12-23 The LORD said to Moses, “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes.” (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, “Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd.” So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation.” And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.

Moses explained that he did – on some occasion – ask God to relent from His judgment that Moses would never set foot in the land of Canaan. God did not relent, and Moses made himself content with knowing he would see the land and be gathered to His God. God reminded Moses of the reason why he would not be allowed to enter Canaan, because of his sin of misrepresenting God at Meribah. After hearing of his coming fate, Moses did not try to change God’s mind, and he did not complain. His only concern was for the congregation of Israel, for the people, not for himself. (Guzik)

Envious spirits do not love their successors; but Moses was not one of these. We should concern ourselves, both in our prayers and in our endeavours, for the rising generation, that religion may be maintained and advanced, when we are in our graves. God appoints a successor, even Joshua; who had signalized himself by his courage in fighting Amalek, his humility in ministering to Moses, and his faith and sincerity in witnessing against the report of the evil spies. This man God appoints to succeed Moses; a man in whom is the Spirit, the Spirit of grace. He is a good man, fearing God and hating covetousness, and acting from principle. He has the spirit of government; he is fit to do the work and discharge the trusts of his place. He has a spirit of conduct and courage; he had also the Spirit of prophecy. That man is not fully qualified for any service in the church of Christ, who is destitute of the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, whatever human abilities he may possess. And in Joshua’s succession we are reminded that the law was given by Moses, who by reason of our transgression could not bring us to heaven; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, for the salvation of every believer. (Henry)

48.k. “Wilderness” – 12.q. “Moses brought their case before the LORD”

Num 27:1-7 Then drew near the daughters of Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, from the clans of Manasseh the son of Joseph. The names of his daughters were: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses and before Eleazar the priest and before the chiefs and all the congregation, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, saying, “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brothers.” Moses brought their case before the LORD. And the LORD said to Moses, “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father’s brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

In the orders for the division of the land, just given, no provision had been made for females, in case of failure of male issue. The five daughters of Zelophehad, therefore, considered themselves as destitute, having neither father nor brother, and being themselves entirely overlooked; and they agreed to refer the case to Moses and the rulers, whether it were not equitable that they should inherit their father’s portion. This led to the enactment of an additional law to the civil code of Israel, which satisfactorily ascertained and amply secured the right of succession in cases of inheritance. This law, which is as reasonable as it is just, stands thus –

1. On the demise of the father, the estate descends to the sons.

2. If there be no son, the daughters succeed.

3. If there be no daughter, the brothers of the deceased inherit.

4. If there be no brethren, or paternal uncles, the estate goes to the grand uncles, or brothers of his father.

5. If there be no grand uncles, then the nearest of kin succeeds to the inheritance.

Beyond this fifth degree the law does not extend, because there must always have been some among the Israelites who could be called kinsmen.

“For it was a hard case; and though their plea seemed reasonable, yet Moses showed his humility and modesty, that he would not determine it himself without God’s particular direction.” (Poole)

“Allowing daughters to inherit, where there were no sons in the family, created another problem though. When they married, they would take the family land with them, thus destroying the father’s estate. To deal with this, Numbers 36 brings in additional rules governing the marriage of heiresses.” (Wenham)

These laws were made in anticipation – in faith – of coming into the inheritance of land in Canaan. This was only an issue for the daughters of Zelophehad because they were women of faith, who really believed Israel would possess the land of Canaan. (Guzik)

48.j. “Wilderness” – 12.p. “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel”

Num 26:1-4  After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the LORD commanded Moses.

Num 26:53-55  “Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list. But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.

Num 26:64-65  But among these there was not one of those listed by Moses and Aaron the priest, who had listed the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness.” Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Moses did not number the people but when God commanded him. We have here the families registered, as well as the tribes. The total was nearly the same as when numbered at mount Sinai. Notice is here taken of the children of Korah; they died not, as the children of Dathan and Abiram; they seem not to have joined even their own father in rebellion. If we partake not of the sins of sinners, we shall not partake of their plagues. The execution of the sentence passed on the murmurers, chap. 14:29, is observable. There was not one man numbered now, who was numbered then, but Caleb and Joshua. Here appeared the righteousness of God, and his faithfulness to his threatenings. Especially observe the truth of God, in performing his promise to Caleb and Joshua. Death makes awful havoc of the human species, and causes surprising changes in families and nations; yet all is appointed in perfect wisdom, justice, and truth, by the Lord himself. This should stir us up to think upon the hateful nature of sin, the cause of all these devastations. We should renew our repentance, seek forgiveness, value the salvation of Christ, remember how frail we are, prepare for the summons of death, and fill up our days in serving our generation according to the will of God.(Henry)

Narrow is the gate that leads to righteousness and wide is the road that leads to destruction. Notice only two of the original generation made it to the promised land. Unbelief, grumbling, and rejecting God’s commands had consequences on those who were originally given the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey. They were given a promise but rejected the commands of the promise giver – God. They were given warnings and examples but failed to listen or obey God.

Eternal life is a promise from God for all who would trust, rely upon, and cling to Jesus Christ for their forgiveness, salvation, and redemption. Likewise, eternal hell is promised for those who reject God’s plan of salvation.

48.i. “Wilderness” – 12.o. “Because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel”

Num 25:10-18 And the LORD said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace, and it shall be to him and to his descendants after him the covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the people of Israel.’” The name of the slain man of Israel, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father’s house belonging to the Simeonites. And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was the tribal head of a father’s house in Midian. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Harass the Midianites and strike them down, for they have harassed you with their wiles, with which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the chief of Midian, their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague on account of Peor.”

Phinehas was passionate about the things God was passionate about. In this situation, Phinehas faithfully demonstrated the zeal of God against Israel’s unfaithfulness to their covenant with God. Zimri the son of Salu…. Cozbi the daughter of Zur: These were the names of the previously unnamed (Numbers 25:6, 8) Israelite man and Moabite woman who so publicly and offensively sinned. This naming was to their everlasting shame. Both of them came from fathers who were leaders.

God commanded Israel to show no tolerance towards the Midianites, who played a role in seducing Israel to these sins of immorality and idolatry. Israel was commanded to battle against the Midianites at every opportunity they had.

We read not that any Midianites died of the plague; God punished them with the sword of an enemy, not with the rod of a father. We must set ourselves against whatever is an occasion of sin to us, Mt 5:29,30. Whatever draws us to sin, should be a vexation to us, as a thorn in the flesh. And none will be more surely and severely punished than those who, after Satan’s example, and with his subtlety, tempt others to sin. (Henry)

The hearts and minds of those who reject and deny God are full of evil ideas that find their way into actions. Sometimes these are overt and other times they subtle nudges to get others to follow after their ungodly acts. Much of the time we do not see the evil intents that others have. They know their intents. They know what they are doing is wrong but have given their hearts and minds over to that which is wrong. It is wrong because God has called it wrong. It is wrong because it is fed by evil desires that result in thoughts, words, and actions that do not honor God or His holiness. There is a point of no return, where the hearts and minds of these people are hardened beyond redemption and god gives them over to the lusts of their hearts. We live in a time of mass communication availability. Literally a person can have a thought posted on social media and it can be sent and picked up by millions of views. Evil thoughts and ideas can be spewed out every second of every day. Some of these thoughts try to defend overt acts of unrighteousness and others try to convince with worldly wisdom that their acts are ok to do. Homosexuality, Abortion, Pornography, Transgenderism, Looting and Destruction, Rewriting or Denying Historical Events, Cancelling Opposition, ETC………… All have evil roots and hurt the souls of those who proclaim and defend them. People void of God and the Word of God will be led astray little by little until what would have been totally absurd 5-10 years ago is now defended and common place. It does not matter how many smooth words are used to convince and proclaim wrong thoughts, words, and actions, Wrong is wrong. When God is removed from the hearts and minds of people they will do what seems right in their own eyes to the eternal damning of their souls. God’s Word rightly says, “The fool says in their heart there is no God”.

48.h. “Wilderness” – 12.n. “Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor”

Num 25:1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.” And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meetingWhen Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

The friendship of the wicked is more dangerous than their enmity; for none can prevail against God’s people if they are not overcome by their inbred lusts; nor can any enchantment hurt them, but the enticements of worldly interests and pleasures. Here is the sin of Israel, to which they are enticed by the daughters of Moab and Midian. Those are our worst enemies who draw us to sin, for that is the greatest mischief any man can do us. Israel’s sin did that which all Balaam’s enchantments could not do; it set God against them. Diseases are the fruits of God’s anger, and the just punishments of prevailing sins; one infection follows the other. Ringleaders in sin ought to be made examples of justice. (Henry)

Moabites and Midianites found ways and means to become familiar with the Israelites, and to introduce their daughters into their company and conversation, and being ensnared and enamoured with them, they were drawn to commit lewdness with them, and hereby were led on to commit other abominations, which brought the divine displeasure upon them; so that what they dared not attempt by war, and could not effect by sorceries and divinations, they accomplished by those iniquitous arts, namely, bringing the wrath, the curse, and plague of God upon them. (Brown)

Neglect of God’s Word and complacency to Things of God will do harm to the soul. They will darken paths that honor and glorify God. They will deafen the ears to hear God’s leading. They will give sight and purpose to worldly things that dishonor God. They will harden the heart and things of God will become void in their heart. They will make what is clearly wrong seem right. They will allow you to be led astray by false words of hope. They will harm your soul, darken your mind, deafen your ears, and give you false beliefs.

Guard your hearts and minds. Stay in His Word and seek to honor and glorify Him in all thoughts, words, and actions.

48.g. “Wilderness” – 12.m. “Balaam’s Final Oracle”

Num 24:15-25 And he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!” Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.” And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned when Asshur takes you away captive.” And he took up his discourse and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction.” Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.

The last four oracles of Balaam are curses – the kind of oracles that Balak wanted Balaam to deliver against Israel. Instead, they are spoken against Israel’s enemies. Previously Balaam prophesied of the beauty, strength, and blessedness of Israel; now God uses him to speak of the culmination of all Israel’s beauty, strength, and blessedness – the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Israel’s ultimate blessedness comes from Jesus, their Messiah. Martin Luther had a hard time seeing this as a messianic prophecy because Balaam was such an unworthy prophet of such a glorious message. Yet, “The truth of the Scripture could never be dependent on the worthiness of the writer or the personal piety of the speaker. Else we would have gradations in inspiration and shadings in trustworthiness. I say this reverently but strongly; the words of Balaam the pagan mantic, when he was speaking under the control of the Holy Spirit of God were as sure as the words of the Savior Jesus in a red-letter edition of the NT.” “A blind man may bear a torch in his hand, whereby others may receive benefit, though himself receive none; so here.”

The Messiah will eventually rule over all nations that surround Israel. Here, and in the following verses, God spoke about the neighboring nations of Israel (Moab, Edom, Amalek, and the Kenites) and their future through Balaam. Balak, the king of the Moabites, must have been both grieved and outraged to hear his paid-for prophet speak these words against Moab, cursing them instead of Israel. “This prediction of Moab’s total defeat at the hand of a future Israelite king is an appropriate point for Balaam to end. He had been called in so that through his curse Balak, king of Moab, might defeat Israel; Balaam declares that the reverse will be the case: Moab will be destroyed by a coming king of Israel.” (Guzik)

“Balak had not his will, nor Balaam his wages; God fooled them both, pulling the morsel out of their mouths, that they had well-nigh devoured.” (Trapp)

Enduring Word – Devotional

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified. (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)

Paul wanted the believers in Corinth to ask themselves a sobering question: “Is Jesus Christ really in me?” It’s a question that believers today should also ask.

We are rightly concerned that every believer has the assurance of salvation and knows how to endure the attacks that come in this area from Satan. At the same time, we also understand that there are some who assume or presume they are Christians when they are not. It is a challenge to every believer: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?

We are often very ready to examine and test others, but first – and always first – we must examine and test ourselves. The Corinthians were quick to examine and criticize Paul, but they were slow to examine themselves.

Paul thought there might be some among the Corinthian believers who were disqualified for eternal life and salvation. Their thinking was worldly because they were more of the world than of the Lord. This is a hard truth to confront, but it is better to know now than when it is too late. If we don’t examine ourselves and test ourselves now, we may find that we ultimately don’t pass the test and are disqualified.

What should we look for when we examine and test ourselves? We should see if Jesus Christ is in you. We are not to look for perfection in ourselves or in others, but we should see real evidence that Jesus Christ is in us. The main point isn’t to look for sin, but to look for Jesus Christ, and to ask Him if there is anything in my life that grieves the Holy Spirit, then to ask for the grace that it may be accounted as cleansed by the sacrifice of Jesus and put away from the habits of my life.

In verse 6, Paul anticipated a counter-question. “Paul, you ask us to examine ourselves. Well, why don’t you examine yourself? Maybe you aren’t a Christian after all.” Paul dismissed this question out of hand. It was so apparent that we are not disqualified that he simply trusts that they recognize the truth of it.

There are some believers who torture themselves with excessive self-examination. They often doubt the many assurances God gives them regarding their salvation. Those believers exist, but they are far outnumbered by those who give little or no attention to self-examination. There are many more who assume they are right with God and destined for heaven, when they should examine themselves for real evidence of God’s work in their life.

Ask yourself: What evidence is there that Jesus Christ is in you?

48.f. “Wilderness” – 12.l. “Balaam’s Third Oracle”

Num 24:1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.” And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the LORD has held you back from honor.” And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’? And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

Now Balaam spake not his own sense, but the language of the Spirit that came upon him. Many have their eyes open who have not their hearts open; are enlightened, but not sanctified. That knowledge which puffs men up with pride, will but serve to light them to hell, whither many go with their eyes open. The blessing is nearly the same as those given before. He admires in Israel, their beauty. The righteous, doubtless, is more excellent than his neighbour. Their fruitfulness and increase. Their honour and advancement. Their power and victory. He looks back upon what had been done for them. Their power and victory. He looks back upon what had been done for them. Their courage and security. The righteous are bold as a lion, not when assaulting others, but when at rest, because God maketh them to dwell in safety. Their influence upon their neighbours. God takes what is done to them, whether good or evil, as done to himself. (Henry)

Even after two unsuccessful attempts to cause Balaam to curse Israel, Balak was still willing to try again. This shows both his desperation and his thought that it was just a matter of persuading a reluctant deity to get what he wanted. Balak thought that maybe another place would give him the results he wanted. If Balak had not yet learned that God was for Israel and not against them, Balaam seems to have, at this point, been convinced of this truth. Because he was finally convinced God wanted to bless Israel and not curse them, Balaam did not use sorcery in the following oracle. Perhaps this means that in the first two oracles Balaam followed traditional customs of discerning the will of the gods through examining the entrails of the sacrificed animals. He stopped the false and artificial methods of the pagans, and just listened to the voice of the LORD. It may be that Balaam did use these pagan methods for the first two oracles, and God – in great mercy and willingness to meet sinful and superstitious humanity – still spoke His word to and through Balaam. This was God speaking despite such methods, not because of them.

This beautiful prophecy speaks of Israel’s blessed abundance, strength, and their dominance over neighboring nations God would give to Israel. Under God’s blessing, Israel has an abundance of water, stretching out all over the land and bringing fruitfulness. Most of all, this prophecy speaks of the abiding blessing of God on Israel, and directly rebukes Balak for trying to curse Israel. (Guzik)

“At first the eyes of Balaam were shut, and so closely too that he could not see the angel who withstood him, till God opened his eyes; nor could he see the gracious intentions of God towards Israel, till the eyes of his understanding were opened by the power of the Divine Spirit.” (Clark)

Pathway to Victory – Devotional

The Wisdom Of God

God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

–1 Corinthians 1:21

Human wisdom is temporal. It is limited. It discounts the wisdom of God as foolishness. But Paul said God’s so-called foolishness leads to salvation. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:21-23: “God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.”

In Paul’s day, the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would deliver them from Roman oppression. So when Jesus did not meet their expectations, they dismissed Him. But the Jews failed to understand that Jesus came to deliver them from the greatest oppression of all–the oppression of sin and death. Jesus was for them a stumbling block. On the other hand, to the Gentiles, Jesus was foolishness. Greek philosophy said everything material is evil; only that which is spiritual is good. So when Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh, that did not fit their philosophical system, and they, too, rejected the message of the cross.

But for believers, God’s foolishness is true wisdom. Verses 24-25 say, “But to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” Paul was saying nobody comes to an understanding of the gospel on their own. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, he put it this way: “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” To the natural man, the unsaved person, the gospel will always be foolishness. The only way you and I can believe the gospel message is if God does a supernatural work in our hearts.

Commentator Warren Wiersbe told the story of a young man who went up to an evangelist and asked what he needed to do to be saved. The evangelist said, “It’s too late!”

The young man began to panic. He said, “Is there nothing I can do?”

The evangelist replied, “Too late! It’s already been done! The only thing you can do is believe.”

That is the message of the cross. It is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is true wisdom.