Balaam and Balak
Scripture Reading: Numbers 23:7–12
“And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?,” Numbers 23:11–12.
Balaam and Balak
Father God, we thank you for you are the Master of the ocean, earth, and sky, and all things swiftly obey your will. Thank you because the Balaams and Balaks in our lives have failed and will continue to fail in the name of Jesus.
Sometimes, challenges come when we are moving toward our Promised Land. You might be grappling with the challenge of transformation from the work of slavery into the work of liberty. You may be grumbling about missing some experiences in your past life, feeling sorry for yourself, but let us not forget the story of the Israelites.
The Israelites had been delivered from slavery in Egypt, but started grumbling to Moses, “ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,” Exodus16:3. They were bemoaning their circumstances.
Despite the humble condition of the Israelites, a king named Balak foresaw their blessed future. He knew that they were going to become greater than he, so he decided to hinder their journey to the Promised Land, as seen in Numbers 22. He asked Balaam the priest to curse the Israelites in return for a promotion. But God intervened and would not allow Balaam to utter curses against the Israelites.
“And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!,” verses 7–10.
Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites but God caused Balaam to bless them and even envy and emulate them. When this happened a second time, Balak became desperate and began negotiating with Balaam. He begged, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all,” verse 25. But it was too late. If someone is ordained for blessings by God, the blessing will never be altered. I thank God
because He neither allowed Balaam to curse Israel at the first altar nor at the second altar. You would think that by this time Balak and Balaam would stop trying to curse Israel, but he did not stop. They went to a third altar. Once again, Balaam uttered blessings for Israel.
Balak became angry and ordered Balaam to flee, for he would not be promoted since he had been unable to curse Israel as Balak desired, Numbers 24:11.
Anyone who sets up an altar to curse a child of God is setting up an altar to curse himself. Today, evil priests are still selling their spiritual services and insecure kings are still envious of people destined for greatness. May the Word of God work in our lives. May it bring deliverance and protection from the Balaams and Balaaks and their evil actions against us in Jesus name.
Prayer Points:
The first step to attaining deliverance is to be born again. If you have never given your life to Jesus, pray with me, “Dear Lord Jesus, I accept you as my personal Lord and Saviour. I confess and forsake my sins. Cleanse me from my sins with your blood and write my name in the book of life.”
Father God Almighty, I pray that every Balaam hired to curse, disable, or hinder your children will experience Balaam’s dilemma; instead of speaking evil, let their tongues speak blessings. Holy Father, curse the cursers. Let every altar erected, every utterance released against your children never succeed; may they never stand or come to pass in Jesus’ name. Amen.
