BURDEN of BALAAM

Dear FAMILY

One of the greatest joys a child has is to hear the voice of his/her father. How we call DAD is dependent on our heritage, culture, age, and the man himself. On the day I found my HEAVENLY FATHER I had no words for as a newly born into HIS KINGDOM/HIS HOUSE speech was impossible but I could hear HIS VOICE and feel HIS ARMS. In time I ‘learned to speak’ and found a special person more than eager to get me to speak with HIS ‘ABBA’...seeing HE never SPOKE anything or DID anything that ABBA had not/did not do HIS EXAMPLE WAS PERFECT in every way... so when HE instructed me to watch “BALAAM” and to know the seasons, I took it seriously. So I studied Balaam and each time his ugly little head raised itself up in the WORD. And I had a good image of spiritual authority/spiritual adultery which has shaped much of my thinking. The fact that most of present church leadership ignore the spiritual counterfeits around them I thought I had a handle on it...until people began talking about the JEZEBEL SPIRIT....but they all ignored the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaotins....which left me suspicious....but little to work with....until now. Almost every child in sunday school has heard a story or seen a video on Balaam’s Donkey.... but little in depth teaching has been heard by the sheepses I’ve met. I wonder why?

Whenever I pondered this in the past a little light would start burning in my spirit, and an intense image was there....it was long before my birth so I attribute it to HIS MOST HOLY SPIRIT....the key is the SPANISH CIVIL WAR and General Franco’s boasts of a FIFTH COLUMN. Not all the attacking forces are from outside the walls of the church.... so that takes us to Mr. Balaam and his appearance in the Bible.

I have heard him called a ‘false prophet’, but that is an error. What distinguishes a false from a true prophet is there words and whether they come true. Sometimes our ignorance limits us more than we can imagine. Maybe if we re-evaluate both him and his story we may find deeper truth than we would expect to find. And just maybe it is our lack of expectation that has kept us out of the greater blessings. just call it something to think about.... as far as the story goes it appears in the book of Numbers and starts in vs 1 and dominates the next three chapters. What most do not notice his continued popularity as his names and deeds flow into 7 other books in the Bible. Something you don’t see too often.... so if we look at the image presented there appears to be four distinct phases, all are quite interesting if you have no preconceptions....phase one begins at vs 1 and ends at vs 21. It is extremely interesting in a couple of ways…

 

1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.

 

And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. What we have here is a worldly king looking down upon the camp of the Israeli nation. The question we need to answer is what bothered Balak most...3,000,000 people on the march....or the SHEKINAH that was over the TABERNACLE?

Most preachers tend to forget that little detail. if it was the people any alliance with other kings would have evened the numbers....but what do you do with ELOHIM that seemed to stay with them? you call on some spiritual artillery of your own....enter balaam...

 

5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

 

So here is the set up...Balaam your our man...you got the power. you can curse and you can bless.... we got a little job only you can handle....but look at ol’ Balaam’s response....

 

8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 

 

Now hold on here...he’s going to pray about this. A southsayer, diviner about to seek GOD....worse than that...GOD answered....

 

9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

 

Obviously being visited by GOD was not new to him, and he had no problem telling the story...

 

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.

 

Interestingly GOD said don’t go...and balaam obeyed.....sounds okay so far....

 

14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:

17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.

 

Theoretically all that Balak does is up the ante....he is a desperate man....but look at what balaam said again....I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my GOD, to do less or more. excuse me please but he is beginning to sound like us....and maybe is?

 

19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.

 

Now I need to ask how many of us don’t take no for an answer? Paul mentioned going three times concerning “the thorn”....so what’s going on here?

 

20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

 

Sounds like GOD has something planned, so now it is okay....

 

21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

 

There is a point where things obviously are well in hand. Balaam is obeying GOD and everything is on a role...but suddenly we are in phase 2...

 

22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him.

 

Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. Suddenly something is extremely wrong....either GOD has had an abrupt change of mind or we have missed something. Phase 1 seemed fairly straight forward, yet we have an angry GOD now involved in the story...sort of Exodus 4:24 deja vu again....so there is a deeper lesson barried here...

 

23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

 

Any one notice the CHANGE in balaam? He’s spiritually blind....he does not see the danger...lady ass does see and she is doing everything to keep ol’ balaam alive.....but remember who has the drawn sword? THE ANGEL OF THE LORD....the same dude who took out all of Senacherab’s army in one mean night...and HE can’t kill one blind bozo in three shots....because of a lady ass? SELAH

 

27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

 

It seems it is easier for GOD TO PERFORM THE CREATIVE MIRACLE of getting a donkey to speak the TRUTH than to open the blinded eyes of a religious person who should have known better.....this is just my opinion of course....but let’s finish phase 2....

 

29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

 

Like every day he talks to farm animals...his pride and anger has blinded him to the point his angry response has completely bypassed his brain...

 

30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.

 

Listening to the TRUTH out of her mouth finally caught his attention....

 

31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:

 

Now let me say GOD is cool...HE opens ol’ balaam’s eyes and balaam reacts appropriately....and what does GOD do...defends miss donkey.....and then HE stomps balaam, because thy way is perverse before me. now how can that be?

 

33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.

35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

 

Regrettably everything we see seems okay with balaam....he spoke to GOD...and obeyed....when confronted he confessed his sin and sought to repent...yet GOD says he’s perverse....

Phase 3 is the time from Numbers 22:36 to 24:35. It covers the attempts to curse that wound up as prophetic blessings. The main point here is the fact ol’ balaam was used to cursing things and people... but failed to do so because of the hand of GOD....but the perversity really shows in phase 4...yet we really do not have a phase 4 in Numbers....except for a reference.....Numbers 31:16.....

 

16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

 

Point of fact the NT covers it better than the OT....

 

15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet. 2 Peter 2:15-16.

 

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. Jude 11.

 

14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. Revelation 2:14.

 

So there it is....balaam the soothsayer, sorcerer knew of GOD and understood all the rules but chose to serve himself. no big deal in itself because it is repeated throughout the scriptures....but we still have the unresolved issue of phase 2....why the confrontation with THE LORD of HOSTS...because there is an image there that resounds in the Book of REVELATIONS....

The church of Pergamos....is also carrying a burden....

 

12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

 

Like the salutation...and the image we are confronted with....and take it farther....

 

13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

 

We begin and end with a sword...in the middle we have miss donkey speaking the WORD OF THE LORD, when she to all intents and purposes should not be able to. Yet she is bearing the burden of a perverse master who is spiritually blind and only fears the LORD when confronting THE SWORD OF GOD. Miss donkey is a spiritual image of the endtime church. She “sees” the danger approaching and is beaten and abused by a spiritually blind authority figure who “owns” her. She supports him and serves him, but when she reacts to the PRESENCE AND POWER of THE LORD he curses and beats her..... and in JESUS own words Pergamos has accepted both the doctrine of balaam and the doctrine of the nicolaotins.....maybe ol’ balaam is the two edged reference point....showing the worse side of both spirits that have infiltrated and sabotaged the endtime church....

SELAH

Bob in Miami