Have you ever felt a little like Balaam? God gives you an answer that you don't like, so you try to maneuver to a different spot, ask the question a different way in the hope of getting a different answer.
Maybe God has called you to do something that seems impossible or uncomfortable. So you keep "praying about it" hoping that God will change His mind. Or maybe you've gotten into a relationship that you know isn't healthy. But you keep praying for God to bless the relationship, to somehow make it healthy.
Why did Balaam go with Balak when he already had God's answer? Why did he move to three different spots, offering sacrifices and trying to change God's mind?
The temptation of the reward from Balak was very great. We're faced with the same temptations. Maybe it is to do something we know is unethical in the workplace, but our boss insists we do it to keep the job. Maybe the temptation is to violate God's standards in a relationship.
We waste so much time and energy straining to get a different answer than the one God has given. All the while, we miss the blessing of simply obeying and trusting that God's answer is going to be for our best.
In the New Testament, Jude condemns those who are motivated by profit as following the error of Balaam. Instead, he urges believers to earnestly pray and follow God: (Jude 20-21) "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
Maybe God has called you to do something that seems impossible or uncomfortable. So you keep "praying about it" hoping that God will change His mind. Or maybe you've gotten into a relationship that you know isn't healthy. But you keep praying for God to bless the relationship, to somehow make it healthy.
Why did Balaam go with Balak when he already had God's answer? Why did he move to three different spots, offering sacrifices and trying to change God's mind?
The temptation of the reward from Balak was very great. We're faced with the same temptations. Maybe it is to do something we know is unethical in the workplace, but our boss insists we do it to keep the job. Maybe the temptation is to violate God's standards in a relationship.
We waste so much time and energy straining to get a different answer than the one God has given. All the while, we miss the blessing of simply obeying and trusting that God's answer is going to be for our best.
In the New Testament, Jude condemns those who are motivated by profit as following the error of Balaam. Instead, he urges believers to earnestly pray and follow God: (Jude 20-21) "But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."
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