Who Are You Speaking For?

Numbers 22:35-41

Verse 38  “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please.  I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”

    Yesterday we looked at how Balaam had missed the hints God was sending him through his donkey.  Messages don’t always come the way we want or expect.

    The angel sent Balaam on his way reminding him that he was only to say what God told him to say.  King Balak was quite impatient and hurried to meet Balaam and chastise him for not getting there faster.  He even reminded him of the prizes that awaited him.  Now remember that Balaam was a pagan prophet.  He claimed to speak for many different spirits and gods.  God was allowing him to speak for Him and was going to great lengths to make sure it happened.

    The issue here was that King Balak was paying Balaam to curse the people of God so that the king wouldn’t have to deal with it.  God was telling Balaam, “you can go but you are to say only what I say you can say.”  Balaam was feeling somewhat torn.  He no doubt had heard the rumors about the mob of people the king was wanting to curse.  But he had also come face to face with how serious God was about him only saying what he was told by God to say.

    If Balaam obeyed the king and cursed the people of God, he would become rich.  If he obeyed God, the king is going to be very mad at him.  Did he want to risk the king’s anger or God’s anger?

    We all run into hard choices and have to weigh out which will have the best outcome in the long run.  But we need to remember that if we choose against obeying God, His punishment will be worse than anything any human can do to us.  But first and foremost we need to accept the fact that any choice against God’s commands is a choice against worship.  We can’t worship Him and disobey Him.  Disobedience breaks the relationship and that ruins our worship.

Making It Personal

    Have you ever felt like you had to choose between God’s guiding and someone else’s suggestions?  How about God’s desires and your own?  Does it get easier to obey God each time you choose to obey Him?

Making It Personal Kids

    Is it harder to listen to mom and dad or your friends?  Which is harder, to listen to God or your friends?  Who does God want you to listen to?

Closing Prayer

    Father God, thank You for giving us more than one chance to choose Your way but help us to learn to choose You first.  We don’t want to make it hard to worship You because of our sin.  In Jesus’ name, amen.