(This Sermon was preached at Trinity Bible Church on September
22, 2002. This sermon series is based upon a request to explain whether Balaam
is a true or false prophet. All Scripture references used in this sermon are
based upon the NASB®, unless otherwise stated)
| This Sermon was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author. It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite. |
Numbers 22:15 Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than the former. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, 'Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.'" 18 And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the LORD my God. 19 "And now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the LORD will speak to me." 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do." 21 So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and went with the leaders of Moab. 22 But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now." 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, "No." 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. 32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. 33 "But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live." 34 And Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back." 35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I shall tell you." So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
Introduction: As Christians we often speak about being in God's will or seeking God's Will. In practice, however, we often ignore His will in order to seek after our own desires - even when we clearly know what God wants us to do. Even an unsaved person does the same thing, the difference being that their sin nature leads them to seek their own will over God's, 99.9% of the time unless God directly intervenes. This is the case with Balaam, the diviner for hire. Even when he met the true and living God of Israel, he still followed after his own sin nature for the desires of his heart instead of listening to what God wanted. When a person ignores God's will for their own will, then you can expect a head-on collision with God - but don't expect to win if it's God Ordained will that something is to be done. In our passage of Scripture today, Balaam is about to get a lesson in the difference between God's permissive will and His ordained will, as Balaam attends the Seminary of hard knocks for hard heads.
I. God's Permissive Will And Balaam
(vv.15-21).
1. Balaam's will (vv.15-19).
A. Brief review from last week's sermon.Transition: Now what Balaam had hoped for was for a little "g" god to have changed his mind because of Balaam's persistence, but he was about to get a lesson from the big "G" God's permissive will. . .1) Balak king of Moab, along with the Midianites sought out the best Diviner in the land to put a curse on the nation of Israel, and the man with the best reputation was Balaam (vv.2-4).B. King Balak sent back a bigger and more noble delegation back to Balaam along with a "blank check" once more in verses 15-19.2) They sent a delegation to Balaam with a handsome fee and asked him to come with them to put a curse on the nation of Israel so their armies could defeat them (vv.5-7).
3) Balaam invited the delegation to spend the night while he sought direction from the God of the Israelites (v.8).
4) God came to Balaam in a dream and made it very plain that he was not to return with the delegation, nor was he to curse Israel (vv.9-12).
5) The next day, Balaam told the delegation half of what God had told him and sent them away (vv.13-14).
1) Balaam once again invited the delegation to spend the night while he sought direction from the God of the Israelites (vv.15-19a).2) Balaam already knew what God's answer was (v.12), but ignored it in hopes of changing the God of Israel's mind (v.19b).
A) Balaam did not grasp the sovereignty of God (BSF).B) The pagan "gods" were far from sovereign and were thought to be open to manipulation, by means of persistence (repetition) and extreme measures.
2. God's permissive will (vv.20-21).
A. Once again God came to Balaam in the night (v.20).Application: Last week we saw that Balaam's reason for going is clearly pointed out in 2 Peter 2:15, "forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." Balaam was motivated by his love of money (BBC). Balaam was blinded by his greed, and was willing to give all the lip service to God that he could in hopes that he would still be able to make lots of money. Have you ever thought about this? King Balak was willing to pay Balaam for his services, that is, to put a curse on the nation of Israel. Now God has already made it very plain to Balaam that he wasn't going to be able to do this. So what's the use of Balaam even going to meet king Balak if he cannot do what the king wants him to do? The answer is this, Balaam still hoped that he could either manipulate God or change God's mind so he could do what God told him that he couldn't do. Balaam wasn't motived by his love for God, but rather by his love for money.1) This time God told Balaam that he could return with the men, but that he could only say what the Lord would tell him.B. Balaam still tries to run ahead of God (v.21).A) Did God change His mind?2) What we have here is not God changing His mind, but a demonstration of God's permissive will.B) Did Balaam succeed in manipulating God?
A) The permissive will of God is that which God will allow that is not according to His desired will (SC).3) God had made it very clear back in verse 12 that Balaam wasn't to return with these men, nor was he to curse Israel, but what we see going on in verse 20 is God's permissive will being exercised.(1) Since God has given mankind a free will, He has made it possible for man to choose to obey or disobey Him.B) An example of this is when the people of Israel demanded a king to rule over them, they sinned against the Lord.(2) There are times that God limits the amount of this disobedience - He allows man to go so far and no further.
(3) So even though God does not always condone man's actions, He sometimes will permit them.
- 1 Samuel 8:5-9, "and they said to him, 'Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.' But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, 'Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day-- in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods-- so they are doing to you also. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.'"- But even here we see that God set limits by telling Balaam that was still not going to curse Israel.1) God came to Balaam and instructed him to go with the princes only if they came to call him the next morning but we see in verse 21 that he doesn't wait for the delegation to ask (BC).- note verse 20: "call you," ("qara'" {kaw-raw'}; to call, used here of being summoned or invited.2) The next morning, Balaam didn't wait for the men to come to him but was determined to do his own will (BC).
What motives you? What is it that makes you try to get around what God has already made clear to you?
Transition: Balaam was about to learn of another aspect of God's will. . .
II. God's Ordained Will And Balaam
(vv.22-35).
1. God's ordained will (v.22).
A. Balaam's actions angered God (v.22a).Application: Balaam was impetuously running ahead of the Lord, and at the same time stubbornly refusing to obey God's clear directions. He knew that Israel was blessed, but he hoped he could curse the Jewish nation and earn the wealth and honors the king had promised him. He was a hypocrite and a double-minded man (BC). A double minded person is someone who is trying to do what God wants them to do while they are also trying to do what they want to do; James 1:8, "being a double-minded man, unstable in all his way." But James makes it clear that this type of person is unstable, because you can't do both. Matthew puts it this way in Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [i.e., money, treasures, riches]."1) The Lord had already given Balaam permission to go (v.20) so this resistance was not against Balaam's going but against his unspoken motive or intention, which was obviously contrary to God's will (v.12; BKC).B. The conflict between Balaam and God (v.22b).2) Now we are seeing another aspect of God's will, and that is God has a "ordained" or "directive will."
A) The ordained will of God is that eternal comprehensive plan that God has for His creation (SC).(1) It is eternal because God prepared this plan in eternity before there was a world or a mankind.B) God actively brings about the events (Moody Handbook of Theology, Paul Enns).(2) It is comprehensive in that it covers all things.
(1) He creates; Isaiah 45:18, "For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, But formed it to be inhabited), 'I am the LORD, and there is none else.'"C) Let me give you an simple illustration of how God's permissive will and His directive will work together.(2) He controls the universe; Daniel 4:35, "And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, 'What hast Thou done?'"
(3) He establishes kings and governments; Daniel 2:21, "And it is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men, And knowledge to men of understanding."
(4) He elects people to be saves; Ephesians 1:4, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love."
(1) Its like plaining a trip. God has predetermined from eternity past to take mankind on a trip. In doing so, He knows exactly how long this trip needs to be and what the final destination is. The timing and the destination will not change - this is God's directive or ordained will. But as we go along on this trip, God sometimes allows us to take detours from His desired route - this is God's permissive will. Now we need to understand that if we try to make a detour and God knows that it will hinder his plan, then He will not permit us to make such a detour.(2) Balaam angered God because he was trying to change God's plan.
- While God would permit Balaam to make a small detour, He wasn't going to allow Balaam to change His plans.1) What Balaam could not see was that by his choice to accompany this delegation, he had set himself in opposition to God (BSF).A) Balaam made God his adversary.2) In fact it angered God so much that He sent His Son, who appeared as the Angel of the LORD to block his path (BKC).B) The Hebrew word translated "adversary" is literally transliterated satan.
(1) satan {saw-tawn'}; Satan, adversary, one who withstands.C) Balaam deliberately and purposefully opposed the will of God and made God his adversary.(2) Out of 27 occurrences in the Old Testament, it is rendered Satan 19 times in the King James Version ("adversary" seven times; "withstand" once).
A) The Angel of the Lord was a manifestation of the presence of the LORD Himself, that is, He was a theophany [thee-off'ah-nee].- Also know as a preincarnate appearance of Christ (BBC).B) This is clear from the fact that He frequently was equated with Deity and that He was offered and accepted worship, something absolutely forbidden to ordinary angels (Gen.16:7; Gen. 18:1-2; 22:14-18; Ex. 3:1-6; Josh. 5:13-15; Judges 6:20-22; 13:17-23; etc.).
So how can a person know what God's directive will is? Lewis Sperry Chafer put it this way, "Yielding to the mind and will of God is a definite act which opens the gate into the divinely appointed path, wherein we may walk in all fellowship and service with Christ" (He That Is Spiritual). And the only way we can yield to God's divinely path is to know what God's Word says and obey it. It's sad, but our churches are filled with people today who profess their belief in Jesus Christ and His infallible Word but never pick it up to read it outside of their church. Then they wonder why they struggle with their spiritual lives, and in some cases even become adversaries to God's will.
Transition: When this happens, you had better get ready for. . .
2. God's lesson in humility (vv.23-30).
A. Three times the Angel of the Lord stood before Balaam and his donkey to hinder him, because He knew his motives (BBC).Application: The donkey's actions seemed completely inexcusable, so long as one is unaware of the presence of the Angel of the LORD, with His sword poised to kill Balaam. Balaam's actions were irrational and cruel to a donkey who could see the Angel, who was aware of the danger He presented, and who sought to spare her master's life. But what must this have looked like to one of the princes who was in the caravan, as they witnessed these events? Balaam, a man highly regarded for his ability to influence or control the "gods," cannot manage to make his donkey go where he wants. Balaam was a man who was supposed to be "in touch" with the spiritual forces. He was a man who was consulted for guidance regarding the future. Very often, then as now, the diviner would predict the future based upon the arrangement or relationships of physical elements (e.g., the pattern of tea leaves in a cup, or of the physical organs of an animal prepared for sacrifice). It shouldn't have taken a rocket scientist to discern that there was some kind of significance to the three-fold refusal of the donkey to stay on the path. There was a lesson to be learned here, but Balaam completely missed it. The donkey as it turned out was a better "diviner" (or "seer") than Balaam (BSF).1) The first time the donkey saw the Angel and detoured into a field, and for this the poor animal was struck by Balaam (v.23).B. God rebukes Balaam through his donkey (vv.28-30).2) The second time the Angel stood in a narrow path between the vineyards (vv.24-25).
- The terrified donkey crushed Balaam's foot against the wall and again was beat.3) The third time the Angel confronted them in a narrow pass (vv.26-27).- The frustrated donkey lay down on the ground and received a third thrashing from Balaam.1) God opens the mouth of the donkey to rebuke Balaam for his sin (vv.28, 30a).A) She asks Balaam what she had done wrong for him to beat her so severely these three times (v.28a: BSF).2) Balaam reply (vv.29, 30b)B) The donkey also replied that since she had never done such things before there must be a hidden explanation for her behavior (v.30a: BKC).
A) Balaam seems to have registered little surprise at his donkey speaking (BKC).(1) The reason undoubtedly was that as a pagan diviner he may have heard such things before as a practitioner of the occult which had at its center a demonic inspiration.B) Balaam was angry with his donkey because she had made him look like a fool (BSF).(2) So it is likely that Balaam, in his involvement with the spirit world, had experiences in the past with talking animals.
(3) But this time it was the LORD, and not Satan or a demon that caused the animal to speak.
- Had Balaam had a sword, he said, he would have killed the donkey on the spot.
Another point here is sometimes God has to humble us before He can get our attention. James says this about being humbled, in James 4:6-10, "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you." Balaam had to be taken off his mountain top of pride and be taken to the valley of humbleness before he would get his eyes off of himself and onto the Lord. The problem with Balaam was, that even after God got his attention, his eyes kept wandering back upon the things of this world. Does that sound familiar? When a Christian gets up on his mountain top of pride, then his focus also changes; he often begins to think more highly of himself and expects others to live up this his standards instead of God's standards. Instead of being a servant of the King, he tries to be the king by telling others how they ought to talk, dress, eat, walk, act, etc. . . When we find ourselves in this position, we need to remind ourselves that we are not so important that God can't replace us with a dumb animal. At least animals respond to God's will!
Transition: Now God is about to give Balaam a lesson in spiritual discernment. . .
3. God's lesson in spiritual perception (vv.31-35).
A. The same God who opened the donkey's mouth and eyes also opened Balaam's eyes so he could see the awesome angel standing in the road, his sword in hand (v.31: BC).Application: Here's a simple truth that it also taught in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 4:4, where the Apostle Paul writes, "in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Balaam was blinded by the god of this world, and was not able to see the truth until God removed his blinders. Balaam may have been "spiritually discerning" when it came to the gods of this world, but he was totally blind to the things of God of Israel.B. The Angel's rebuke (vv.32-33).
1) The Angel questions Balaam's motives (v.32).C. Balaam's sallow confession (v.34).A) "adversary," ("satan" {saw-tawn'}); Satan, adversary, one who withstands.2) The Angel also rebukes Balaam for his spiritual blindness (v.33).B) "contrary," ("yarat" {yaw-rat'}); to precipitate or rush headlong, to be rash.
1) The words of Balaam to God, "I have sinned," lead us to think that he is truly repentant, but only the later outcome of the story shows this to be false (chps 25 & 31: EBCOT).D. God permits (again, His permissive will) Balaam to continue on his journey, and warns him that he is only to say what God tells him to say (v.35).A) There is the confession of error, but it is a confession that falls short of the repentance of saving faith.2) Balaam's only excuse is that he did not realize it was God who opposed him on his journey (BSF).B) His words, "I have sinned," were not evidence of sincere repentance (BC), but true repentance means a change in direction or behavior.
(1) Pharaoh (Ex. 9:27), King Saul (1 Sam. 15:24, 30; 26:21), and Judas Iscariot (Matt.27:4) all uttered these words but didn't turn to God for mercy.(2) The Prodigal Son gives us an example of a real confession and repentance of sin (Luke 15:11-32).
A) He offers to go back home IF (im) it is evil in the Angel's sight.B) This little conjunction reveals to us that Balaam still doesn't get it, because He knew before he left home what God's will was (v.12).
- This implies that Balaam's intentions were still not in line with the Lord's wishes (BKC).1) Balaam intended to make this trip profitable to himself, but God was about to turn this around and use Balaam to reveal great truths about Israel and Israel's promised Messiah.2) Balaam was about to be a most remarkable instrument of God's "ordained" or "directive will" when instead of cursing God's people he would bless them.
Second, when it comes to repentance it is more than just lip service - it's a change of attitude in the heart that takes us in a new direction in life; let's look at the Prodigal Son's new attitude in life in Luke 15:17-21, "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him. 'And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son."'" You see the difference between Balaam's confession of sin and the Prodigal Son's confession was one of them changed the direction they were going in and began a new life - later on we will see that Balaam went right back to his former lifestyle and goals. God doesn't' want our "lip service," but He would rather have our "heart service." The only fool that is being fooled by our empty words of repentance is the fool saying them.
Transition: Now let's look at what the New Testament says about Balaam's actions. . .
III. Balaam's Error (Jude 1:11).
1. Ignoring God's will and thinking you can get by with it.
A. Jude lists Balaam as one of the top 3 illustrations of a false teacher.Transition: Not only was Balaam fooling himself about disobeying God and getting by with it, he also had the wrong motivation for what he was doing. . .1) Cain disobediently devised their own ways of worship, was envious of others, and hated others with a murderous spirit (1 John 3:12: BKC).B. Part of Balaam's error was thinking that he could disobey God and get away with it (BC).2) Korah led a revolt against Moses and Aaron, not acknowledging that God had delegated authority to them and as a result led hundreds to their deaths (Num.16: BKC).
2. Having the wrong motivation.
A. Balaam, under the guise of serving God, encouraged others to sin, while at the same time seeking to gain financially from their error (2 Peter 2:15-16; Num. 22:21-31: BKC).Application: The false teachers in the days of Peter and Jude preyed upon ignorant people and tried to lead them into sin (Jude 4, 8,18-19), all the time covering everything over with a cloak of "religion" like Balaam (BC). The sad thing about the story of Balaam is even though he met the one and only true God, he failed to recognize Him as God, and as a result Balaam kept returning to his own ways; Proverbs 26:11, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly."B. Similarly the false leaders of Jude's day, greedy for money, led others into sin without recognizing the danger of their actions.
Balaam is like many people today, who aren't worried about standing before God someday, they are only worried about today. I was in an auto parts store the other day and the man behind the counter was talking to a customer, and every other word out of his mouth was a cuss word. Then their conversion turned to God for a moment because they were talking about a friend who had died recently, the man said that he felt that he (i.e., himself) would make to heaven because he was basically a good person - then he proceeded to cuss again. Like Balaam, this man wasn't worried about God's judgment because he probably thought that by the time he appears before God, he will have had plenty of time for God to forget all of his sins and will have done enough good things for God to overlook the bad things he has done. Like Balaam, there are a lot of people who are think that they can live for themselves and get by with it because they are blind to who the true and living God is. They don't understand that there are no good people in heaven, only sinners saved by God's good grace.
Truths To Ponder:
1. We need to understand that God allows us to make choices in our
lives, but when we go outside of God's desires
then there are also consequences that come
with that choice.
A. Sometimes we get ourselves lost, and waste a lot of time and effort going in the wrong direction.2. Often God makes His ordained will very plain to us, but like Balaam we chose to ignore it for our own selfish motives.B. Sometimes we also make the trip a lot harder than what it had to be, by making the wrong choices.
- This points to the importance of every believer to read, study and to know God's Word because it is there that God has revealed His will to us.3. If God can use a donkey to accomplish His will, then we need to never think so highly of ourselves than we ought to.
4. Always check you motivation before you act.
A. Are you doing something that is according to God's will or your will?B. How is what you doing effecting others?
Study References
BBC - William MacDonald, Believer's Bible
Commentary
BKC - John Walvoord & Roy Zuck, The
Bible Knowledge Commentary (Old Testament ed).
BC - Be Counted; living a life that Counts
for God, by Warren Wiersbe.
BSF - Bible Studies Foundation (http://www.bible.org/).
EBCOT - Zondervan's, Expositor's Bible
Commentary, Old Testament.
SC - The Successful Life, Ray E. Baughman
Hebrew Study Reference Tools
. Analytical Key to the Old Testament, by John Owens, Baker Books, Grand Rapids MI, 1999
. Bible Works 4.0 for Windows, Hermeneutika Bible Research Software, Big Fork MO., 2nd edition.
. Biblical Hebrew; An Introductory Grammar, by Page Kelley, Eerdmans
Publishing, Grand Rapids
MI, 1992
. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, by E. Brown,
S. Driver, and C. Briggs,
Hendrickson Publishers, 1996
. The Complete Word Study Bible & Reference CD, by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, AMG Publishers, 1997
. Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, by H.W.F.
Gesenius, Baker Books,
Grand Rapids MI, 1994
. Nelson's Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament, Merrill
Unger and William White Editors,
Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville TN, 1980.
. The New Englishman's Hebrew Concordance, by Wigram, Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.
. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology, Willem
VanGemeran, General Editor,
Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1997
. Old Testament Parsing Guide, by Todd Beall, William Banks and
Colin Smith, Broadman & Holman
Publishers, Nashville TN, 2000.
. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT),
by Harris, Archer and Waltke, Moody Press,
Chicago IL, 1980.
. Wilson's Old Testament Word Studies, by William Wilson, MacDonald
Publishing Co. McLean
VA, (note dated).