Are You Sure?

That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.” [Numbers 22.20]

Did God change His mind?

There is something important to be learned about both God and man in Balaam's story! In fact, we might learn a critical lesson about God's will here if we will only see it.

God originally told Balaam, "do not go."

But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!” [Numbers 22.12]

So, what changed? We should watch what we answer very carefully because our first answer could be wrong! It would appear God changed His mind, but only after He saw that Balaam was going to persist with this matter after it was supposedly already settled!

What God did was adapt His will to work around Balaam's rebellion which basically started when Balaam came to God the second time for a question God had already answered. In essense, Balaam asked God, "Are You SURE?" Balaam settled his own fate when he entertained Balak's second entorauge! And, even though Balaam still delivered God's message, his visit with Balak eventually led to his giving Balak advice how to harm Israel in a non-military way. For that, at a later date, Balaam was destroyed.

Balaam's demise would have been averted if only he had stuck with God's original message and been done with it!

The lesson for us is simple: when we hear from God, we should simply obey and stick with that obedience! 

I wish I could say that I have always obeyed God without wavering. I am certain that many of the difficulties I have encountered in my life have been the direct result of my own modification of God's will!

Father, I want to train myself to obey You without doubt and without question.