Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Numbers, book #6

Read it.  Got through it.  

Main thing that got me was the story of Balaam and that famous donkey in Chapter 22. Balak saw the Israelites and was scared, asked Balaam to put a curse on them, but Balaam asked God and He said "No, they are my people."  Balaam tells Balak no, but Balak is desperate and begs again.  Balaam prays again (a few times) then God says, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.” (v20)  

So he goes with them, "But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him." (v22)  The donkey comes into play here and we have all that business.  And so anyhow God and Balaam go back and forth .... God tells him to go and "do only what I tell you" so he goes and the God gets angry, til finally in 25:25 "Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way" with lots of blessings from Balaam on the Israelites in the mean time.  

Very strange indeed, this way the Lord works.

EDIT:  Interestingly enough, Leighann talked about this very story last night at Selah.  Ends up, Balaam is not "one of us" as most of us may think, but he is indeed a false prophet.  He may have heard the Lord, but he also heard lots of other "gods" -- aka demon voices -- and probably could not differentiate between them all!! 

Due to lots and lots of reading today I am *finally* caught back up and ready to work through Deuteronomy!

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