June 17th, 2016
Numbers 22:1-14
In the course of human history, victory
and defeat follow continually. Yet, where we discern divine will,
there is only victory. Through Balaam's story, we will learn how to
interpret God's divine will.
- Balak sent a gift
The Israelites camped at the border of
Moab. The king of Moab was terrified of such a horde of people. Balak
sent a gift to Balaam so that he would curse the Israelites. The
Bible says the Israelites weren't bothering Moab (Deut. 2 : 6).
- Balaam refused the gift
It seems that Balaam was someone who
knew God well. So how did he react to the messengers sent by Balak ?
First, he was very polite (7), so he welcomed them with great
protocol and politeness. Second, Balaam was very cautious. He was
prudent and separated himself from them in order to reflect. At that
moment, Balaam came before God and prayed (8-11). Finally, Balaam had
the courage to refuse the gift (13). After a certain length of time,
he had decided to refuse this very appealing gift. Without
sufficient prayer, we would not be able to refuse such a gift.
Prayer : Lord, sometimes, in spite
of our desire to please you and follow your will, we don't know what
to do, we know nothing. Help us to be cautious and wise in order to
come to you and pray until we understand your will.
Bottom line : pray to discern His
will
No comments:
Post a Comment