Tomorrow I will teach the junior high group at our church about the immutability of God in the story of Balak and Balaam from the book of Numbers in chapter 23:19, and one of the things that jumped at me today was the contrast of the dialogues between Balak and Balaam, and God and Moses.
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
Genesis 12:2,3 (ESV)
Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.
Numbers 22:6 (ESV)
The first example is the promise God made to Abraham. The second is the curse king Balak tried to buy from Balaam. The end result is that God’s promise stood, Balaam’s attempt failed.
God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
Numbers 23:19 (ESV)
God is distinctly different from man. With an unbridled passion and unswerving commitment to His glory, God speaks, doesn’t change His mind, and then does what He said He would do.
Balaam (man) tried to speak, changed his mind, and wound up doing exactly what God wanted him to do.
2 Comments
April 13, 2008 at 12:47 pm
You mixed it up, where you put Moses you should have put Abraham. Genesis 12 was for Abraham not Moses. I am sure it was just a brain fart.
April 14, 2008 at 8:39 am
Yeah, a stinky brain fart too. Thanks for the heads up. When I taught the lesson I nearly did the same thing, but caught myself before it was too late.