Numbers
23:1-30 - Our
words are to be an echo of God’s Word. We are to speak only what God
says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. ‘God’s
Word is truth’ (John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His
mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils His purpose (19). How does God
carry forward His purpose of blessing? We receive His blessing. We share
His blessing with others. We can only bring blessing to others when we
ourselves seek blessing from the Lord. His blessing comes to us. His
blessing reaches out through us. We speak His Word, yet - through our words - He
speaks (20). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Word is the
sword of the Spirit’ (Ephesians 6:17). The Spirit uses the Word to
convict us of our sin and lead us to our Saviour (Hebrews 4:12-16).
24:1-25 - When
‘the Spirit of God came upon him’, Balaam’s ‘oracle’ was described as
‘the message of the man who sees clearly’. His ‘eyes are opened’. He
sees ‘with far-seeing eyes’. He ‘hears the words of God’. He ‘sees the
vision of the Almighty’ (2-4,15-16). Balaam
looks beyond his own time. ‘With far-seeing eyes’, he prophesies
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘I see Him, but not now’ (17). Balaam
catches a glimpse of Jesus Christ, the ‘King of kings’ (Revelation
19:16). This is what we must pray for: ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’.
Pray that you will be ‘in the Spirit’, ready to ‘hear what the Spirit
says’ (Revelation 1:1,10; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God is the
unchanging God - Nothing changes Him (23:19). He is also the changing
God. He changed Balaam. He will change us!
25:1-26:22 - Read of Israel’s
adultery and idolatry and remember God’s Word of warning: ‘Don’t let
the world squeeze you into its mould’ (25:1-5; Romans 12:2). God is
looking for people who have the ‘same zeal’ as He has (25:11). Those who
are zealous for God may be few in number, but we must not be
discouraged. Glorying in Christ our Saviour, we must continue to be
zealous for Him. In Christ we have ‘peace’, ‘atonement’ and a
‘perpetual’ salvation (25:12-13; Romans 5:1-2,9-10). We are saved to
serve - This is the thought contained in the phrase, ‘all in Israel
who are able to go forth to war’ (26:2). The wilderness wanderings were
over. God was doing a new thing. He was looking for a new people,
determined, by grace, to carry His work forward into the future. He is
still looking!
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