How can Balaam's experience in Numbers 22:35 guide our response to divine instructions? Setting the Scene Numbers 22 records the moment when Balak, king of Moab, hires Balaam to curse Israel. After repeated warnings—including the famous rebuke from Balaam’s donkey—the Angel of the LORD finally says: “ ‘Go with the men, but speak only the words I tell you.’ ” (Numbers 22:35) Balaam goes, yet the divine restriction on his speech remains absolute. Key Lessons from Numbers 22:35 • Divine permission does not nullify divine parameters. • The authority rests entirely with God’s word, not with human desires or pressures. • Partial obedience earlier had brought Balaam peril; exact obedience now becomes his safeguard. Responding to Divine Instructions Today 1. Guard the Message • Deuteronomy 4:2: “Do not add to or subtract from the word I command you.” • Balaam was free to travel, but not free to tamper. Likewise, believers carry God’s truth unchanged. 2. Submit to the Giver • 1 Samuel 15:22: “To obey is better than sacrifice.” • Even a prophetic gift must yield to the Giver; spiritual service is never a license for self‐direction. 3. Speak with Restraint and Courage • Jeremiah 1:7: “You must go to everyone I send you to and speak whatever I command you.” • Balaam faced royal expectations; we may face cultural ones. Divine authorization steadies the tongue. 4. Walk in Consistent Obedience • James 1:22: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” • Balaam’s earlier wavering contrasts with the clarity of later obedience—an incentive to consistent faithfulness. Practical Steps for Obedience • Weigh every opportunity by Scripture before saying yes. • Filter every word—spoken, posted, or texted—through biblical truth. • Refuse incentives that require softening or reshaping God’s standards. • Cultivate daily Scripture intake; familiarity fuels immediate compliance. • Invite accountability from mature believers who will challenge any drift. Scriptural Reinforcements • John 14:15: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Closing Reflection Balaam’s experience shows that God’s assignments often come with boundaries tighter than the world prefers. When He speaks—through Scripture, by His Spirit, or in providential circumstances—the safest, most fruitful path is the simplest: go where He sends, and say only what He says. |
    |