Numbers 23:13-26
Verse 13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.”
Have you ever had a child ask you over and over for the same thing but changing the request ever so slightly in hopes that you will change your mind? Or maybe you have done this to someone else? Well, this was what King Balak was trying to do to Balaam.
Again there was the sacrifice on 7 altars with no priests involved. Again the request was a curse put on the people of Israel. But today we find a couple of subtle differences to procedure. This time around the place chosen, was overlooking only a percentage of the Israelites and the request was only for the curse to be on those within sight. Why the change of how many he wanted cursed? Could it be that he had lost a small amount of faith in Balaam? Maybe thought that Balaam’s powers with gods wasn’t as strong as he had originally thought? What about the king’s view of God? Sure he didn’t worship God but he knew God’s power or he wouldn’t have feared Him so much as to want the Israelites cursed.
Another thing that was slightly different is the way Balaam was backing away slightly from the pomp and circumstance. Yes, there was a sacrifice but Balaam didn’t go up to a high place to meet with God. The first message given to the king was referencing Balaam and how he wasn’t qualified to curse God’s people. This message was about God’s character and His care of the descendants of Jacob. Balaam was going to have to go back to the king and tell him that not only couldn’t he curse the Israelites but, “king, you are out of your league on this one.” That caused the king to ask if he would just refuse to bless the people of Israel.
Balaam may not have been a worshipper of God, likely not in fact, and he wasn’t a worshipper of the king and he was still trying to walk the fence. So who was he worshipping? He was trying to protect his own interests. He would give God’s words but he did so in a way to keep the king from blaming him. There is no halfway when it comes to worship. We are all in, or we are bowing to self or something of this world.
Making It Personal
How easy is it to worship yourself? Why is it so easy? What choices can you make that will make the choice to worship God easier in the future?
Making It Personal Kids
Who is worthy of our worship? Why is He worthy? What is a way you can worship Him today?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us so that we remember that You alone are worthy of our worship. Help us remember that our choices reveal who we worship. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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