Bible Discussion Thread

NUM. 24

cont.

The Star comes from Jacob, the Sceptre, comes from Israel. Balaam saw Christ in a vision, but said He is not to come now. He beholds Him, but His coming is not nigh. The Messiah will smite Moab and destroy the children of Sheth. He shall possess Edom and Seir and Israel shall do valiantly (overcome them). The Messiah will dominion and destroy those who still remain (at His second coming)

Balaam prophesies concerning Amalekites and the Kenites (Midianites). They both will perish and be wasted. He speaks of Chittam (Cypress or Greece) coming against Asshur (Assyria) and Eber (I don't know who Eber is as a nation nor Sheth of vs. 17)

After completing his prophecy, Balaam left Balak and returned home. Balak went home, too.

It is really awesome to see in this account how God MADE Balaam speak what He willed and Balaam could not do otherwise!

God's power is overwhelmingly great and able to accomplish whatever God wills. No one can stay His hand, nor truly oppose Him without being judged to enter the lake of fire in the end. Some may think that they can outsmart or overpower God's will, but they are wrong and deceived to think so. This chapter names nations that the Messiah will judge and waste, But I think this is a way of speaking that those who oppose God will be wasted as these nations were wasted.

The rebellious who dig in and resist God's will to the end of their life or at the second coming will be spending eternity in the lake of fire experiencing unending torment. So, we must pray for those without Christ to be saved and speak to them what God's Spirit tells us to say to them. We who have come to faith and taste of the goodness of God and His grace towards us have a responsibility to share how we came to be blessed with salvation and forgiveness of sins. We need to explain what happens at the final judgment to encourage those who believe and prompt those who don't to turn to Christ to be saved from our sins, death, and the lake of fire.

Here's a thought..how much can God use the UNREGENERATE to temporarily utilize the Holy Spirit as He did with Balaam back then? This could explain a lot...as to how the warnings exist in the New Testament; and how the lost are differentiated from the saved who have the permanent seal of the Spirit of God. If someone can't speak truth who doesn't know Christ; surely someone could be like a Cyrus who was specifically referred to as someone who DIDN'T know God but still was His servant to accomplish His will. It also gives us a caution for those who are into the more charismatic gifts; that even if there is a genuine work of the Spirit if someone's motives are for their own power; or the gifts more than the giver there is danger.

BTW somehow I got one of your posts linking to a message to someone else; may have been my fault somehow attaching to that link.

Agape; Rich P

Richard, I probably posted to you instead of to David. I thought I had replied to his post. ooops.

It is interesting how God did use Balaam despite Balaam's use of sorcery and certainly his heart was not to bless Israel. But God forced Balaam to bless Israel. We don't often think about this kind of action of God, but He is all-powerful and can do as He pleases. Our free will is a gift, not a "given" and knowing that God works this way at times is compelling. But most of the time, He does not use such force as far as we know. But then again, there is a lot we do not know of what God does.