Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, ‘Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD—and that I must say only what the Lord says’?” (Numbers 24:12-13, NIV)
The trouble with golf is that we often forget the point of the story.
Consider the times you have been privileged to play in an exceptionally beautiful spot. In my mind, nearly all golf courses are beautiful and invite me to take the challenge of scoring as low as I can there, but you know what I mean: some courses are built for the eyes. On days when we play courses like these, we have many blessings to count and much joy to gulp in.
And then we play badly.
So we go home from an uncommon experience ensnared in our common grumbling. We cannot recall the wonder of golf, for we are overwhelmed by the woe of our game. Pitiful.
I am afraid this same thing happens to us when we return to the account of Balaam in the book of Numbers. “Balaam?” you may ask, your mind needing a bit of kickstart. “Yes, Balaam—the guy with the talking donkey.” Ah-ha! Now you’ve got it figured out. Sort of. Do you remember anything else about the story of Balaam?
Balaam told the king’s men that he could say nothing outside of God’s direction.
See, therein lies the shame of our memory. For Balaam’s interaction with Balak has much to do with devotion zeroed in on God, and so little to do with that donkey. And its lesson is vital for us today, when the distractions of the world flash in neon and sound so good through our earth-tuned earbuds.
Here are the essentials: The Hebrews had moved to the brink of King Balak’s land, and he wanted nothing to do with them. Knowing that Balaam’s words were unerringly effective, he called on the prophet to come and curse Israel. He sent messengers with money and promises of much more. When Balaam turned them down the first time, Balak sent the bigger wigs—his top salesmen. But Balaam gave them the same answer.
What was that answer? Balaam told the king’s men that he could say nothing outside of God’s direction. If God said, “Bless,” Balaam was to bless; if God said “Curse,” Balaam was to curse. No variance.
And the donkey’s role? Simply to strengthen God’s position in Balaam’s mind, because the Lord knew that Balak’s pressure to perform what he desired was only going to increase. And it did.
Yet Balaam held fast. Fast against the wooing words of the messengers. Fast against the offers of riches. Fast against the power of the king.
Balaam served only God, listened only for his words, and went forward in faith from there. Balaam had every opportunity to miss the point of the story. He did not.
—
Jeff Hopper
Originally published February 7, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.