Week 54, Day 3: Arguing With God
Today’s Reading: Numbers 23:1-30
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
As Chad pointed out in the last post, Balaam was determined to only report to Balak exactly what God had said. But, that was not satisfactory to Balak. He had in mind the message that he wanted to hear from Jehovah. He had called Balaam to curse the people of Israel, and he wasn’t going to be satisfied until that was accomplished. Twice in Numbers 23 Balak tried to get Balaam to change his report from a blessing to a curse. He was convinced that there had to be some way that Balaam could do what he asked, if he just gave him enough opportunities.
In reality, what we see in this chapter is Balak was arguing with God. The message had been delivered, but he was unwilling to accept it. He kept sending Balaam back to try and get the answer that he wanted. Balaam once responded:
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Balak could keep sending Balaam to inquire of God, but the message concerning Israel was not going to change! People today seem to have the same tendency as Balak. They act as if they are willing to accept an answer when inquiring (praying) to God, but when they get an answer they don’t expect, or don’t like, they try to argue with God. They are sure that they are right about what they want, and that God just doesn’t understand what they are asking for, or what they are saying. If they could just give God a different perspective, surely He would see it their way, and give the answer that they want. And so, they climb to the top of a different mountain, and inquire again of the Lord.
This idea should not be confused with “persistence.” Consider Luke 11:5-10. There, we are told of a man who, because of his persistence, received what he asked for. Sometimes, we might have to ask God for something that we desire more than one time. But, even in that process, we need to remember that we must ask within the confines of His will. If we are persistent in asking for something that is contrary to His will, the recurring answer will be “No!” Balak was told that his desires were outside of the will of God, and that should have been enough to make him stop asking. No amount of persistence would change the outcome, and no change of perspective could make God do what what he wanted done. The same is true for us! If we ask amiss, then no amount of persistence will change God’s response for us. It is not God who may need a change of perspective, but us!
Question: What types of things do people ask for that are not in keeping with the will of God?
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