Episode Transcript
We're going to go ahead and get started on our lesson here today.
Man, like I said earlier, what a blessing it is to walk in and see a room full.
That's such an encouragement.
That's a blessing to God as well, to come and hear His Word.
And with that said, let's get into God's Word and let's learn today.
Let's learn about God's Word.
So last week we left off in the book of Numbers where we were reading about a man named Balaam.
Now, who we previously came across in our study from the book of Jude.
So we've been in the book of Jude all this time and we've been going verse by verse in the book of Jude.
And in book of Jude verse 11, Jude says, "Woe unto them," now he's talking about the ungodly that he's been telling us about all this time through the book of Jude.
He says, "Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain."
Now we studied a little bit about Cain a few lessons ago and we learned that Cain wanted to bring his own offering to God.
He didn't bring to God what God required.
What God was wanting was to shed blood and Cain brought his own works.
So he wasn't accepted to God for what he was supposed to bring.
And God told him if he did well, he would be accepted too.
So God was basically saying, "If you do what I require you to do, you'll be accepted too."
And folks, that's open to each and every one of us.
Praise God that if we do what God asks us to do, if we bring the offering of blood, Jesus Christ went to the cross, he shed his blood for our sins.
If you believe in that through faith, God accepts that.
Why do you think God's sin is only begotten sons to die on the cross?
That is to die for our sins.
That's something that we cannot do.
If we could cover our own sins, there would have been no sense in Jesus dying on that cross.
But Jesus went to that cross and he stayed on that cross.
He did not come down off of that cross to cover your sins, folks.
He offered to God the sacrifice of his shed blood.
"Lord, I shed my perfect blood for them."
God said, "I'll take that."
And through faith, he'll take it from you too if you'll put your faith in Jesus Christ and believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins.
And Cain did not want to do that.
Cain wanted to bring his own offering.
He did not bring what God had required.
So we studied a little bit about Cain and we learned that Cain didn't bring what God required.
And so many people try to do that today.
They want to bring what they want to bring.
They don't want to bring what God requires, which is the shed blood of Christ.
So we learned about Cain and now we're going to read about Balaam.
He says, "Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward."
So last week we've been reading in the book of Numbers about who Balaam was.
Now we stopped in Numbers chapter 22 and we read all the way to chapter 23 is where we stopped.
But to keep us in context, we're going to start reading today back in chapter 22 of Numbers and verse 38.
So 22, chapter 22 of Numbers, verse 38.
We've got you marked right here. 22, 38, right here.
And Balaam said unto Balak, is everybody there?
So we're going to pick up right there where we left off as soon as your pastor gets there. 22, 38 is where we left off and I had it marked.
So today we're going to pick it back up at 22, 38 in the book of Numbers in order to give us some context and we're going to continue to learn, God willing, about this man called Balaam.
So let's start reading the book of Numbers, chapter 22, verse 38.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee.
Have I now any power at all to say any thing?
The word that God hath put in my mouth, that shall I speak.
So now remember, Balak was the king of the Moabites at this time and he was kind of freaking out a little bit because the children of Israel who were just passing through, they were just passing through.
They hadn't threatened him or nothing.
But they were passing through and they were on their way to the promised land.
God had already told the children of Israel through Moses not to mess with the Moabites.
But since Balak, the king of the Moabites, did not read his Bible, he did not know, he did not know this.
And he had sent unto Balaam, that's the same guy in Jude that we're talking about, Balak had sent unto Balaam to come to him.
He wanted Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel so that they would not take away his kingdom.
Now in Deuteronomy, chapter 29, you all just stay right where you're at and I'll read this to you.
In Deuteronomy, chapter 29, we see where God tells Moses not to mess with the Moabites.
So in 2, 9, Moses says, "And the Lord said unto me, 'Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle, for I will not give thee of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.'"
Now Ar was a part of Moab, so God had already promised that to Lot's people for possession.
So if Balak would have been reading his scriptures, if he had read this, he would have already known that they were safe, but he didn't read.
And so many people nowadays don't read their Bibles and they don't know what's going to happen in the past as far as God's Word goes.
And if people would study God's Word, they would know what is going to come to pass.
There's things that's fixing to start happening that's going to be worse than they are now, folks.
So get ready and you just keep your eyes on the cross when things start going south worse than they already are.
They might get better for a little time, but they're going to get worse and it's going to get real bad.
But you just keep your eyes on the cross, folks.
So my point is, read your Bibles, read God's Word, and we try to get a Bible into everybody's hand so that you can learn of God.
Now back to your Numbers, chapter 22, 38.
We're going to keep continuing to learn about Balaam.
So now, Balaam, he said, he is coming to Balaam.
Now Balaam is sent to Balaam.
And remember last week we talked about Balaam sent to Balaam the first time.
And Balaam, God told Balaam not to go.
Remember we talked about that first time.
God told Balaam, don't you go.
And Balaam told him, he said, I can't go.
So the princess that Balaam had sent to Balaam previously, they went back to Balaam and they told Balaam, Balaam said he couldn't go.
The Lord told him, no, he can't come.
Well Balaam said, well, I tell you what, I'll just send some more higher up, hierarchy, higher princesses, higher bigwigs that I have in my entourage and I'll send them back to Balaam and I'll see if they can't convince him to come back.
So Balaam sent higher up people, more prestige people, you know, bigwigs.
He sent them back to Balaam to try to convince him to go and offer Balaam a little bit more money, a little bit more prestige if he'll come back.
And Balaam went back to the Lord and he talked to the Lord and the Lord said, I tell you what, you go ahead and go with him.
If that's what you think you want, and this is me paraphrasing, if that's really what you think you want to do, Balaam, you just go on and go.
But you speak what I tell you to speak.
So before the ink was even dry yet good, Balaam hitched up and went back with Balaam's people, back to Balaam to talk to him.
So Balaam got to thinking greedily.
He started thinking about all this prestige and the money and everything he could make going back and doing what Balaam wanted to do.
Balaam wanted Balaam to curse the people of Israel, the children of Israel.
So now that's it, they said Balaam went with Balak and they came unto, Balaam has come back now and he's with Balak and he's talking to him and Balaam went with Balak and they came unto Kurch Jath-Huzaf and that means that is a city of streets.
My Hebrew is not too good, Kutsath, it's a city of streets.
And Balak offered oxen and sheep and sent to Balaam and to the princes that were with him and he came to pass on the morrow that took Balaam and brought him up into the high places of Baal that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.
So that's where we left off last week.
Now you all remember we talked about how the devil had took Jesus up to the high places to look down and see all the stuff that the devil had and the devil offered Adam to Jesus if he would just get down and worship the devil, the devil would give him all that.
Well the devil can't give him something that belongs to Jesus anyway.
God already owns all that stuff but Jesus told him no, he wasn't going to do that.
And Balaam should have done the same thing but Balaam looked down and with his eyes he saw all this stuff.
That is the lust of the eyes folks.
And Balaam said, we'll just pick it up in chapter 23 now, Balak's looking at all this, and Balaam said unto Balak, "Fill me here seven oxen and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams." and Balak did as Balaam had spoken and Balak and Balaam offered it on every altar a bullion and a ram.
And Balaam said unto Balak, "Stand by thy burnt offering and I will go, peradventure the Lord will come to meet me and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee."
And he went to a high place and God met Balaam and he said unto him, "I have prepared seven altars and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram."
And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return unto Balak and thus thou shall speak."
So Balaam had, he seemed to be right with God because God was talking to him.
He was bringing God the offerings.
But what God sees in his heart is what is going to take place.
God knows the hearts of each and every one of us.
Balaam was going through the motions.
He was doing everything that was required and God was talking with him.
But in Balaam's heart it wasn't right.
And God met Balaam and he said, "I have prepared seven altars and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram."
And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return unto Balak and thus thou shall speak."
Now remember God told Balaam, "You go ahead and go, but you speak what I tell you to speak."
And he returned unto him, so Balaam goes back to Balak, and he returned unto him and lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the princes of Moab.
So Balak and all the princes that Balak had of Moab, oh that's the bigwigs, they all stood there together listening to see what Balaam was going to tell him.
And he took up his parable and said, this is what Balaam said to him, "Balaam, the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram."
This is where Balaam was.
Now this was his land, Balaam.
And Balaam's tell, this is God speaking through Balaam, "Balaam, the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram out of the mountains of the east saying, 'Come, curse me Jacob and come defy Israel.'"
So Balak, see, is wanting Balaam to curse the children of Israel.
He's wanting to curse them.
And Balaam says, well God says through Balaam, "How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed?
For how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied?
For from the top of the rocks I see Him and from the hills I behold Him.
Lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations."
Now let me jump to my notes here because I think we need to go to, okay we want to go, let's see here.
So Balak is wanting to curse the children of Israel.
God has told Balaam, "I can't do that."
God has gone back to Balaam and told him, "God's not going to do that."
So God would not permit Balaam to curse Israel but rather, and this goes on, "at each attempt compelled him to utter words of blessings."
So if you all want to turn to 622, number 622, I've got you marked, we're going to read the blessings that God, number 622 is where we're going to start.
Numbers 621-22.
This is what we're going to be talking about where God blessed the children of Israel and He's not going to take it back.
I can't read it.
Number 622, right there.
Everything is but God's little self.
No that's seven, I'm sorry.
John put you on one spot. 22 right here, "And the Lord spake unto Moses."
Everybody got it?
You got it Thomas?
622.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses."
Number 622.
Okay.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, 'God has blessed the children of Israel.'"
And He's not going to go against that.
"Speak unto Aaron and unto his son saying, 'On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel saying unto them, 'The Lord bless thee and keep thee.'"
Folks, you don't need nothing else.
"The Lord bless thee and keep thee."
Man, that's wonderful right there.
"The Lord make His face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee."
626.
"The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace."
I got to say something right there folks.
I want to tell you something.
There's no peace like knowing you're saved.
There's no peace like knowing that when this life is over with, this isn't the end.
There's no peace like knowing that.
If you're troubled, if you're worried about it, there's no peace like knowing Jesus Christ as your Savior.
And each and every time I pray that each and every one of you get something out of these lessons and I pray that you come to Christ if you don't know Him already as your Savior.
Why keep torturing yourself by not knowing?
And you know inside that that bothers you.
It bothered me, but I know where I'm going now and I'm no longer bothered.
I'm no longer troubled.
God has blessed me with peace of knowing where I'm going when this life is over with and I know it's not to go be with the devil and his angels.
I'm going to go be with the Lord someday and I know that.
And you can know it too if you want to know it.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.
What a blessing it is to know folks, Jesus as your Savior.
When God says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, He means it and He will not go against His Word.
When Jesus says my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
He means it and He will never go against His Word.
He means it.
God will not go against His Word.
Now, I did not find how Balaam, let's finish reading this first and then we'll go back to, let's go back to Numbers where we just left.
Everybody should be marked there.
I want to finish reading about Balaam and then maybe we'll have time to wrap this up.
Well, we might not but we can finish reading about this chapter in Balaam maybe.
God will not go against His Word.
So, let's go back to Numbers 23 and 29.
For from the top of the rocks I see Him, this is Balaam talking to Balaam and his people.
The people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
He's telling Balak that they're not going to be reckoned among the nations.
They're going to be counting them.
Who can count the dust of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like His.
And Balak said unto Balaam, what hast thou done unto me?
I took thee to curse mine enemies and behold thou hast blessed them altogether.
Balaam said what God told him to say.
And he answered and said, must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?
And Balak said unto him, come I pray thee with me unto another place from whence thou may see them.
Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them and shall not see them all and curse me them from this.
So Balak is wanting to try again and he brought him into the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah and built seven altars and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
So he's going through the motions again.
And he said unto Balak, stand here by the burnt offering while I meet the Lord yonder.
Same thing goes on.
He's going back to talk to the Lord again.
And the Lord met Balak and put a word in his mouth and said, go again to Balak and say thus.
God tells him, this is what you're going to say to Balak.
And when he came to him, behold he stood by his burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him.
Same scenario.
They're all gathered again together in a different spot.
Balak's thinking if they changed areas, maybe God will change his mind.
God's not going to change his mind.
And when he came to him, behold he stood by his burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him and Balak said unto him, what hath the Lord spoken?
And he took up his parable and said, rise up Balak and here hearken unto me thou son of the poor.
God is not a man that he should lie.
Neither the son of man that he should repent.
Hath he said and shall he not do it?
Or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good?
Behold I have received commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob.
Now this is very important here.
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob.
Israel, Jacob, Israel is not sinned.
God sees them doing no sin.
Neither hath he seen perversion in Israel.
Israel is still following the Lord at this time.
They haven't turned to idols.
They're following the Lord.
The Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt.
He hath, as it were, the strength of a unicorn.
Now that doesn't mean the little old horsey looking thing with the horn that the kids see and all the show.
That is the strength of a bull.
It gives us the idea of a bull and a horn.
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob.
Neither is there any divination against Israel.
According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, what hath God wrought?
We'll finish this chapter and we'll shut it off for the day.
Behold the people shall rise up as a great lion.
You see what's going to happen in the future here.
I love God's word folks.
It tells us what's going to happen in the future.
And lift up himself as a young lion.
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slain.
And Balak said unto Balam, neither cursed him at all nor blessed him at all.
But Balam answered and said unto Balak, told not I thee same, all that the Lord speaketh that I must do.
It would be so nice today if people would do the same thing.
If they would speak what the Lord says and don't put in what they think.
This should be here and this should be there.
They add stuff to it.
The Bible says don't add to it and don't take away from God's word.
And Balak said unto Balam, come I pray thee I will bring thee into another place.
For adventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me from thence.
So Balak wants to take Balak to another place.
Do the same thing over again trying to get God to change his mind.
God's not going to change his mind.
And Balak brought Balam unto the top of Peor that looketh toward Jeshimen.
And Balam said unto Balak, build me your seven altars and prepare me your seven bullets and seven rams.
Verse 30, and we'll close this out.
And Balak did as Balam had said and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
So he's doing the same thing again.
How many times does a man need to be told no before he accepts for it no?
And that's just, it's amazing to me how many times he went through this trying to give him a curse of Israel.
And there was no sense in it because God had already told them not to mess with the Moabites.
He's going to all this trouble for no reason.
He was worried about what might happen.
He was worried that the children of Israel were going to come in, take his kingdom away from him, take away all his seniority, take away everything he has.
He was worried about that.
So he was trying to curse Israel.
And God said no, I'm not going to curse him.
So we'll close with prayer today folks and let y'all get on back.
Heavenly Father, we thank you so much Lord for everybody that's come today to hear your word of God, Father.
And I pray Lord that each and every person that is here, they learn something today Father.
We just pray Lord, we thank you so much Lord for your word.
Thank you for those who come to hear it Lord.
We pray Lord that you'll be with them during this week Father and just let them know that they're not alone Father and that you're here with them Lord.
That you mean it when you say you'll never leave us nor forsake us Father.
What a blessing that is Lord.
What a blessing your word is Lord.
Each and every word is true Father.
And we pray for those Lord who don't believe Lord.
And we just pray Lord that you draw them to the cross and show them Christ Father who died for their sins Lord.
Lord what a blessing it was to walk in here and see a room full of people waiting to hear your word Lord.
That's such an encouragement to me Lord and I thank you for these people.
We had such an encouragement that they are Lord.
Father we thank you and love you Lord and we want to pray for the caregivers that are here Lord.
And pray for them as well Lord as they help these people Father.
We just thank you and love you Lord and pray that if there's one here that's not on the path that you want them to be on Father.
We pray you draw them back to that path Lord.
And that your perfect will is done in each and every one of our lives Father.
We thank you and we love you Lord.
And we ask these things in Jesus name today Father.
Amen.
