The counsel of God is worth seeking above all other, but are we prepared to seek Him for it?
The story of Balaam continues in Numbers with his arrival at the Moabite town of Arnon where he was met by Balak, king of Moab. Balaam was out of his own territory, in a foreign land with different people. Sometimes we can be disoriented in unusual or unknown situations, but Balaam continued to seek the Lord in this strange environment. We don’t have to loose contact with the Lord, even when the circumstances of our lives change!
The late Derek Prince and his wife Ruth travelled a lot with their ministry and part of their daily routine was to take communion every morning before the business of the day had begun. Their practice of taking communion gave them something stable (an anchor) in their day, as they moved from place to place. A constant in the midst of continual change.
At a long stretch we could say Balaam was on a ministry trip, unfortunately with the wrong motive, personal gain. Balaam, though a gifted prophet, wasn’t esteemed in God’s Word, but I believe we can learn some positive lessons from the Biblical account of him.
1 Balaam said, ‘Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Numbers 23
Balaam Prepared to seek the face of the Lord! He presented an offering to the Lord and included Balak, the man who wanted his help. Many times in the Psalms David speaks of worshipping the Lord as he and we seek His Face;
4 ENTER HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING
AND HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations. Ps 100
God deserves our Praise and Worship and it lifts our eyes from our earthly concerns towards Him. We can’t seek His Face if we’re locked in our own situations.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here beside your offering WHILE I GO ASIDE. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.’ THEN HE WENT OFF TO A BARREN HEIGHT. Numbers 23
Balaam offered a sacrifice to God (we can offer our worship and thanks to Him, initially, that’s maybe as far as we’ll get, but God honours those who search for Him) and then drew aside from the others to be alone with God. The Moabites had no connection with God. I believe he couldn’t have heard from God with them present. There are some people who will draw the presence of God and others, the majority, who will hinder it. Balaam had to get away by himself to hear God speak and so will we.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4
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May God bless you as you seek His Face today.