Balak.
His heart, as dark as his name. You can almost hear it... the drawn out darkness as you speak his name aloud. It is harsh and and taught in the back of your throat. As he stands to observe the people of Israel, we can almost feel his pulse on the rise, his emotion raw with fear... ...exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many... ...sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So he sent messengers to the sorcerer, Balaam saying: Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. Numbers 22:3,5-6 Try to imagine what he saw. It must have been truly spectacular site. An estimated 2.5M people in formation, moving across the wilderness, centered around this ark... Word had spread. God had freed these people from slavery in Egypt. And now He was helping them move to a new place... their God was helping them conquer people and lands as they went. And several of the nations watching them on the move were in fear. Their perspective, interestingly, was much the same as the Israelites themselves... when they sent the spies into Canaan... We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we. Each with their own vantage point, and each living in fear of the other. Yet the King of Moab, Balak has never seen anything like this. And he calls for a sorcerer to come... Balaam. Putting faith in a man that only belongs to God, Balak believes that Balaam can bless and curse people. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. But when God places His hand of blessing on us, it cannot be removed... not even by a king who is settled, powerful and fortified. For even the sorcerer Balaam knows that God is in this move... and eventually he becomes a prophet, filled with the Spirit, speaking blessings himself over the nation of Israel. And the heart of Balak becomes darker and darker. Word of God... train me, today... to trust in you always to move in my life, to know that my fears are small compared to Your mighty power. Lord, I thank You for showing me that I am not the only one who fears. Thank You for revealing these perspectives, these hearts and minds which wander from you... for they are the natural way of our human limitation. But I praise You for your protection, divine provision, supernatural guidance and power. Thank You, Lord that no one can stand in the way of Your blessings! For when You choose to bless me, and I keep my heart and mind centered around you, I will be protected even from the powerful Balak's of this world.
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January 2019
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