February 6...

Numbers 22–24

A Prophet’s Profit

THIS IS THE FUNNIEST STORY IN THE BIBLE... i've actually laughed out loud reading it. can you imagine the donkey turning it's head after being beaten and asking "what's up man... what did i do? please stop!" hilarious... here's a, well, amateur depiction of the story...



Balaam was not one of God’s chosen people. Although he recognized that God was a powerful god, he did not believe that the LORD was the only true god. Balaam mixed a belief in God with a belief in sorcery (see Joshua 13:22).

Unfortunately, Balaam did not recognize the power of the One and only true God. He thought he could manipulate God’s will and financially profit at the same time. He was working both angles. He was trying to keep up the outward appearance of being a godly person, while letting corruption run wild inside. He was ready to obey God as long as he could profit from it. A mixture of motives is a scary thing. His head wanted to serve God, but his heart was dedicated to money.

Eventually the game will come to an end. We can pretend to be godly, but eventually who we really are will come to the surface. Instead of spending lots of effort trying to keep up the false appearances, we would better spend our time focusing on God, accepting His forgiveness, and allowing Him to make us new from within. Jesus addressed this with the Pharisees over and over again in the New Testament.

Even though it seems in these chapters that Balaam became bolder and bolder as a prophet for God – he missed out on the transformation from within. Read 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, Revelation 2:14.

The entire Bible is trying to get the point across to us that it is a heart issue, and the example of Balaam shows us that motives are just as important as actions.

Think about it...
Do you try to mix your “religion” – a little bit of this Christian stuff mixed with other worldly “religions”? You know, mix in some "God loves me" (true), with "i can do anything that makes me happy, because that's what God would want if he loves me" (totally not true).

Do you spend a lot of time keeping up your Christian image? Do you worry about people discovering what you are really like on the inside?

Does God ever block your path today? If so, do you recognize it, or do you complain because of your horrible situation?

When you know God’s will, do you try to manipulate Him and change His mind? God please... if you love me, you'll let me do this, make this team, pass this test, get that girlfriend... heal me...

Balaam was motivated by greed. What motivates you to obey or disobey? Do you obey on your terms or on God’s terms?

Are you allowing God to change you from the inside out?