Passage Read: Numbers 24-27
Meditation Verse: 24:13
Thought
How does Balaam go from this to advising Moab in how to cause Israel to offend their God--and his!--and incur God's wrath? He's heading home on a spiritual high, having heard from the Lord and spoken for Him, having resisted the temptation of Balak's riches, and stood up to Balak and prevailed. How could he go home and come back or have so complete a change of heart on the way home? He stood firm in obedience to the Lord, but then betrayed Him for a large enough sum of money. How does that happen?
Application
All these things are recorded as examples and warning to us who believe in Jesus Christ. None of us are immune to temptation, no matter how faithful and committed we are to the Lord. And it doesn't take much to turn our hearts away. Balaam went from such a spiritual victory to destroying his life in a few days, turning his back on everything he stood for and had lived for up to that point. No matter how firm I am in my faith in the Lord, there is always something that can derail me and undo all that I thought was unshakable. I cannot relax or coast or think I am so secure I cannot fall. That is the warning from Balaam. Even the most secure believer can fall. Even the one who does great things for God can fall. And it doesn't take long; it just takes the right temptation.