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5/14 Reading Portions: Numbers 23; Psalms 64-65; Isaiah 13; 1 Peter 1
Numbers 23:5
And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
EXCEPTIONS
Our all-powerful God can, and does, use anything and anyone to fulfill His plans and purposes. The normal and regular means for His holy word to come forth is that holy men are called of God and sent by Him (Rom 10:16). Nevertheless, there are exceptions. Unbelievers have spoken God’s truth. Concerning the Lord Jesus Caiaphas said,
“You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” John 11:49-50
Yet the Holy Spirit tells us through John’s gospel that because Caiaphas was the high priest that year, he prophesied (John 11:51-52). While Paul was imprisoned, there were those who preached Christ from envy and strife, not from love, faith, and godly fear, hoping that they would add to the apostle’s afflictions (Phil 1:15-16). Even Satan’s lies and perversions of God’s Word are salted with some truth (Gen 3:1-5; Matt 4:1-11). So Baalam, who prophesied for times concerning YHVH God’s blessings upon His people, as well as a prophecy concerning the promised Messiah (Num 24:17), was one of the earliest exceptions to the prophetic word; for Baalam was a false prophet, full of greed (2 Pet 2:15; Jude 11).
These exceptions exist to humble us, encourage us, and warn us. First, to think that Christ would use such villains to speak forth His truth, we should not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom 12:3; Gal 6:3). We flatter ourselves quite often to think we’ve somehow arrived. Every spokesperson for Christ is a sinner, whether believer or unbeliever, and this truth should humble us to the dust. Second, these exceptions should encourage us to love Jesus, to live for Jesus, and to introduce Jesus to others; for if God can use such riffraff to advance His plans and purposes in Christ, He will most certainly delight in using you and me. Finally, these exceptions warn us to be vigilant concerning false teachers, false prophets, and servants of Satan disguising themselves as apostles of our Lord (Matt 7:15-19; 2 Cor 11:13-15). Therefore, let us lean wholly upon Christ, calling out to Him alone for persevering faith, as the sweet psalmist of Israel pens,
Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Psalm 64:1