IS IT GOD'S WILL OR YOUR WILL?

*WISDOM FOR TODAY.*

*IS IT GOD'S WILL OR YOUR WILL?*

*Scripture Treasure.*

(Numb 22: 15-24, 31-35)

*v15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.*

*v16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:*

*v17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.*

*v18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.*

*v19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.*

*v20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.*

*v21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.*

*v22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.*

*v23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.*

*v24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.*

*v31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.*

*v32 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:*

v33  *And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times:* *unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.*

v34  *And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned;* *for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.*

v35  *And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam,* *Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.*

*So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.*

*Insight and Highlight.*

God allowed Balaam to go, yet he stood in his way.

*Scripture Commentaries.*

One would wonder why God would tell Balaam to go with the people king Balak sent to him to tell him to curse Israel, yet He stood against him on his way.

God does not do the opposite of what He says it is we who do the opposite of what we say to Him.

Balaam appeared to fear God when he told the elders of Moab to stay the night so that he could hear what God would say to him.

This was Balak's second attempt after Balaam had already rejected his (Balak's) first attempt to persuade him (Balaam).

Without any doubt, God was not happy to have Balaam go with the people Balak sent to him, Numb 22: 22.

This story teaches us several lessons about how God answers our requests or approval to pursue a course.

First is that God told Balaam he could go with the people, but he stood in his way.

God did this because he knew Balaam was double minded, James 1:8

What was most important to God was His insistence that Balaam must do want He wanted him to do and speak.

Balaam's mind was preoccupied with the rewards of divination and the great honour Balaak had promised him though his frequest request to seek what God had to say did not make it obvious to everyone that this was on his mind.

Peter explained who Balaam was.

Peter wrote in 2 Pet 2: 15-17 *Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;*

*But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.*

*These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.*

God allowed him to go and God's attempt to create an obstacle in his way was God's way of letting him know that He would stand in the way of anyone who persistently ask what God has not perfectly desired for him.

Second is that God will not say what He would not do. He had said Balak should not go with the people, Numb 22:12.

For God to change His decision to tell him to go must have shown Balaam's persistence in his request to God in order to persuade or force his will on God.

Why would Balaam have to seek God's face a second time when God had already told him not to go? The first time he asked God was in Numb 22:8, and the second time was in Numb 22:19, and the word of God was the same.

God's Spirit will not strive with anyone.

For God to say, He would have killed Balaam ( Numb 22:33) was conclusive of God's undivided resolve that he should not have heeded to Balak's request

Third is that while the bible teaches us to pray without ceasing, (1 Thess 5:17), that we ought always to pray (Lk 18:1), and be fervent in it (Jam 5:16), it is important for us to pray according to God's will, 1 John 5:14.

We must never force an answer from God.

Balaam forced an answer from God, and he almost died.

It teaches us how careful we must be to discern God's voice and His will for us.

We must be careful that we are not forcing our request on God for an answer. Any prayer in this instance will be a prayer of *.....vain repetition....."*, Matt 6:7.

While God's decision is not totally irreversible Exd 32:14 (where Moses' intervention changed God's mind to destroy the people), we must know that God's ability to change His declared will is exclusive only to God and this is possible with His own declared will not to any human will to force Him to do what He does not want to do.

His story teaches us that those who force God to declare a will different from His initial will only receive His permissive will not His perfect will and such people will soon encounter God standing as an adversary against them.

What is God telling you?

Be sure it is God speaking to you.

Know what He is saying.

Though the journey may appear smooth, God may not be in it. You will soon see Him as an obstacle, Numb 22: 21-35.

Though the journey may appear rough.

This does not suggest God is not in it, and you can be sure He will stand as your help not as an adversary, Exd 5: 23, 6:1-8.

Remember, God knows your heart before you request anything from Him!

*Remorse corner.*

Let your request be with a heart that is sincere for heart-to-heart communication with God, not a request with a heart of idol impressing your will on God.

*Call to Word action.*

God's perfect will is always His first answer to your request. God will never tell you what He does not intend for you.

*The Christian clarion duty.*

To continue to pray after God has told you His mind is to force Him to give you an answer that permits you to do what is in your heart.

*Prayer.*

Lord, help me to obey Your will for my life.

Do not let me force my will on You.

I want Your perfect will not Your permissive will in Jesus name.

Good morning all, and have a blessed day.

God bless you.

Shalom.