The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion from Numbers Ch. 22-24 is Balak, who was the king of Moab. His name means "devastator, waster, lay waste, to annihilate, to make empty." All of the nation of Moab was exceedingly afraid and sick with dread because of the people of Israel, who were journeying through the wilderness. Moab feared the Israelites because of their previous victory of the over the Amorites (see Num. 21:21-25). The nation of Moab said: "Now this company will lick up (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-everything-around-us...". And King Balak sent messengers to a famous soothsayer named Balaam (Bil'am - "Not of the people") saying: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-face ('ayin - eye, sight, face, presence, fountain, countenance, resemblance) 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...for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (Num. 22:1-6). Notice that both "everything around us", and "the face" of the earth are preceded by the aleph-tav in written Hebrew which designates the identity of Messiah/Christ (see *note at the bottom of the entry). The earth and everything in it belong to Messiah/Christ and has from the beginning. Genesis 1:1 in written Hebrew shows the aleph-tav preceding "the heavens and the earth," which were created by God. We also have the scripture that says: "The earth is the LORD's and all its fulness, the world and those who dwell therein." (Ps. 24:1). Neither the land, nor anything around them, belongs to Moab or its king, Balak, but to the LORD.
In the last few weeks, we have been learning about the human soul, which, simply put, is composed of the mind, the will and the emotions/desires. While the definition here may be simplified, the creation of the human soul is not simple. Genesis tells us that the living human soul was created by God's own breath. (see Gen. 2:7). This week, the Sabbath reading portions were teaching me about "the will" of man. We will see how the two men, King Balak and Balaam, will be carried to their own destruction by the strength of their own wills. The king's messengers, who were princes (Num. 22:14), traveled to Balaam to deliver the king's request that Balaam should come and curse the Israelites for him. They took with them a "diviner's fee" to give to Balaam: "Then the LORD came to Balaam and said...'You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." (v. 9-12). Balaam obeyed and refused to go with the messengers from the king. The king sent even more highly ranked messengers back to Balaam and increased his offer: "Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me." (v. 16-17). Balaam is promised anything he wants, but he tells the messengers that he cannot go beyond the word of the LORD. Then he invites the messengers to spend the night while he seeks what the LORD will say to him. However, Balaam already knows what the LORD has spoken concerning these men.
"Then God came to Balaam at night and said to him, 'If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-word which I speak to you - that you shall do.' So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-his-donkey, and went with the princes of Moab." (v. 20-21). Balaam really wanted to go with the men, so he didn't wait for the men to call to him as the LORD had commanded him, but rose early and was already saddled to leave with the men. Balaam's will was to go with the men.
God was angry that Balaam left with the men and sent His (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Angel to obstruct Balaam. Although the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-donkey saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel and tried to stop, Balaam beat his donkey into continuing: "Then the LORD opened Balaam's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-eyes, and he saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the Angel of the LORD standing in the way...And (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel...said to him, 'Why have you struck (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-your-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you because your way is perverse (yarat - hurl headlong, to be rash, turned over, destructive) before Me...". (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel conceded to the will of Balaam and allowed him to continue to go with Balak's princes, but he was to speak only (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-word that the the LORD will speak to him. "So Balaam went with the princes of Balak." (v. 22-35).
The account of Balaam and King Balak continues through two more chapters, and Balaam does deliver only the word that the LORD tells him to speak. These words are words and prophecies of blessing towards Israel, including the coming of the Messiah/Christ, rather than the cursing that the king sought. However, Balaam's will was towards the rewards of the king, and he would continue to conspire with the king against the children of Israel. Scripture tells us that eventually Balaam's will for honor and reward would lead to his death as (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel had warned him. (see Num. 31:7-8). Balaam clearly knew from his direct encounters with the LORD in Numbers 22 through 24, what the will of the LORD was regarding the Israelites, and His will concerning Balaam's own way, yet Balaam allowed his own will to prevail against the will of God.
Why didn't the LORD simply take action to prevent Balaam from going with the men in the first place? The LORD, scripture shows us, does use force to overcome the will or free choice of a person, but He will warn, He will send miraculous signs (like an Angel or a talking donkey), He will set obstacles in the path to dissuade a rash or headlong rush into destructive willfulness, as we saw above.
From another reading portion of the Balak or "Devastator" Sabbath, Joshua, shortly before he died, gave this word to the Israelites: "...Serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD, choose (bahar - choose, chosen, choice, excellent, acceptable, decide, elect, select, join, examine, prove) for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD...And the people said to Joshua, 'No, but we will serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD!'...Now therefore,' he (Joshua) said, 'put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-your-heart to the LORD God of Israel.' And the people said to Joshua, '(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-The-LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!" (Josh. 24:14-24).
As we can see from the Hebrew meaning of the word "choose", the result of "choice" involves becoming "joined" to your choice. We can choose to join our wills to the will of the LORD, or we can choose to join our will to forces like Balak, the devastator. Joshua said that he and his house have chosen to be joined to the will of God. Smart choice. It is the choice of life as opposed to destruction.
Scripture shows us that the will of man is a most powerful force. The will of man is even more powerful than the will of Satan, which we will see. Imagine the awesome earth-changing power when the will of man becomes submitted to and joined with the will of God! Let's look at some examples in scripture:
The will of man is powerful: The whole of earth had one language (sapa/sop/sup - language, boundary, edge, lip, sweep away, destroy, consume, perish, wind-swept, be scraped barren. laid bare, abrade, carry off/end, conclusion, termination, invading swarm/to come to an end, utterly end) and one speech. The inhabitants of the earth journeyed and settled in the plains of Shinar (sinar - "country of two rivers", land that later became Babylon/Chaldea). They said to one another: "Come, let us make bricks (lebena/laban - brick, tile, pavement/make white, be white, be purified, to purge, to cleanse from the filthiness of sin)...". And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth." (Gen. 11:1-4). We see how the will of the inhabitants have become united, and they have decided upon a course that is against the expressed will of God. They wanted to determine their own future. They wanted to assure that their own will would prevail for their lives.
"But then the LORD came down to see (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-city and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language (see sapa/sop/sup above), and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose (zamam - to purpose) to do will be withheld from them." (v. 5-6). What they were planning to do by their own will, as we can see by the written Hebrew and its meanings, was to create their own Messiah/Christ identity, or let us say an "antichrist" system, using the work of their own hands to provide a kind of counterfeit salvation by which they would ensure their own planned continuance. The word of the LORD states that only blood, and specifically only the blood of His appointed and anointed Messiah/Christ Jesus can, by faith in His name, cleanse man of his sins and provide man with eternal salvation. (see Isa. 53:7-8 and Jn. 1:24-36). The philosophies, man-made religions and the will and works of man cannot accomplish this. As we see the Hebrew meaning for the word "language", this attempt by the inhabitants of Shinar would have meant the utter end of mankind. The LORD then confused their language so that they could not understand each other and He scattered them abroad. (v. 7-8). Otherwise, the LORD admitted, nothing would be kept from the joined wills of these people.
The will of man is more powerful than the will of Satan: The prophet Isaiah revealed the will of Lucifer/Satan who said in his heart his will to ascend to the highest levels and be like the Most High. However, Isaiah prophesied the Word of the LORD that Lucifer/Satan would be fallen and brought down to the place of death, the lowest depths of the pit. (Isa. 14:12-19). Unlike the people of Shinar above, about whom the LORD had said that nothing would be withheld from them in their united will, Satan's will and purpose is already defeated and prevented.
Hundreds of years later, as the seventy disciples returned to Jesus with joy saying that even the demons were subject to them, Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit... ". (Luke 10:17-21). The disciples did not have this authority in their own strength but because they had been joined to the will of heaven through Jesus Messiah/Christ.
The power of the human will submitted to and joined with God's will: Jesus is the perfect example provided for us to see and emulate a will that is by choice joined to God's will. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the kingdom and will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt. 6:9-10). As He suffered torment before His crucifixion, Jesus submitted to and joined His will to the will of God saying: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will (thelema/thelo - what one wishes, will, choice, inclination, desire/have in mind), but Yours be done." (Lk. 22:41-42). The great miraculous and powerful work of salvation and resurrection was accomplished through the submitting and joining of Jesus' will with His Father's will.
We learn from scripture that Jesus knows and perceives us from that spiritual place that exists within His Father's will. Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness/iniquity (anomia/anomos - unrighteousness, transgression of the law, iniquity, contempt and violation of the law, wickedness/without law)." (Mt. 7:21-23). Anything outside of the will of the Father is lawlessness, and Jesus is not part of the place of lawlessness against the will of God.
The apostle James had some strong words regarding God's will and man's plans. As man decides in his will what he will do and accomplish today or tomorrow, James pointed out that considering life's fragility, we do not know what will happen tomorrow. He wrote: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (James 4:13-16). These words cause us to think of how strongly we depend upon our own wills, plans and choices in common everyday life, but these choices may lie outside the will of God, which we have not sought. We either exercise our choices by our own will, or by submitting and joining our will with God's will.
Paul wrote about a kind of sacrifice of self (which would also include one's will) in order to be transformed: "...that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:1-2). He also wrote concerning choices that we make by our will: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?...But he that is joined to (see bahar above) the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Cor. 6:15-17, excerpt). Choices made outside of the will of God affect that joining in the Spirit with Him.
The lesson of this Balak Sabbath reading portion was an important one for me to learn. The peace and perfection of (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Messiah/Christ Jesus are found with Him in the will of God.
If you would like to know more about submitting our will to the will of God, you can pray with me: "Dear Father, You express Your will to us through Your Word and Your Spirit. All of creation is held together by these things. Teach me, Lord, how to join my will with Yours. Keep me, Lord, from following my own will rather than Yours. Let my submitted life and will be used to prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, and to accomplish the purpose that You have appointed for my life. You gave me the gift of the freedom of choice when You gave me Your breath and made me a living soul. Let me use this gift of choice to choose to dwell within Your will. I ask this in the name of my Savior, Lord, and godly example, Jesus. AMEN."
*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.
No comments:
Post a Comment