Balaam - 2

Balaam - 2

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NKJV)

22 So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king."

• Numbers 23:19-23 (NKJV)

19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21 "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.

22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.

23 "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob And of Israel, 'Oh, what God has done!'

GOD’S grace, favor and protection are over His chosen people.

Am I child of GOD?

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD.

Leviticus 25:55 (NKJV)

55 For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

• Numbers 24:1 (NKJV)

1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

When Balaam understood GOD’S heart, he didn’t need rituals to seek Him.

If my heart is fully open to please GOD I don’t need sacrifices or rituals to connect with Him.

• Numbers 25:1-3 (NKJV)

1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.

2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.

Women are used by the enemy to seduce and stumble men.

Israel compromising with Moab and Midian is a picture of spiritual adultery.

Do I stumble men by my dress and my behavior?

If I am a man, am I seduced by women?

Does my heart worship anyone or anything other than the LORD?

Numbers 31:16 (NKJV)

16 Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

• Numbers 25:7-12 (NKJV)

7 Now when Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand;

8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel.

9 And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

11 "Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.

12 Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace;

Cozbi was a Midianitess. Midian made the inroad for Moab into Israel through the counsel of Balaam.

Phinehas hit the nail on the head when he dealt with the cause of the problem. This is a picture of intercession.

I need to beware of subtle intermediaries that lead me to compromise.

I need to be zealous for the LORD and intercede for people.

I must also expose and destroy things and situations that provoke GOD’S anger.

• Numbers 25:16-18 (NKJV)

16 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

17 "Harass the Midianites, and attack them;

18 for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor."

GOD asked His people to deal harshly with the Midianites, who were the stumbling blocks.

I need to be radical in putting away stumbling blocks in my life.

I will be the object of the LORD’S anger if I stumble others.

Numbers 31:7-8 (NKJV)

7 And they warred against the Midianites, just as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed all the males.

8 They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of those who were killed--Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor they also killed with the sword.

Mark 9:42 (NKJV)

42 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.

• Deuteronomy 23:4-5 (NKJV)

4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Although Balaam only spoke what GOD put in his mouth, GOD saw that in his heart he was willing to curse GOD’S people.

Joshua 24:9-10 (NKJV)

9 'Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you.

10 'But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV)

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

• 2 Peter 2:15-16 (NKJV)

15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

Jude 1:11 (NKJV)

11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

• Revelation 2:14 (NKJV)

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Balaam continues to teach me some aspects of the curse of Compromise.

• A heart that is not loyal to GOD but to the enemy.
• Involvement in idolatry while being a messenger for GOD.
• Motive to serve GOD is greed for material gain.
• The above would cause me to stumble GOD’S people into a life of compromise.
• GOD judges me by the attitude of my heart and not purely by my words and actions.
• Being willing to curse whom GOD has blessed.
• Consequently being cursed.

Gideon

Gideon

Judges chapters 6, 7 & 8

Judges 6:10 

 Also I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell." But you have not obeyed My voice.' "

Israel sinned by fearing the gods of the Amorites.

Judges 6:1

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,

God delivered them into the hand of the enemy.

Judges 6:6 

So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
They cried out to the LORD in their distress.

Judges 6:12  

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
Gideon was raised up as a deliverer to save Israel from the the Midianites.

Judges 6:13-14 
 Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
Gideon was also confused and discouraged like his brethren.

Judges 6:15-16 
 So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
He knew his weak state and he was humble. Therefore GOD picked him.

Judges 6:14,16,17
 Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
God looked on him favourably. GOD sent him. GOD promised to be with him. GOD promised to defeat the Midianites through him.

Judges 6:19 
 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
Gideon made an offering to the LORD.

Judges 6:21 
 Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

The LORD was pleased and accepted his sacrifice.

Judges 6:23
 Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."
GOD confirmed His favor on Gideon.

Judges 6:25-26
 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down."
He had to bring down inherited idol worship and establish Godly worship.

Judges 6:27
 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
Although he feared man, he feared GOD more and obeyed GOD.

Judges 6:30-31 
 Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it." But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!"
This opened the eyes of Gideon’s father to the futility of idol worship and he defended his son. He realised that he needn't fear other gods.

Judges 6:33-34
 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
As soon as the curse of idol worship was removed, the Spirit of GOD came upon Gideon and raised him up to face the task ahead.

Judges 6:36-37 
 So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said-- look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said."
In sincerity Gideon wanted to know that GOD was in this and requested the fleece sign.

Judges 7:1
 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
As soon as Gideon knew this was of GOD, he set camp against the enemy.

Judges 7:2
 And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
Glory has to go to GOD alone. His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Judges 7:3
 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' " And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
Fear has to be put away first.

Judges 7:4,6-7
 But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place."
GOD desires no frills!

Judges 7:5 
 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."
Soldiers need to be alert at all times.

Judges 7:9 
 It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
GOD had finished His work. The battle was won in the heavenlies.

Judges 7:12
 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
The enemy seemed big, strong and frightening.

Judges 7:10,14,15
 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, Then his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp." And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."
When the LORD revealed to Gideon the real state of the enemy (that they were in fear), fear left him. He worshiped GOD. He took up the sword of the LORD.

Judges 7:17-18
And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!' "
Gideon followed the instructions of the LORD and asked the people to follow him. He was a good leader.

Judges 7:20-21
Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers--they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing--and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"
The weapons of their warfare were not swords but trumpets (Prayer) and pitchers & torches (Breaking of self and letting the light of GOD shine from within).

Judges 7:21-22
 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
As the people of GOD took their place in obedience to GOD - with GOD & with each other - the enemy fled. They panicked, feared and used their own swords to kill each other.

Judges 7:25 
 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
The enemy was defeated & beheaded!

Judges 8:1-28
vs 1-3
Take the task that has been entrusted to you as important. Don’t compare with the task of others.

vs 4-21
Learn to look at the big picture - The Kingdom. Support others in the work of GOD’S Kingdom. Stand united in exposing and destroying the common enemy.

vs 22-28
When you have excelled in some ministry and the people show admiration and devotion towards you, it is easy for you to take advantage of that situation to put yourself between GOD and the people carnally. This becomes a snare to you and to the people to play the harlot. Always keep your focus on JESUS. 

 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Genesis 15:1

Spiritual Warfare - 14

Gideon – Judges 6

 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”  So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”  And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”   Judges 6:14-16 

God does not wait for us till we are strong. HE strengthens us as we go. HIS strength is made perfect in my weakness. HE sends me. HE is with me as I obey. HE sends me to save Israel from the oppressor. HE assures me of great victory.

 Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”  So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.   Judges 6:23-24 HIS presence is Shalom.

 Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;  and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.”    Judges 6:25-26
 Bring down the altar of Baal. Build the altar of God.


Spiritual victory before physical victory.
   I need to experience personal victory before I can be used to bring national victory.

Shaping a valiant army:--

Out of the 32,000 people, 22,000 people ( About 70%) who were fearful had to leave.  Fear has to go. Only about 1% of the original army was taken for the war. These were 300 men who were whole heartedly dedicated.

 It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.  But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,  and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. Judges 7:9-11
The Lord understands us and helps us to overcome our fear.

 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”  Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”   Judges 7:13-14
The Lord reveals to us that the enemy is in fear when he is confronted by a man or woman of God. When we see the defeat of the enemy in faith, courage rises in our hearts.

 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”   Judges 7:15
When fear leaves, we are able to see the greatness of the Lord and we worship Him. Then we are able to encourage others.

  Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a 

trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.   Judges 7:16

We follow the Lord’s instruction and plan of action which could be quite unconventional!

Trumpet – Prayer.  Empty pitcher – Selflessness,  Torch – The light of the Holy Spirit within us. (2 Cor 4:6,7)

 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:  Judges 7:17
Gideon arises as a leader as He is led by the Lord.

 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ”  Judges 7:18
If my sword is the same as that of the Lord, I am assured of victory.


When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.  Judges 7:22 
The Lord brought the victory when the trumpets were blown. The Lord brings us to victory when we pray. When we get the enemy unawares, he reacts. When he reacts, his character shows up. Fear, anger, murder and destruction are brought about, even within his own army! JESUS came to expose and destroy the evil works of the enemy. (Matt 12:24-26)