And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?”
And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’?
A man of God must speak what the Lord tells him/her to speak. This is such an easy lesson to see in this story of Balaam and Balak. Balak was the king of Moab. He twice sent high ranking officials to entice Balaam to come to him and to curse this nation of Israel that was camping right on his boarders. Balaam was first told by God to not go to Balak (Numbers 22:12). But, eventually he was allowed by God to go, but to only say what God told him to say. On three occasions Balak asked him to curse Israel. But, instead, Balaam blessed Israel. When confronted by Balak we have these phrase, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” Balaam will eventually break his relationship with God and tell Balak how to defeat Israel (Numbers 25) by telling him to have their daughters marry Israel’s sons. It is too bad that Balaam could not resist the wealth he woudl get from Balak for that deception. If he would have obeyed his original line of only speaking what God told him, his legacy (and Israels) would be different. Note:
God goes on to use Balaam as an example of a false teacher who only wanted the gain of men and not the pleasure of God (Revelation 2:14). Men/women of God have a responsibility to teach God’s Word and ONLY God’s Word. God will honor that obedience.
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