Numbers 22:7-11: a reflection

7The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8He said to them, “Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak to me.” The princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9God came to Balaam, and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has said to me, 11‘Behold, the people that has come out of Egypt covers the surface of the earth. Now, come curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.’”

When Balak's messengers come to Balaam with the rewards of divination in hand, hoping to hire him to curse God's people, Balaam at first says he will only bring back the word that the LORD gives him, a reminder not to let inducements move us against God's will. I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak to me, Balaam tells the messengers. They had come with rewards in hand, seeking to pay him to curse Israel; but Balaam, at least at first, does not simply take the money and do as they wish. He says he will answer only according to what the LORD speaks to him. Whatever was in his heart, his stated resolve was to be governed by God's word, not by the reward he was offered. This shows not letting inducements move us to act against God's will. Do not let rewards or inducements move you to act against God's will. Answer to what God says, not to what people will pay you to do. Let God's will, not the reward offered, govern what you do. Inducements to do wrong should not sway the one who answers to God.

Notice the pressure Balaam faced and his stated resolve. Balak's messengers came with the rewards of divination in their hand, an inducement, a payment, to get Balaam to curse God's people for them. There was money and honor to be gained by doing what they asked. But Balaam's stated resolve, at least at first, was not to be governed by the reward: he would bring back only the word that the LORD gave him, answering to God's will rather than to what he was being paid to do. Whatever later compromise crept into Balaam's heart, this initial resolve names a right principle: that we are to answer to God's will, not to the inducements offered us to act against it. This holds a practical warning. We can be offered inducements, money, advantage, honor, gain, to do what is against God's will: to act wrongly, to compromise, to go along with what we know we should not. Such inducements can be strong, and can tempt us to let the reward, rather than God's will, govern what we do. But the one who answers to God is not to be swayed by inducements to do wrong; what governs us is to be God's will, not what we are offered to act against it. We do well not to let rewards or inducements move us to act against God's will, but to answer to what God says, whatever we are offered. Do not let rewards or inducements move you to act against God's will. What people will pay you to do is not the measure; God's will is. Let God's will, not the inducement offered, govern your conduct. The one who answers to God is not swayed by inducements to do wrong.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are not to let inducements move us against God's will, but to answer to what God says, as Balaam at first resolved to speak only the LORD's word. We can be swayed by rewards and inducements to do what is against God's will; but Balaam's stated resolve was to answer only to what the LORD spoke, not to the reward offered. Answer to God. When you are offered inducements to act against God's will, do not let them sway you; let God's will, not the reward, govern what you do. Do not let rewards or inducements move you to act against God's will, but answer to what God says rather than to what you are offered, as when Balak's messengers came to Balaam with the rewards of divination in hand, hoping to hire him to curse God's people, Balaam at first said he would only bring back the word the LORD gave him, a reminder not to let inducements move us against God's will; for they had come with rewards in hand seeking to pay him to curse Israel, but Balaam at least at first did not simply take the money and do as they wished but said he would answer only according to what the LORD spoke to him, his stated resolve being to be governed by God's word and not by the reward offered, which names a right principle whatever later compromise crept into his heart, that we are to answer to God's will and not to the inducements offered us to act against it, which holds a practical warning, since we can be offered inducements of money, advantage, honor, and gain to do what is against God's will, to act wrongly, compromise, or go along with what we know we should not, and such inducements can be strong and tempt us to let the reward rather than God's will govern what we do, but the one who answers to God is not to be swayed by inducements to do wrong, what governs us being God's will and not what we are offered to act against it, so that we do well not to let rewards or inducements move us against God's will.

Lord, when Balak's messengers come to Balaam with the rewards of divination in hand, hoping to hire him to curse your people, Balaam at first says he will only bring back the word that you give him, a reminder to me not to let inducements move me against your will. I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak to me, Balaam tells the messengers. They had come with rewards in hand, seeking to pay him to curse Israel; but Balaam, at least at first, does not simply take the money and do as they wish. He says he will answer only according to what you speak to him. Whatever was in his heart, his stated resolve was to be governed by your word, not by the reward he was offered. Show me the pressure Balaam faced and his stated resolve. Balak's messengers came with the rewards of divination in their hand, an inducement to get Balaam to curse your people. There was money and honor to be gained by doing what they asked. But Balaam's stated resolve, at least at first, was not to be governed by the reward: he would bring back only the word you gave him. Whatever later compromise crept into his heart, this initial resolve names a right principle: that I am to answer to your will, not to the inducements offered me to act against it. This holds a practical warning. I can be offered inducements, money, advantage, honor, gain, to do what is against your will: to act wrongly, to compromise, to go along with what I know I should not. Such inducements can be strong, and can tempt me to let the reward, rather than your will, govern what I do. But the one who answers to you is not to be swayed by inducements to do wrong. Take that to my heart. When I am offered inducements to act against your will, keep me from being swayed by them; help me answer to what you say, Lord, not to what I am offered, letting your will and not the reward govern my conduct, that I may not be moved against your will by any inducement.