Seek The Lord God

Lamentations 3:25-26 

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

This passage of scripture opens a few thought patterns, hope, seek, and patience. To hope for something is to want something to happen. To seek is attempting to find and patience is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. With this in mind I gain the understanding that God is good to those who are attempting to find the salvation of the Lord, whose wants are in parallel to Jah, and attempt to find the Existence of El Shaddai.

In life this is how I understand the attitude of life. It’s not to have everything right now because we tend to not appreciate those things. When we are impatient it builds a stress level within which affects our total spirit-body connection. To hope for nothing but God can centralize our wellbeing.

1.       The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him…

a.       The synonyms of hope are aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, goal, plan, and design. These terms build a pattern to live that revolves around the understanding of God and God’s creation of our individual selves. To know who God is we have to go into the Existence of. It’s just like a house, looking from the outside I cannot tell what the interior of the house is until I enter it. Once I enter the house I can tell how many bedrooms there are, how tall the ceilings are, what color the walls are, et cetera. The same goes for God, how are we to know who we serve if we are not familiar with the One Whom we serve. It takes more that claiming a religious status or spending a day in worship, this has to be a daily activity to know the One that Exist within. Got you on that one huh, God Exist within us, so to understand Jah is to understand the One within us.

2.       …to the one who seeks him…

a.       Attempting to seek takes me another scripture in the bible that has the acronym A.S.K. Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. When we put forth the effort to find God we understand more about God. My own understanding has stopped me from acknowledging God as him and rendering the many titles of El Shaddai existence. God is neither he nor she but the True and Wise God whom all that has life is the Creator of. A spirit has no sexual preference therefore God can be neither he nor she, but that’s another study topic. To seek our Creator is the method that brings forth understanding of the One that created all that we exist in.

3.       …it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord….

a.       Here is where most of us have a problem at. When we want something we want it know and are unwilling to wait. But here’s the problem, what do we gain by expediting the results, we miss the time spent obtaining the result. Some might say, so what I got what I wanted, but we sometimes miss the things which can help us sustain the want. We miss the steps that we can take that may help us achieve a higher greatness in life. When we rush to get we miss the how’s to get. Salvation means a source or means of being saved from harm, ruin, or loss. Salvation of the Lord is the source of deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss in the life we live.

It is perfectly placed in order the method of knowing Jah. To hope, seek, and wait on the Lord demonstrates a pattern of success in life. All of what God does has an order and purpose. Just like math, which is always true, God gives us equations to figure out the results. It is up to us to remove ourselves out of the equation and better understand how the equation works. Once we gain the understanding we can then plug in the numbers, self, and perform the equation God has given us. The results we obtain from properly working the equation(s) will guide us into a life of endless success.

The Wife of Noble Character

Proverbs 31:10-21 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.  She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls.   She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.  She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.  She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.  In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.  She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.  Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Who Is Christ Jesus

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four canonical Gospels.

The symbolism is captured in Zechariah 9:9 "The Coming of Zion's King – See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey". It was perceived that Jesus was declaring he was the King of Israel to the anger of the Sanhedrin.

According to the Gospels, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there laid down their cloaks in front of him, and also laid down small branches of trees. The people sang part of Psalm 118: 25–26 – ... Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The symbolism of the donkey may refer to the Eastern tradition that it is an animal of peace, versus the horse, which is the animal of war. A king came riding upon a horse when he was bent on war and rode upon a donkey when he wanted to point out he was coming in peace. Jesus' entry to Jerusalem would thus symbolize his entry as the Prince of Peace, not as a war-waging king.

In many lands in the ancient Near East, it was customary to cover in some way the path of someone thought worthy of the highest honor. The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in the Greco-Roman culture of the Roman Empire.

Who is this Man

Here is a story I wrote about how I would deal with someone asking me about Christ. If someone comes to me and asked me “do I believe Jesus Christ is God”? I would first ask them “what do they mean?” Reason is because this is a loaded question, people love to play the devil’s advocate and ask stupid questions to create controversy. I believe the response would be, “what do you what do I mean? I asked it, do you believe Jesus Christ is God? In other words how could God be Jesus when God is supposed to be a Spirit”? My response would be “God is Manifested in Jesus Christ”. Most people would run with this and say, “How do you call yourself a preacher when you can’t answer a question?” “I’m not what Christ is but I am trying to emulate (match or surpass) the essence of His existence”. I can go on with this story but the point I’m trying to prove here is that most people have a “surface understanding” about Christ. People are taught that Jesus Christ is God but what is the Essence of Christ. Why did Christ have to Exist? What is it about Christ that we are to fully understand? Let’s go to the bible and paraphrase some scripture.

John 1:16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Ephesians 1:23  which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Colossians1:19  For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

Colossians 2:9  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

Roman 3:24  and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Fullness: completely filled; containing all that can be held; filled to utmost capacity.

In most people today, we are all full of you know what. We have so much sugar-honey-ice-tea in us that it can sometimes overwhelm us. Some of us have accepted it while others play like it’s not there. But the more and more we socialize with others, that inner person comes out. We all want to improve ourselves and most think that we must rid self of this stuff but I beg to differ. See all of the information we need to utilize is right here in the bible. In Genesis, God creates the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil for a purpose, to give us balance in life. We must study it, not for religious purposes, but to the sense of science, philosophical, sociological, mathematical, and psychological states. Theses are consider the “branches of nature”.

Science: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus encompasses the actual essence of science because in Christ Jesus is creation, the actual structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. So now science is the study of what was created by Him. As for the word "heavens," this is derived from the Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (shamayim). According to Gesenius' Hebrew Lexicon, this word refers to the sky or visible heavens, including the stars and galaxies. In other words, Genesis is a discussion of the creation and purpose of the physical universe. Science has all kinds of theories about creation but science must abide by the universal rule of the physical world that every event must have an elementary source, better known as the singularity problem. Out of all the theories of science such as the big bang and the theory of everything, scientist still have to ask the question, where did it all come from? All of these elements, which all came into being, add to the singularity problem. Where did the capability for matter to produce all of this come from? The big bang theorists simply have no logical explanation. We as humans can’t grasp the concept of the beginning because we can only understand time, in our physical nature. God has no time therefore creation is the beginning of time.

Philosophy: the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

Philosophy is simple terms ask a lot of questions about everything that exist. Studying the book of Proverbs, we discover the actual conversation on philosophical issues. It is an example of the Biblical wisdom tradition, and raises questions of values, moral behavior, the meaning of human life, and right conduct. Wisdom, the repeated theme that "the fear of God (meaning submission to the will of God), is praised for her role in creation. God acquired her before all else, and through her he gave order to chaos; and since humans have life and prosperity by conforming to the order of creation, seeking wisdom is the essence and goal of life. When Christ is exposed to us in the Gospels, he demonstrates philosophical behavior in a humbling experience.

Sociology: the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society.

Throughout the bible we see sociological examples from Genesis to Revelations. Taking religion out of the forefront and reading with the open-mind we reveal how people behave in society, as a whole. Especially when we read the Old Testament a study the children of Israel, God chose these people and their actions did not demonstrate the Glory of God. One thing that trips people up is trying to understand the connection between there only being one God, and yet God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. When you think about it, it really isn't too difficult. For example, when you're speaking about a family, you usually say "the Smiths" or the "Smith family". Either way, a single unit is represented but consists of more than one member. Make sense? So, there is only one God, eternally existing in three persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit ... Gen 1:1, Gen 1:26, Deut 6:4, Isaiah 6:8, Matt 28:19, John 10:30, often referred to as the Trinity. Let's take a closer look at each of the three members.

Since all people from Adam to present have a sin nature, we have all been separated from God. But the good news is that God made away to reconcile all people back to Himself. When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that He would send a Savior, from the seed of a woman, to redeem the human race from slavery to Satan and to restore man back to Himself. The rest of the Old Testament is the story of God preserving a righteous bloodline through whom the Savior would come and Satan's attempt to stop the Savior from coming.

To reconcile mankind back to Himself, God had to find a man who was not under Satan's dominion and control. Since there was no man who could fulfill this role, God decided that He Himself would enter the human race and become a man and, as a man, take the authority back from the devil and become the representative of an entirely new human race. This is where Jesus Christ, the Son of God, comes into the picture.

Mathematics: the study of topics such as quantity, structure, space, and change.

This subject is tricky because God uses math in various ways. Creation has a mathematical presence in how this universe was created.  We can go through topics like Noah’s ark and Solomon’s temple to see math and how God utilized it. Jesus and how he chose and instructed His disciples to recruit others is another mathematical example. Just looking at the story of Noah and the ark, we find math. The bible has so many mathematical subjects that it is too many to name.

Even further than that, Christ can be viewed from psychological point. Through the hierarchy of needs, which was presented by Maslow, there is a five stage model that can be divided into basic (or deficiency) needs:

 1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belongingness needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, and romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, and respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

The deficiency, or basic needs are said to motivate people when they are unmet. Also, the need to fulfil such needs will become stronger the longer the duration they are denied. For example, the longer a person goes without food the more hungry they will become.

One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level called self-actualization.

Every person is capable and has the desire to move up the hierarchy toward a level of self-actualization. Unfortunately, progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences including divorce and loss of job may cause an individual to fluctuate between levels of the hierarchy

These needs where all fulfilled in our Savior and He was a Master Piece. How these human needs inside him were unable to influence the manner in which he lived His life is a question only He can answer. But through Christ we can find the example of how to achieve the hierarchy of needs and facilitate our lives in the basic branches of nature. Christ didn’t have to walk into a crowd of people and be announced. His Presence alone was enough, how He carried Himself. That Inner Peace of Christ.

Education is the key to understanding. But in education alone we can become a zombie to this society we live in. The system is set up to give a pattern of working for someone else a settling for just being given something in return for your efforts. The media in turn puts programs and commercial on our televisions to train us to settle for and overachieve. Commercials are designed to influence our minds to want a certain product while the shows we watch counteract our intelligence with reality and lifestyle entertainment. There was a man named B.F. Skinner who did a study called “Operant Conditioning”. In this study he worked with rats. One day he left these rats over the weekend without any food by accident. Upon his return he found that none of the rats left the room to find food but that they ate each other and their young. During this period of time the gangs in New York were warring and terrifying the upper class people. The government had no answer to solving this problem until Mr. Skinner said, “I have the solution”. “If you put all of them into a confined space and supply all their needs, they will not leave that area and simple kill each other”. This became known as the “Projects”. We have to gain knowledge ourselves to be able to understand the world we live in.

We are born with the same innate (inborn; natural) reality that Christ possessed. But we are born with the spiritual essence that connects us to God. Christ Spiritual connect was and is God. What we need to do is utilize the acronym “ASK”, “ask, seek, knock. Matthews 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. The spiritual essence of all of us was manifested through Christ. Yes Christ came and died on the cross, but that’s not all He did. Christ gave us a road map of life. Through Christ we can see how we were created to be, the cross was the conclusion of His earthly physical presence. In other words, what we see. It’s what we don’t see that counts, that’s one of the reasons our lives are not to judge because we can’t see past what we see in front of our eyes.

We all fall

 

Genesis 4:1-9

1 The man had sexual relations with Havah his wife; she conceived, gave birth to Kayin [acquisition] and said, "I have acquired a man from ADONAI."   2 In addition she gave birth to his brother Hevel. Hevel kept sheep, while Kayin worked the soil.   3 In the course of time Kayin brought an offering to ADONAI from the produce of the soil;   4 and Hevel too brought from the firstborn of his sheep, including their fat. ADONAI accepted Hevel and his offering   5 but did not accept Kayin and his offering. Kayin was very angry, and his face fell.   6 ADONAI said to Kayin, "Why are you angry? Why so downcast?   7 If you are doing what is good, shouldn't you hold your head high? And if you don't do what is good, sin is crouching at the door - it wants you, but you can rule over it."   8 Kayin had words with Hevel his brother; then one time, when they were in the field, Kayin turned on Hevel his brother and killed him.   9 ADONAI said to Kayin, "Where is Hevel your brother?" And he replied, "I don't know; am I my brother's guardian?"
“Kayin and Hevel”, Cain and Abel are a story and an example of how we live as a society today. Adam and Eve display the example of what we are seeing in couples today but this study is about the relationship between mankind. This example reaches all the way to Isaac and Ishmael. It reveals the misunderstanding that can be created if communication is not utilized. Most people fault Cain for his actions but there is two sides to every story. What did Abel do wrong and/or right?
First let’s look at both brothers. In verse 3, Cain brought the fruit of his garden, or “produce of the soil”. We can assume that this fruit wasn’t just some fruit but award winning fruit that would have taking first place at any county or state fair. Cain brought the best and most delicious fruit. But why, in verse 5 did God not accept Cain’s offering. Let’s first examine Cain, throughout the Bible Cain is given a bad rap sheet. In Jude 11 it says, Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam's error; they have been destroyed in Korah's rebellion. 1 John 3:12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous.  In Proverbs 29:10, the nature of Cain is given as a “bloodthirsty man who hates the integrity of a man and will seek to kill the upright”. In studying Hebrew text the translation is “mortal bloodshed hate pious and therefore straight search out a breathing creature”. All of this demonstrates the actions of Cain. You see Cain was doing something wrong and, from my point of few, did not acknowledge it and accept the correction God was giving him. What was it? Verse 7 of Genesis 4 is where a lot of the questioning of what Cain did comes to light. God asks him why is he angry, in verse 6 and 7 God tells him “if you are doing good, shouldn’t you hold your head up”? If you are doing what is not good, sin is crouching at your door-it wants you, BUT YOU CAN RULE OVER IT”. God gave some words of inspiration to Cain, God saw what was wrong, acknowledged it, and gave him a way to overcome it. Isn’t that like with most of us, when we get into a situation, The Silent Whisper tells us how to get out of it, but we handle it in our own way. Sounds familiar huh Cain? Even Judah had this situation in Genesis 44:16 "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."
In later offerings God gave instruction on how various offerings are to be given unto Him. Leviticus 2: 1 “‘When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it  2 and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
Let’s define flour, Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, beans, or other seeds or roots. It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history.
Now let’s define sacrifice, the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone.
So to put this into perspective, the sacrifice of flour represents the physical human. Our bodies are made of many molecules. Which then present the various functioning parts that make us human beings. As stated in Leviticus 2, the preparation process is simple mixing oil, flour, and incense. Flour being the staple food represents a human being, which without a human or human’s a culture could not exist. Now animals do have cultures but only a human is able to order and be an example of wisdom. The oil is the blessings that holds everything together because without it we would continue to fall apart. The incense is what we present as an acceptable demeanor in Gods Glorious Eyesight. All three create the complete sacrifice to God that can be acceptable. Offerings have a preparation process that it has to go through before it can be acceptable for sacrifice. This can be seen on the physical level when Christ was taken through a preparation process before eventually dying on the cross as the Ultimate Sacrifice. In Cain’s issue God saw what was in Cain’s heart yet Cain did not recognize it. I caught an important statement in the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, ….God accepted Abel and his offering but did not accept Cain and his offering…. God did not accept Cain, which means that there was something wrong with Cain. Cain needed to correct himself before he brought a sacrifice for an offering. We all need to look at this, me-I-you-we need to check ourselves before we can be acceptable to God for sacrifice; which is a daily task for me I might add.
Hebrew 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.
Rom 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
I use to think Abel did something wrong because of his answer to Cain is not written down. My feeling was that Abel should have explained to Cain what he may have been doing wrong. But God has put me into Abel situations and I have found that people, once in an anger or resentment stage, will shoot you down regardless. I now understand that I have to maintain an Abel mind and get out of God’s Way so Adonai can handle the individual person. I have to stand in faith while I continue to strive in the proper work ethics acceptable to the Standards of El Shaddai.
Cain and Abel are examples of how we treat each other and carry ourselves today. In all of life everything starts off with the individual. It’s not about mama, daddy, or neighbors, but what the individual person manages in life. What the individual person is, is the sacrifice in today’s society. We have to prepare ourselves and maintain that preparation in order to be a continual sacrifice to God. God has plans for all of us and we all have to find that place in life where God can use us.
Proverbs 27:17 as iron sharpens iron, so shall one man sharpen another.
Proverbs 28:14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

Proverbs 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…

Micah 7:8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

Psalms 34:19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

Stand and rejoice in the Lords Everlasting Mercy, no matter what we have done in the past; Mercy says we can overcome. Just as he told Cain, we all can rise up when we fall in the Eyesight’s of the Almighty because He delivers us out of all situation. Create inside me a righteous man Oh Father, help me to be pleasing in your Sight. We can find Shelter in our Lord but we, me, I have to acknowledge my wrong doings and strive to be righteous in Eyesight’s of The Almighty.

When Satan Calls

Revelations 9:1 The fifth angel sounded his shofar; and I saw a star that had fallen out of heaven onto the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft leading down to the Abyss.  2 He opened the shaft of the Abyss, and there went up smoke from the shaft like the smoke of a huge furnace; the sun was darkened, and the sky too, by the smoke from the shaft.  3 Then out of the smoke onto the earth came locusts, and they were given power like the power scorpions have on earth.  4 They were instructed not to harm the grass on the earth, any green plant or any tree, but only the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  5 The locusts were not allowed to kill them, only to inflict pain on them for five months; and the pain they caused was like the pain of a scorpion sting.  6 In those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.  7 Now these locusts looked like horses outfitted for battle. On their heads were what looked like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces.  8 They had hair like women's hair, and their teeth were like those of lions.  9 Their chests were like iron breastplates, and the sound their wings made was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.  10 They had tails like those of scorpions, with stings; and in their tails was their power to hurt people for five months.  11 They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is "Abaddon" and in our language, "Destroyer."

The devil, Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, King of Babylon, and all the other names this Adversary is called, calls us many of us answer the call. The talent this set of individuals has is spanned across the lifetime of this earth. Most of us think it’s just one individual and this is known when we read Job. But you see in the Hebrew Bible the name of the one who can talk to ADONAI is “Adversary”. We also see in Job when ADONAI asked what the Adversary had been doing in Job 1:7, the Adversary answered …. "From roaming through the earth, wandering here and there." The name of the same one who goes back and forth to heaven and converses with God is called the Accuser in Revelations 12:10. We also find in Revelations 9:11 the name Abaddon, which in Hebrew means destruction. This angel is king of the bottomless pit. If we go throughout the Bible we will find various names that describe Satan. In the Book of Enoch I also discovered the breakdown of even more names of the angels who fell from heaven. The catch to this is all of these angels committed a sinful act with the women of this earth accept for the one individual who can come back and forth and converse with The Almighty. Now to give a name to that individual again is time consuming but we all know that one as Satan.

Now, is Satan a bad existence? It’s all in how you perceive Satan. Here’s why I say this, most of us would not fall down if it were not for Satan. I realize that the things that Satan deceives us with gets us in some predicaments but the Devil has a purpose. Although the Devil has a mission upon which is good at, we on the other hand need to gain focus on the image we are to have. Is it Satan’s fault that we listen and follow the gestures he creates? First off, we all are born with the understanding of good and bad through our senses. Some philosopher’s will argue this statement but if you put something sweet into a new born babies mouth, the child will not spit it out. If you put something sour into the baby’s mouth, the child will spit it out. This is just an example of our innate senses. Satan is aware of our innate senses but Satan will disguise the sour taste we all reject with something sweet. We have to distinguish that the sour taste is still there and acknowledge it.

I began this with the story of the “Seventh Seal”, which begins in Revelations the 8^th chapter, this revelation brings to light how destruction on the earth will occur once the “Seven Seals” are opened. Here’s the deal, none of us want to be present when this occurs because it will not be a pretty event. Satan has already screwed up and so has a third of the angels who were cast down from heaven. Satan is trying to get as many followers possible and it continues with you and I. Satan is in the churches, on the street corner, in our homes, everywhere utilizing things that will bring us down to his level. But we have to stop it, we have the knowledge of good and evil, but we first must understand it. Understand that Satan will disguise the sour with the sweet. Understand that whatever we are experiencing in our lives has its good and bad points. Acknowledge that what Satan is tempting us with is not good for us. Say to Satan what you are tempting me with will not benefit my wellbeing but if I act as my Savior did and tell you to get behind me maybe you’ll find out what you should be doing. This lifestyle you’re trying to present to me is not what The Father has in store for me and I’m working on my reflection of my Creator. Maybe if you had not tried to be more than the One Who Created you would not be troubled by the end result you are about to face. We have to tell Satan I’m on the road to being a righteous creation acceptable in Eyesight’s of the Almighty God. I don’t need to be standing in the pit of the ungodly, I want to be standing in the glory of my Almighty Creator. My eyes have seen the coming of the Glory of my Lord. You can’t take away my joy devil because my joy comes from up high. My God talks to me and I listen so when you come I’m already prepared for your foolishness, now get behind me Satan cause I’m following Christ’s example.

Zechariah 13:8

In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it.

Zechariah 13:9

This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin: and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. T he Christian soldier may with the greatest propriety, be said to war a good warfare (I Timothy 1:18) . He is engaged in a good cause. He fights under the eye of the Captain of his salvation. Though he be weak in himself, and though his enemies are many and mighty, he may do that which in other soldiers …

John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Zechariah 13:1 When that day comes, a spring will be opened up for the house of David and the people living in Yerushalayim to cleanse them from sin and impurity.

·         A fountain - The blood of Christ. Opened - The spouse is to Christ a fountain sealed, but Christ is to sinners a fountain opened. Inhabitants of Jerusalem - The inhabitants of Jerusalem are all to whom the gospel is preached. For uncleanness - For purging away all manner of sins and uncleanness’s.

2 "When that day comes," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot, "I will cut off the very names of the idols from the land, so that no one even remembers them anymore. I will also expel the [false] prophets and the spirit of uncleanness from the land;

·         Cut off - I will utterly destroy idols and idolatry. The prophets - The false prophets.The unclean spirit - The devil who sets the false prophets to work.

3 so that if anyone continues to prophesy, his own father and mother who brought him into the world will tell him, 'You cannot continue to live, because you are speaking lies in the name of ADONAI'; then his own father and mother who brought him into the world will stab him to death.

·         Prophesy - Falsely. His father - His dearest friends. Shall thrust him through - That is, shall wound, shall chastise him with stripes that may leave their marks behind.

4 When that day comes, each one of the prophets will be shamed by his vision when he prophesies. He will stop wearing a hair cloak to deceive people; 5 and instead, he will say, 'I'm no prophet, I just work the soil; since my youth I've only wanted to be an ordinary man.' 6 If someone asks him, 'Then what are these gashes between your shoulders?' he will answer, 'I got hurt at my friends' house.'

·         With which I was wounded - To recover me from ruining myself and others by imposture

In the time mentioned at the close of the foregoing chapter, a fountain would be opened to the rulers and people of the Jews, in which to wash away their sins. Even the atoning blood of Christ, united with his sanctifying grace. It has hitherto been closed to the unbelieving nation of Israel; but when the Spirit of grace shall humble and soften their hearts, he will open it to them also. This fountain opened is the pierced side of Christ. We are all as an unclean thing. Behold a fountain opened for us to wash in, and streams flowing to us from that fountain. The blood of Christ, and God's pardoning mercy in that blood, made known in the new covenant, are a fountain always flowing, that never can be emptied. It is opened for all believers, who as the spiritual seed of Christ, are of the house of David, and, as living members of the church, are inhabitants of Jerusalem. Christ, by the power of his grace, takes away the dominion of sin, even of beloved sins. Those who are washed in the fountain opened, as they are justified, so they are sanctified. Souls are brought off from the world and the flesh, those two great idols that they may cleave to God only. The thorough reformation which will take place on the conversion of Israel to Christ, is here foretold. False prophets shall be convinced of their sin and folly, and return to their proper employments. When convinced that we are gone out of the way of duty, we must show the truth of our repentance by returning to it again. It is well to acknowledge those to be friends, who by severe discipline are instrumental in bringing us to a sight of error; for faithful are the wounds of a friend, Proverbs 27:6. And it is always well for us to recollect the wounds of our Savior. Often has he been wounded by professed friends, nay, even by his real disciples, when they act contrary to his word.

In most cases, Satan’s job is important in a sense of balance. The temptations brought by Satan are just tools we can use to make better decisions. Satan has planted the seeds of a sinful nature, which are found in Galatians 5:18-21; which are sexual immoarility, impurity, bebauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, disseensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. This nature is the reaction of how we live our lives. But you see it all begins within our minds, how we perceive something. For example, someone says something to you that degrades the character of someone you care for. In a caring sense we would want to defend that person by cussing the accuser out. But if we do that, anger will be a part of our demeanor. The lifestyle of Christ demonstrated how to handle all situations. First, put anger behind you, then help the accuser understand how you feel about the whole situation. Christ also planted some seeds in verses 22 and 23 of Galatians 5; which are love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The devil is in the church and most of us are looking for a physical devil. Stop looking because the seed of Satan is in all of us. I don’t care saved you think you are that seed is in all of us, trying to grow. Take a look around yourself and then go back to Galatians, lets define each “sinful nature:

1.       Sexual immorality - Interpersonal activity involving sex organs that does not conform to God's revealed laws governing sexuality.

a.       The account of creation (Gen 1:1-28) includes reproductive activity as an essential part of the developmental scheme. This important function is given special prominence in the narrative describing the creation of woman (Gen 2:21-24). In a process cloaked in mystery, God takes an aspect (Heb. sela, improperly translated "rib" in many versions) of Adam and fashions it into a genetic counterpart that is specifically female, and which matches Adam's maleness for purposes of reproducing the species. Adam and Eve are thus equal and complementary to one another, of the same physical and genetic composition apart from the slight difference that governs the characteristic nature of male and female fetuses. God tells them to "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill all the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28).

7 "Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me," says ADONAI-Tzva'ot. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the young ones.

·         O sword - Afflictions, persecutions, and the cross. My shepherd - Who is my faithful shepherd, and will lay down his life for my sheep. My fellow - This speaks Christ; man with us, and God with his father, God - man in one person. The shepherd - This great and good shepherd. Turn mine hand - God will turn his hand in favour, and for protection will keep the new, and weak disciples

8 In time, throughout that land," says ADONAI, "two-thirds of those in it will be destroyed - they will die, but one-third will remain. 9 That third part I will bring through the fire; I will refine them as silver is refined, I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, 'This is my people' and they will say, 'ADONAI is my God.'"

·         Two parts - Not precisely two, but the greater part shall die a temporal death, by the sword of Titus, or in eternal death under unbelief. The third - A remnant, the lesser part, shall escape or be preserved.

Here is a prophecy of the sufferings of Christ. God the Father gave order to the sword of his justice to awake against his Son, when he freely made his soul an offering for sin. As God, he is called "my Fellow." Christ and the Father are one. He is the Shepherd who was to lay down his life for the sheep. If a Sacrifice, he must be slain, for without shedding of the life-blood there was no remission. This sword must awake against him, yet he had no sin of his own to answer for. It may refer to the whole of Christ's sufferings, especially his agonies in the garden and on the cross, when he endured unspeakable anguish till Divine justice was fully satisfied. Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. This passage our Lord Jesus declares was fulfilled, when all his disciples, in the night wherein he was betrayed, forsook him and fled. It has, and shall have its accomplishment, in the destruction of the corrupt and hypocritical part of the professed church. Because of the sin of the Jews in rejecting and crucifying Christ, and in opposing his gospel, the Romans would destroy the greater part. But a remnant would be saved. And if we are his people, we shall be refined as gold; he will be God, and the end of all our trials and sufferings will be praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ cleansed the church, he took the building built on the foundation of life and clraned up to it’s original glory. The dusty anger,

The Deceiving Nature

 

A son of Beor and a prophet of Pethor in Mesopotamia. The narrative relating to Balaam is found in Num. 22 thru 25. According to this narrative, Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to the soothsayer, requesting him to come and pronounce a curse against Israel, with whom the Moabites were at war, and of whom they stood in dread. Balak hoped, with the aid of the soothsayer's powerful curse, to overcome his foe. His confidence in Balaam is illustrated by the declaration he makes to him: "I know that he whom thou blesses is blessed, and he whom thou curses is cursed" (verse. xxii. 6). Balaam, after consulting God, is forbidden to go back with the Moabites, and he accordingly refuses, despite the gifts that the messengers of Balak had brought with them for him. Balak, being determined to secure the prophet's services, sends other and more distinguished messengers, who, as the narrative puts it, are empowered to promise still greater rewards and honor to the soothsayer if he will accede to Balak's wishes. Balaam, although anxious to go, again refuses; declaring that even if Balak were to give him his house full of silver and gold, he cannot do contrary to God's command. However, he begs the embassy to await a second consultation with the Lord. This time God permits the soothsayer to go to Balak, but enjoins upon him to do only "the word which I shall say" (xxii. 20). Balaam then arises and departs with the Moabites, riding upon his ass. But notwithstanding the previous permission, God's anger is kindled at Balaam as he goes; and the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword in his hand shows himself accordingly to the ass, which refuses to proceed along the road despite Balaam's efforts to urge it. Three times the angel, invisible as yet to Balaam, puts himself in the path of the ass, which is beaten by its master for its refusal to proceed.

Now that we have a brief narrative to the story of Balaam, let’s study what is written in the Bible.

Numbers 22: 1-20

1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.  2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.  4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.  6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."  7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.  8 "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.  9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"  10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:  11 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.' 12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."  13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."  14 So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."  15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first.  16 They came to Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."  18 But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God.  19 Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me."  20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you." 

Balaam seems to be a sincere man of God until he responds to the second set of messengers. The response of “even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold”, insinuates his true desire. Now the misunderstanding here is God allowing Balaam to leave and then becoming angry when he leaves. In verse 12 God told Balaam that he could not go with the messengers and the curse could not be laid upon the blessed people. When Balaam relayed the message of God to the messengers he only said “the Lord has refused to let me go with you”, He didn’t tell them what God had said in context. It is important we completely relay Gods Message in full context because it can enlighten the entire situation to allow for understanding to the reason. Now the messengers relayed a misunderstood message back to Balak by just saying “he refused to come”. The continuation of reading implies that Balak wants a curse to be put on Israel, if Balaam had told him that God does not want a curse placed upon blessed people maybe Balak would have had a better understanding of why he could not come; or he may have wanted to know why Balaam would not do this deed. This may have also given him better understanding of what is going on with the people of Israel. But when the new set of messengers arrive, Balaam addresses God again, to which God tells he to go with them but to “do only what God tells him to do”. Now Balaam already heard the first time that God did not want him to go yet Balaam goes a second time to see if God would change his mind. Sometimes we do this same thing, when what God tells us in the first place, doesn’t fall into what we want, we seek God again to try and find an answer from God that fits into what we desire. And just as God did with Balaam, The Almighty does this for us and allows us to do of our will but only under the Direction of God.

This part of the story is interesting in the sense of giving someone an opportunity to know more about the Almighty. In this passage Balaam could have sat down with the first set of messengers and them offered some counseling of our True God. He had the chance to give a message to the messengers to take back and enlighten Balak.

Balaam's Donkey

21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.  22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.  23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.  24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides.  25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.  26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.  27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff.  28 Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"  29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."  30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said.  31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.  32 The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.  33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."  34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."  35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.  36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.  37 Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?"  38 "Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say just anything? I must speak only what God puts in my mouth."  39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.  40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the princes who were with him.  41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of the people.

Refusing in the first embassy to yield himself willingly to God, he would now be made the unwilling instrument of exalting God. And thus God gave him leave to do that on which he had set his heart. However because of his blinded self-satisfaction, in which the next morning he accompanied the ambassadors of Balak, 'God’s anger was kindled because he went'. In other words the idea is God gave Balaam over to his lusts in such a way that God would manipulate him, while he thought he was manipulating God. Yet due to the insane contradiction of reality as he should be going in obedience but his actual going was in deluded belief that he was controlling the situation, God lets him know that he was 'dumber than an ass', before sending him fully on his way. 'Yes I send you, but realize you are a dumb ass who knows not what you are doing when you go'.

Balaam also demonstrates his true nature here by beating the donkey because she steers off the road. He also demonstrates the reflection of man in his anger by his reaction as well.

Balaam and the Ass.(From a "Teutsch Chumesh.") or The favourite volume of the orthodox Jewess of Eastern Europe is a Yiddish paraphrase of the Penta-teuch, called Teutsch-Chumesh or Ze'enah Ure'enah

The ass is then given the power of addressing its rider in human speech, and asks him reproachfully why it has been smitten. The soothsayer, apparently not astonished by the miraculous speech, replies angrily that, were a sword in his hand, he would willingly kill the ass. The angel then becomes visible to Balaam, and the soothsayer falls on his face before the vision. Balaam confesses his sin to the angel and offers to return to his own land, but the divine messenger permits him to go on with the Moabites, enjoining him to say "only the word that I shall speak unto thee" (xxii. 35).

At this point it is not known what God and the angel have said to Balaam. The Both may have already given Balaam instructions and yet he already has his own agenda. Balaam is the example of most churches and Christians today who focus on dollar signs instead of Signs of God. Balaam was blind to the messenger God had sent until God opened his eyes. We all have this issue as well, God Instructs us to do The Will Of and we have our own agenda and become blind to God’s Will. We become the dumb ass that God has to speak to again to set us on the right track.

Chapters xxiii.-xxiv. contain the detailed account of four oracles that Balaam uttered to Balak concerning Israel. The soothsayer directs Balak to offer sacrifices to God of seven oxen and seven rams on seven altars built on a high place, Bamoth-baal, where he could see "the utmost part" of Israel (xxii. 41). Balaam then utters the first inspired oracle in favor of Israel, a people that "shall not be reckoned among the nations" (xxiii. 9). Impressively he concludes:

(xxiii. 10, R. V.).

"Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be like his"

Numbers 23

Oracle 1

1 Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me."  2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.  3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you." Then he went off to a barren height.  4 God met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.  5 The LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."  6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab.  7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle: "Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.'  8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?  9 From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.  10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!"  11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"  12 He answered, "Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?"

When we confronted with oppositions in our life, it is our duty to follow what God tells us to do. In this particular study Balak was simply scared of the house of Jacob and needed someone to put a curse on them to remove them from his land. This is a procedure most people produce when they believe a more powerful person, or people, are coming to confront them. Isn’t it funny how we become frightened by something and would rather destroy than understand it?

Now when we began this study, Balaam sacrificed a bull and a ram on each alter. To just look at the symbolic nature of both animals would represent “stubborn natured” So, in a symbolic way, the stubborn nature is being sacrificed in order to see clearly what God has planned. And by it being performed “seven” times would imply “perfection”

Key Notes: Highest place of Baal, Baal was considered a high diety in Canaanite worship. So to begin this at the highest plain of the deity of a god that man worship is the start of extinguishing our view points of earthly worship. Here, as all the examples of these two chapters, is how we must first change the highest places of our own self to understand the view that is displayed in our sight.

Oracle 2

13 Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me."  14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.  15 Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there."  16 The LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."  17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the LORD say?"  18 Then he uttered his oracle: "Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor.  19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill  20 I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.  21 "No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them  22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.  23 There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God has done!'  24 The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims."  25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"  26 Balaam answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?"

Key Notes: The top of Pisgah is the original place where Moses stood to view the promised land of Israel. From Hitchcock’s Bible Dictionary, the term means hill; eminence; fortress. The word “eminence” means a condition of being well-known and successful, a person of high rank or achievements, an area of high ground. With this second sacrificial journey, it demonstrates the personal status of one’s self, releasing the selfishness we all have in order to see what God is trying to tell us.

Oracle 3

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there."  28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.  29 Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me."  30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Key Notes: The top of Peor is the last resort for Balak to get Balaam to curse Israel. Interesting that the definition of “Peor” is hole or opening. At this point, if Balak and Balaam had of been paying attention, God is opening the understanding to The Promised Word. This point would allow them to see clearly how God’s Blessings can liberate a person or people.

Balak understood who God was which can be seen in verse 27 when he said, “let me take you to another place, perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me”. My personal opinion is that Balaam is not enlightening the situation for Balak. Balak is misunderstanding what God’s plan is, as Gods messengers we are to enlighten people to God’s Plan. We are also supposed to draw people nearer to God.

Numbers 24

1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert.  2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him  3 and he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,  4 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:  5 "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!  6 "Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters.  7 Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. "Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.  8 "God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them.  9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse them? "May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!"  10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.  11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the LORD has kept you from being rewarded."  12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,  13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD --and I must say only what the LORD says'?  14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come."

Key Notes: He set his eyes to the wilderness, this was the place of wandering and sin for Israel. God had forgiven them of their sins. Perfect example of how one can change and follow God and our sins will be forgiven. This also gives reference to how no one can curse God’s elect, not even Satan. (Romans 8:31,33-34). It is wonderful to know that when we lay down our sins and follow the path of Righteousness, there is no one that bring a charge against us. ‘’’if God is be for us, who can be against us...

Possibly Balaam’s next step was to give Balak an inspirational message to give him a better understanding of God’s glory upon his people. What if Balaam had talked with Balak and had him draw nearer to God. An example of how we can assist with people rejecting God because we don’t utilize empathetic mannerism to help people. Balak could have been enlightened upon God’s glory if Balaam had of used this time to minister to him.

                Oracle 4

                15 Then he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,  16 the oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:  17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.  18 Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong.  19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."

 

                Final Oracles

                20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and uttered his oracle: "Amalek was first among the nations, but he will come to ruin at last."  21 Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his oracle: "Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock;  22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive."  23 Then he uttered his oracle: "Ah, who can live when God does this?  24 Ships will come from the shores of Kittim; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to ruin."  25 Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.

Balak moves the seer to another point of outlook, the top of Mt. Pisgah, where the entire Israelitish camp is visible. Here again Balaam receives an oracle even more strongly commendatory of Israel than the first: "The Lord his God is with him; . . . he hath, as it were, the strength of the wild ox" (xxiii. 21, R. V.). What Israel accomplishes is not by enchantment, but by God's own might. Comparing Israel to a lion, he says:

(xxiii. 24, R. V.).

"Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up; He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain"

Balak then begs Balaam neither to curse nor to bless, but to remain silent as to Israel's future. Balaam replies that he must do as directed by God. The king then takes the soothsayer to Mt. Peor, but is once more disappointed. The prophet in his third utteranceis impressed by the magnificent sight of Israel's encampment (xxiv. 5b-6, R. V.):

"As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river-side, As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters."

Balak is not satisfied with Balaam doing the opposite of what he asked of him. Balam took Balak to seven different sacrifices that symbolized the release of stubbornness, aggression, and the god-like mentality. The ram and the bull represented various gods in Egyptian time that they worshipped. Osiris is often depicted with a pair of ram horns attached to the base of his atef (specific feathered white) crown also from this earliest species of ram. Khnum, an important god throughout Egypt, but especially at Elephantine, who created mankind and even gods on his potters will, was apparently depicted as this species, with its long wavy horns and heavy build, as was Banebdjedet (Ba-neb-Tetet), an early ram headed god at Mendes. The ram, like the bull, was perhaps even more venerated by the ancient Egyptians for its fertility, as well as for its warlike attributes. Throughout history, rams have been important to mythological and religious concepts, associated with ancient gods from all over the world. The ram even became a symbol of Christ in ancient times. They also sometimes suffered from religion, being the objects of sacrifice to various gods. In fact, perhaps one of the most famous ancient accounts of a ram involves one in the Old Testament that Abraham found trapped by its horns in a thicket on Mount Moriah where he had gone to sacrifice his only son Isaac. [Gen 22:1-14] An angel stopped the hand of Abraham just as he was about to kill his boy and the ram was sacrificed in his stead. This is just to get an understanding towards the significance of ram and bull sacrifice.

Balak is at last infuriated and would dismiss Balaam at once, but the latter pours forth his fourth and last prophecy of the rise of a tribe in Israel that will secure for the Hebrews decisive victories over Moab and Edom; to which are added short denunciations of Amalek and the Kenites. The king then permits the prophet to return to his home. The four oracles are in poetic form and belong to the best specimens of a certain species of ancient Hebrew poetry. They are all characterized by a rich imagery, and the diction is at once impressive and stately. The third, xxiv. 5, beginning,

"How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! Thy Tabernacles, O Israel," is particularly fine.

Balaam is represented as one of seven heathen prophets; the other six being Balaam's father, Job, and his four friends (B. B. 15b). He gradually acquired a position among the heathen as exalted as that of Moses among the chosen people (Num. R. xx. 1). At first a mere interpreter of dreams, Balaam later became a magician, until finally the spirit of prophecy descended upon him (ib. 7). He possessed the special gift of being able to ascertain the exact moment during which God is wroth—a gift bestowed upon no other creature. Balaam's intention was to curse the Israelites at this moment of wrath; but God purposely restrained His anger in order to baffle the wicked prophet and to save the nation from extermination (Ber. 7a). When the law was given to Israel, a mighty voice shook the foundations of the earth; so that all kings trembled, and in their consternation gathered about Balaam, inquiring whether this upheaval of nature portended a second deluge; but the prophet assured them that what they heard was the voice of the Almighty giving the sacred Law to His children of Israel (Zeb. 116a).

Now Balak was really angry after the blessings Balaam poured on Israel, and he ordered Balaam to return home. Before he left, however, Balaam told Balak that the only way to harm the people of Israel was to seduce them into sin. For only then would G-d punish His people.

The kings of Moab and Midian acted upon this shrewd advice of Balaam. They arranged a big feast in honor of their idols and invited the children of Israel to participate in the ceremonies. Many of the Jewish people fell for this ruse and participated in these heathen celebrations. Amongst them was Zimri, a prince of the family of Simeon, who was not ashamed to let the entire Jewish community witness his evil conduct.

As always, man sees himself losing ground and instead of following The Almighty, we follow the desires of self.

Nevertheless, it is significant that in rabbinical literature the epithet "rasha" (the wicked one) is often attached to the name of Balaam (Ber. l.c.; Ta'anit 20a; Num. R. xx. 14). He is pictured as blind of one eye and lame in one foot (San. 105a); and his disciples (followers) are distinguished by three morally corrupt qualities, viz., an evil eye, a haughty bearing, and an avaricious spirit—qualities the very opposite of those characterizing the disciples of Abraham (Ab. v. 19; compare Tan., Balak, 6). Balaam received the divine communication at night only—a limitation that applies also to the other heathen prophets (Num. R. xx. 12). The Rabbis hold Balaam responsible for the unchastity which led to the apostasy in Shittim, and in chastisement of which 24,000 persons fell victims to a pestilence (Num. xxv. 1-9). When Balaam, "the wicked," saw that he could not curse the children of Israel, he advised Balak (intimated in Num. xxiv. 14) as a last resort to tempt the Hebrew nation to immoral acts and, through these, to the worship of Baal-peor. "The God of the Hebrews," adds Balaam, "hates lewdness; and severe chastisement must follow" (San. 106a; Yer. ib. x. 28d; Num. R. l.c.).

The Rabbis, playing on the name Balaam, call him "Belo 'Am" (without people; that is, without a share with the people in the world to come), or "Billa' 'Am" (one that ruined a people); and this hostility against his memory finds its climax in the dictum that whenever one discovers a feature of wickedness or disgrace in his life, one should preach about it (Sanh. 106b). In the process of killing Balaam (Num. xxxi. 8), all four legal methods of execution—stoning, burning, decapitating, and strangling—were employed (Sanh. l.c.). He met his death at the age of thirty-three (ib.); and it is stated that he had no portion in the world to come (Sanh. x. 2; 90a). The Bible devotes a special section to the remarkable history of the prophet, in order to answer the question, why God has taken away the power of prophecy from the Gentiles (Tan., Balak, 1). Moses is expressly mentioned as the author of this episode in the Pentateuch (B. B. 14b).

Balaam in Priestly Code and in Deuteronomy.

A different tradition about Balaam exists in the Priestly Code (P), where Balaam is represented as a Midianite, who attempted to seduce Israel by immoral rites (Num. xxxi. 16). According to this account, which probably depends upon Num. xxv. 6-15, Balaam was afterward slain with the Midianitish princes (Num. xxxi. 8; Josh. xiii. 22).

The allusion to Balaam in Deut. xxiii. 4, 5 (compare Neh. xiii. 2) states that the prophet was hired to curse Israel and that Yhwh turned the curse into a blessing, thus implying that the prophet was anxious to accede to Balak's desire (compare also Josh. xxiv. 9). Such an idea might have been obtained from Num. xxiii. 4, where Balaam tells Elohim explicitly that he has offered a bullock and a ram on seven altars, thereby implying a hope that God will inspire Balaam to curse Israel.

Opinions vary greatly as to the derivation and meaning of the name Balaam. It is generally considered to be a compound of "Bel" and "'Am," and since both "Bel" and "'Am" are names of deities among Semites, the name may either represent a combination of two deities ("'Am" is "Bel") or "Bel" may be used in the general sense which it acquired of "lord": the name would then be interpreted "'Am is Lord."

Balaam and Moses.

When Pharaoh's daughter threatened to take the life of Balaam, he fled with his two sons, Jannes and Jambres, the renowned wizards, to Ethiopia; there, during the absence of the king, who had gone to war against the people of Syria, he instigated a rebellion, making himself king, and his sons captains of the host. He raised high walls on two sides of the capital, dug pits on the third side, filling them with water, and on the fourth side, by means of witchcraft, placed serpents to render the city unapproachable. For nine years the king's army besieged the capital, unable to enter; then Moses on his flight from Egypt came there and became the king's counselor and, as the king's death soon followed, his successor. He required each warrior to fetch young storks (or ibises) from the forest, and soon the serpents disappeared and the city was captured. Balaam and his sons fled to Egypt, where they became the master-magicians who opposed Moses and Aaron at the court of Pharaoh (Targ. Yer. to Ex. vii. 11; "Chronicles of Jerahmeel," xlvii. 6, 7; Yalḳ., Ex. 168).

The Strategy of Balaam.

When Balaam went forth later to curse the Israelites in the wilderness, he again had with him his sons Jannes and Jambres (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxii. 22). His witchcraft had no effect on Israel, because the merits of their ancestors shielded them and angels protected them (Tan., ed. Buber, Balak, xvii., xxiii.; Targ. Yer. to Num. xxiii. 9, 10, 23; Samaritan Book of Joshua, ch. iii.). He then resorted to the strategem of seduction. After having, by divine inspiration, predicted the destiny of the people of Israel, and having spoken even of the Messianic future (Josephus, "Ant." iv. 6, §§ 4, 5; Philo, l.c. 52), he advised Balak to select the handsomest daughters of the Midianites, who should lead the Israelites to idolatry (Josephus, l.c., §§ 6-9; Philo, l.c. 54-56; Samaritan Book of Joshua, iv.). This plan was executed, and 24,000 Midianite women caused as many Hebrew men to fall (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxiv. 25; Samaritan Book of Joshua, iv.). Phinehas decided to avenge the wrong upon Balaam. Seeing his pursuer, the latter resorted to witchcraft and flew up into the air; but Phinehas made use of the Holy Name, seized him by the head, and unsheathed his sword to slay him. In vain did Balaam entreat his conqueror, saying: "Spare me and I will no longer curse thy people." Phinehas answered, "Thou Laban the Aramean, didst intend to kill Jacob our father, and thou didst invite Amalek to make war against us; and now, when thy wiles and sorceries were of no avail, thou didst lay pitfalls for 24,000 Hebrews by thy wicked counsel. Thy life is forfeited." Whereupon Balaam fell, pierced by the sword (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxxi. 8; Sanh. 106b).

Henceforth he became the type of false prophets seducing men to lewdness and obscene idolatrous practises (Rev. ii. 14; II Peter ii. 15; Jude 11; Abot v.19). The name "Nicolaitanes," given to the Christian heretics "holding the doctrine of Balaam" (Rev. ii. 6, 15), is probably derived from the Grecized form of Balaam,  = Nικο-γάος, and hence also the pseudonym "Balaam," given to Jesus in Sanh. 106b and Giṭ. 57a. See Geiger, "Bileam and Jesus," in "Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Jüdische Theologie," vi. 31-37).

The life of this sorcerer was further detailed in the "Sefer ha-Yashar" legends and by the later cabalists (Yalḳ., Reubeni to Balak). Balaam's ass formed an especial object of haggadic interpretation and embellishment. "The speaking mouth of the ass" was declared to be one of the ten miraculous things that God had created in the twilight of the sixth day (Abot v. 6). Targ. Yer. to Num. xxii. 30 gives a long monition which the ass offers to her foolish master.

Numbers 31:1 The LORD said to Moses,  2 "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."  3 So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the LORD's vengeance on them.  4 Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel."  5 So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel.  6 Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.  7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man.  8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba--the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.  9 The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder.  10 They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps.  11 They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals,  12 and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.  13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp.  14 Moses was angry with the officers of the army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who returned from the battle.  15 "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them.  16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people.  17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man,  18 but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.  19 "All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives.  20 Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood."  21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the LORD gave Moses:  22 Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead  23 and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water.  24 On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."

In Balaam is the example of a person that is fully aware of God’s Power and Presence, yet allowed his own personal agenda to take precedence. He suffered the ultimate punishment for his mishap.  

As early as Deuteronomy 23:4-5, he is shown as an enemy of God and Israel and degraded as a hired mercenary. Joshua positively notes his death at the hand of Israelites (Joshua 13:22), and he also repeats Balaam's overthrow by God in a list of His victories for Israel (Joshua 24:9-10). Nehemiah and Micah recall him to the people of their days as an evil man whom God defeated (Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:5). Yet we cannot disregard the anointment he had in scripture. In other words, remember the character of this type of individual.

The New Testament mentions Balaam three times, all negatively. Both Peter and Jude describe him as the personification of greed in using religion for personal gain (II Peter 2:15; Jude 11). Revelation 2:14 credits him with "the doctrine of Balaam," which is inducing others to sin, specifically to idolatry and sexual immorality.

·         2 Peter the ways of Balaam are unrighteous

·         Jude error of Balaam

·         Revelation the doctrine of Balaam

Certainly, Balaam was no paragon of virtue. Yet, as unrighteous as he was, his prophecies remain in God's Word—and they are true! Why?

Just like Balaam, there are people who know God and know Gods Word but yet demise methods to undermine them. It is a strategy that began with Satan in the garden. Today it is apparent that our society is thriving off the past actions of this type of mentality. It is so powerful that confusion is in the midst of the churches that represent The Almighty. The example of Balaam is a warning to all of us that if we take Gods Word and use it out of context, we can cause traumatic destruction. To understand Gods Word is to live it in its full glory. To inspire others and no to use as an instruction tool of foolish words.

They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. (2 Peter 2:15, NIV)

Balaam is a character of the Bible that holds a dark yet mysterious characteristic. Although most scholars interpret him as evil, questions still add to why he was able to communicate with God. This story of Balaam is an example of how important it is to have a personal relationship with God. People may come in the form of representing God but have ulterior motives which will only benefit their own personal desires.

References:

King James Version, Holy Bible

Jewish Encyclopedia

Vernon McGee, “Through The Bible” Vol. 1