Be willing to seek out God's plan and adopt it as your own.
Numbers 22:31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.Jonah 4:11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"
One of the predominate themes that runs through the Bible is the contrast
between something true and something that is false. There is true and false:
worship, doctrine, believers, and as we have recently studied there are
true teachers and prophets
and there are also false teachers and prophets.
In my
study of Balaam
I have learned that God used the ungodly prophet that had every intention of
cursing God's people and preventing them from receiving the blessing that God
swore to give them. That study made me think of another prophet that was
unwilling to bless a people that he would rather curse.
Reluctant Prophets
I started considering the contrast and similarities of Balaam and Jonah and
how God worked through both of these men despite their desire to allow people
to perish. God had much better plans for the people that they were called to
bless that could not be stopped by man's free will.
It is interesting to notice that after sparing Nineveh from the punishment
that Jonah prophesied they would be raised up against God's people to bring
God's punishment to the Jews. The Jew and the Gentile were both used by God to
bless and to punish their enemies.
God's undeserved mercy is available to everyone, the reluctant Jewish prophet
and the reluctant Gentile prophet both saw God's undeserved mercy given across
ethnic barriers to their most hated enemies.
We like to think that we are in control but Balaam and Jonah help to prove
that man's free will isn't as powerful as we would like to think it is.
Neither one of these men were willing and they both actively resisted God's
will but that didn't stop God, he changed their plans, not his own.
Rebuked Prophets
A refusal to obey God isn't going to hinder his sovereignty, both of these men experienced life threatening situations with nature that were sent to correct them so that God could use them as a tool for his purposes and his glory.
Saved by a donkey - Balaam had a visit on the road to King Balak that
was probably God himself and Balaam suddenly finds out that he owns a talking
donkey. (Numbers 22:20-22)
Saved by a fish - Jonah's intervention with God that also involved
nature, he had an experience with a huge storm and a huge fish that ate
something he didn't like. (Jonah 1:17-2:10)
In church circles we like to say that we need to be willing to be used by God,
that' a great attitude to have, but Balaam and Jonah prove that God can use us
and have great outcomes even when our hearts are not in it.
God Is In Control
God's plans cannot be opposed successfully, he often works through human
resistance or ignorance to bring about his will. (A few more examples:
Genesis 50:20, Isaiah 10:5-10, Romans 9:17)
God's control causes Balaam to bless Israel and he goes even further
and includes a prophecy about King David and the victory that he would have
over many nations including the people of Moab that Balaam was trying to help.
(Numbers 24:15-19 // 2 Samuel 8:2)
God's control causes Jonah to bless Nineveh as he reluctantly gives
them God's message of repentance that brings a great revival that puts off
their destruction. Jonah's short sermon brought about a greater response than
the prophet ever saw from preaching to Israel but he didn't like the response.
(Jonah 4:1-3)
God's control will bring a greater blessing, the ultimate fulfillment
of these two prophets are seen in Jesus. Balaam and Jonah both give us a
picture of who Jesus is and what he will do, Jonah gives us a picture of Jesus
resurrection and Balaam tells us that we still have the reign of Jesus to look
forward to.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
God's will takes over our story, even when we don't want it to, his will is
causing everything to work together in harmony for his unstoppable purposes
but we still think that we know better. Since it is all working out to
God's good purpose, we should be more willing to seek out his plan and adopt
it as our own.
Faithful Prophet
Jeremiah 10:23-24 I know, LORD, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. So correct me, LORD, but please be gentle. Do not correct me in anger, for I would die.
Jeremiah's willingness and faithful obedience despite suffering stands in
contrast to Balaam and Jonah. His concern for the people really stands out as
he is called the weeping prophet, Balaam and Jonah were never for the people.
I need to remember the prayer of the prophet Jeremiah, he knew that "If you
want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." In fact Jeremiah came from the
Tribe of Levi so being a priest was probably his plan but God called him at a
young age to become a prophet instead. (Jeremiah 1:4–10)
I need to remember that my life is not my own, I need to hold on loosly to my
plans and be anxious to change when God shows me what his plan is. Thankfully
he has bigger and better plans than I have ever made for myself so I need to
trust and obey.
