Reluctant Prophets - Balaam and Jonah

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.

Who Will You Trust?

God has a plan and a purpose for everything that comes into your life.

Habakkuk 2:4  “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

Habakkuk 2:14-16  For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the LORD.

15  “What sorrow awaits you who make your neighbors drunk! You force your cup on them so you can gloat over their shameful nakedness.  16  But soon it will be your turn to be disgraced. Come, drink and be exposed! Drink from the cup of the LORD’s judgment, and all your glory will be turned to shame.

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Habakkuk cries out in desperation and asks God why he isn't doing something to end the evil and injustice that surrounds him. He is tired of the oppressive evil and injustice that he sees in the nation that is supposed to be God's chosen people. How can God allow his people to go on this way?

But when God replies, Habakkuk has to ask God if he really knows what he is doing, how can a notoriously more evil people be used to judge God's people that are less evil? (Habakkuk 1:12-17)

Habakkuk was waiting for an answer from God to help him understand what he is doing. God let's him know that Babylon will be judged and it will be more devastating than the judgment of God's people that Babylon is bringing.

We have to decide to trust and accept that God has a plan and a purpose for every good and bad thing that comes into our life.

Look at the proud! They trust in themselves.

In Habakkuk chapter two we can see that pride is at the center of the sins of the Babylonian culture. It's the same with us today, we long for acceptance and approval so we seek our own glory instead of God's, we never learn that self gratification never works.

Pride will leave us empty and always striving for more, we can win a contest, get a trophy and a lot of applause but when the attention fades away we are still looking for approval and acceptance. We can be like the Babylonians, we can conquer the world, but we will not find satisfaction unless we continue to exploit, abuse and conquer someone or something else.

Pride is a strange creature; it never objects to its lodgings. It will live comfortably enough in a palace, and it will live equally at its ease in a hovel. Is there any man in whose heart pride does not lurk?

-Spurgeon

The Babylonians sins are our sins, our evil culture looks too much like theirs, obviously we are slow learners because the history of sin continues to be repeated as we continue to do the same things that they did:

• Selfish ambition (Habakkuk 2:6-8), 
• Greed (Habakkuk 2:9-11), 
• Exploit people (Habakkuk 2:12-14), 
• Drunkenness and violence (Habakkuk 2:15-17) 
• Idolatry (Habakkuk 2:18-20).

Everybody that rejects God to live for themselves is going to keep doing the same sins and be shocked when they don't get a different result.

The righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

God's righteous people will admit that he is still in control and no matter what happens he never leaves his throne. God sees everything that we are going through just as he did in the Bible, look how many godly people went through extremely difficult experiences without losing faith.

It is difficult to understand that God is in control but scripture also tells us that we are responsible for our choices. In our minds it is an apparent contradiction that we cannot resolve, it is true that God is in control but it is equally true that we are not puppets and we get to choose because we have free will.

The righteous won't manipulate and use people, they won't look at others and think about what that person can do for them. I can treat people better because my glory and honor comes from God and his love and applause are all that should matter to me.

Habakkuk 2:20  But the LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”

I need to stop complaining when difficult times come my way because he sends them for his purpose and his glory. I will trust God to take care of me and work everything out for my good because of his great love for me and my great love for him. (Romans 8:28)

I need to love God in all of his glory and allow him to remove my pride, I need to trust in his power and allow him to be my source of honor and glory.

God Says Go - Don't Stay With The Crowd

The one who scattered us will bring us all back together for his glory.

Genesis 10:4-9 Then they said, "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world." 5 But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.

6 "Look!" He said. "The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let's go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other." 8 In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.

9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way He scattered them all over the world.

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You have probably been warned more than once about the danger of following the crowd. Jesus warned us that his followers would have to choose to stop following the crowds and choose the straight and narrow road that few people were willing to take. (Matthew 7:14) In today's scripture we will see the dangers of unity and how God dispersed a crowd without using any physical effort.

The new beginning that Noah received from God wasn't perfect, the floods washed away sin from the earth but it didn't cleanse the heart of mankind, the eight people that got off the ark still had a sin nature and it didn't take long for it to affect their lives.

Noah's children and grandchildren were supposed to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth but they didn't want to scatter like the animals did. They chose to move to the East as a group, and when someone decided to stop, they all stopped. Following the crowd was already a popular idea.

It seems like Nimrod was the first man to rise to power after the flood, he was a great hunter and he also became the first to invest in real estate, he took after Cain and built the first great cities that are mentioned after the flood. (Cain, Genesis 4:16-17; Nimrod, Genesis 10:8-12)

No more than a hundred years after the flood, while Noah's children and grandchildren are still alive, the world population is ignoring what happened and doing what they want. Some of the people that got off the boat are still alive, they had all of the facts about God's judgment of sin that caused the flood, but they didn't care.

God’s will for human beings is not that we find our joy in being praised, but that we find our joy in knowing and praising him. His will is not that we find our security in cities but in God whom we gladly obey.

-John Piper

A great city with a famous landmark has been the dream of many people throughout history. The love of praise and the love of security are great motivations for the masses to stick together but this tower was also an attempt by Satan to get man to worship anything besides God.

This tower was probably a ziggurat, these towers were the center of religious activity that can still be seen around that area today. We saw that right after Noah got off the ark that he worshiped God properly but most his grandchildren followed the way of Cain and chose to do worship their way.

It may seem like a curse that we are all scattered around the world into so many different people groups with so many different languages and cultures but this diversity is actually a great tool that God created to prevent evil from going unchecked. One evil man is not likely to make much trouble but that can change quickly in the company of like minded friends.

The plans of evil world leaders are restrained through diversity, uniting the nations sounds like a great idea but think about all of the united efforts in world history that prove that human unity can also be extremely evil.

The unity of other countries was the only reason the Nazis were not successful at ruling the world with their evil schemes. The plans of the United Nations is right in line with Satan's desires for a one world, one government system under one ruler. The one who scattered us is the only one that has the authority to bring us all back together again and he is the only one that will bring us together without any evil intentions.

The next time the world is united it will be under the rule of the Antichrist, the world population will think it is an awesome idea to unite together but they won't realize that his unity will be for evil just the same as he did it at the tower that was built in Babylon.

Revelation 7:9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. 

Someday God's people will enjoy unity again, the effects of sin will be washed away permanently and the one who scattered us will bring us all back together for his glory. Until that day comes we must strive while we are still here on Earth to bring glory to God through the unity that we have as followers of Jesus.

Following the crowd doesn't have to be a bad thing if you are careful to follow the crowd that will bring glory to God for eternity.

In the next post we will see that the fame that the people sought to have at Babel was realized in Abram because of his obedience and willingness to go in faith to a place he didn't know.

RELATED ARTICLES

Why Did God Create The World (desiringgod.org)
What Is Christian Unity (desiringgod.org)

Stop Following Me

Does your ministry glorify Jesus or yourself?

John 3:22-30  Then Jesus and His disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people.

23  At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism.  24  (This was before John was thrown into prison.)

25  A debate broke out between John's disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing.  26  So John's disciples came to him and said, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the One you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to Him instead of coming to us."

27  John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.  28  You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for Him.'  29  It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at His success.

30  He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

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Have you ever met a follower of John the Baptist? Eventually his following disappeared but when he first told them that they shouldn't settle for less and that the ministry of the Messiah was far greater than his many of them stayed with him. Instead of leaving many of his followers were eager to promote and even protect his ministry.

It would have been easy for John to adopt the same attitude as his followers and ignore the Messiah just like they were doing. He could have become prideful that the Holy Spirit was with him before he was born. The crowds were coming from all over to hear him preach, there aren't very many preachers that get to enjoy that, even Jesus testified how great that John the Baptist was. (Luke 1:15-17, 76, Matthew 3:5-6, 11:11)

Competition in ministry is wrong but it isn't anything new. On one occasion when the Holy Spirit came on two young men, Joshua, who was Moses’ helper, said, “Moses, my lord, restrain them.” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:28-29)

A similar thing happened when the apostle John saw someone casting out demons in Jesus’ name and tried to prevent him, because he wasn't a part of their group (Mark 9:39). Paul had to deal with the idea of competition in ministry. Some people tried to promote the superiority of one ministry over another but Paul didn't let their opinion of his work go to his head.

1 Corinthians 3:5  After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God's servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.

The Bible makes it clear that a Christ follower is supposed to be a minister but they are also supposed to be a servant. We do not like the concept of being a servant but that is the life that we are supposed to live. A servant is the most submissive lifestyle that we can understand, they don't have rights that are owed to them, they can be told what to do and how to do it at any time.

What servant has a right to claim that their ministry is better than another? If God is doing a greater work somewhere else is he calling you to terminate your current ministry and join him in that new work?

I Am God's Servant
Ephesians 3:7  By God's grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.

God gives me a work to do and he gives me the power to do it. I don't have anything apart from God, as his servant I have been given a job to do and I receive the power to do that job through him. Our pride gets in the way and we forget that we received a commission from God, he gives me the power to do it, and he can easily tell me to stop and serve somewhere else.

Success in ministry comes from God and if he isn't working where you are working then maybe it is time to look at where he is working and go join him there. I have to wonder how many ministries are still operating long after God has asked them to stop. We try to direct God and keep him in line with our plans but sometimes God is doing a new work and we need to let go of what he was using yesterday.

Humility comes from knowing who God is and keeping our focus on him. The clearer our vision of His majesty and greatness and power and glory, the more we will be humbled in His presence and obey his will for our lives.

Thank you Lord for allowing me to serve you, I pray that everything that I do exalts you and encourages others to do the same. I want to serve where you want me to serve. (1 Timothy 1:12)

Who Do You Think You Are?

Keeping your perspective in ministry.

John 1:19-28 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” "No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.” 22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”

24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”

26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”

28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

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Somebody has started a new ministry and it is causing quite a stir. The established religious leadership decided to form a committee to figure out who this guy is and why he thinks that he has the right to perform a religious ritual such as baptism. We want to know who he is but we don't want to be bothered with going out there and seeing for ourselves.

The religious leaders thought that they knew the next event on God's calendar. They had a checklist of possibilities that they went through but that didn't help them. Was this the Messiah? Was he the prophet that was to come before the Messiah? Who is this guy and why is he in ministry?

After the committee went through their list John revealed his identity by using scripture. Certainly the religious leaders would understand if John quoted scripture, they are the experts on God's word, it seems like that would have made John the Baptist identity crystal clear. Instead of a clear revelation about what God is doing the committee seems to be interested in getting an answer and going back home as soon as possible. They are not the least bit curious about John's claims that he makes based on prophecy.

Since they don't know who he is they certainly don't understand why he is baptizing. Instead of getting caught up in arguments about religious issues he answers the question "what right do you have to baptize?” by pointing to Jesus. Forget about who I am there is somebody much more important on the way and you probably aren't even going to recognize him.

It's all about Jesus
John 10:39-42 Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them. 40 He went beyond the Jordan River near the place where John was first baptizing and stayed there awhile. 41 And many followed him. “John didn’t perform miraculous signs,” they remarked to one another, “but everything he said about this man has come true.” 42 And many who were there believed in Jesus.

John didn't perform any miracles he just pointed people to Jesus, when they asked him "Who are you and why are you doing that?" He would minimize the "who are you" and talk about the "why are you doing that."

John knew his place in ministry and even though Jesus called him the greatest man that had ever lived he still kept his focus. Success in ministry could have been his downfall, pride, jealousy, envy or have ruined him. No doubt Satan worked on him to try and get him to focus on himself.

"Being in ministry will either make you a much better Christian, or a much worse Christian."

-Kathy Keller

The pull to become apathetic, cold, disobedient to be proud of your success can make you a much worse Christian than when you first started serving. If the greatest man that ever lived thought very little of himself then I need to do the same.

Humility Is More Important Than You Think

Jesus shares some tips on humility with us.

Luke 14:7-14 When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited? 9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests. 11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12 Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

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Here are some practical tips from Jesus to help you save face:

1. If you are a dinner guest, remember that somebody more important may be there, don't take a chance on getting pushed out of the best seat.

2. If you are hosting a party, don't invite the important people, all of the rich people and your friends that can pay you back.

In both scenarios we find that we have to make a choice to look out for others ahead of ourselves. You see the party may not be all about you, that can be hard to believe, we get caught up in our own importance and we forget that the rest of the world may not be as impressed as we are with ourselves. 

We want to do just enough for other people so that we won't be embarrassed when they out do us. Sometimes we find that we do unto others that will do back for us, if I give then I will get, but Jesus said to give to those that won't give you a payback.

We need to get rid of our pride because it gets in the way of loving people the way that Jesus wants us to, our pride is a sign that we don't see others as valuable as Jesus wants us to see them. We can't see their value when ours is so inflated, we can't see their needs if we are staring at our own needs all of the time.

Why do we hold on to pride?

1 Peter 5:6-7 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Fear gets in the way of humility but I should remember that the Bible tells me that God is almighty and he cares for me, I can be humble and I can give up all of my worries because I know that the almighty God is looking out for me better than I can ever do.

In God's economy the first are last and the lowly are exalted, look at the example set by Jesus when he came to earth, he came humbly and gave up his rights and honor that was due to him and yet now he is in the seat of honor at God's right hand. (1 Corinthians 15:24-25, Hebrews 10:12)

Who am I Lord that you are thinking of me? Since you are thinking of me I don't need to, help me to be humble, to see the world through your eyes and help me put others first.