In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of Balaam from the book of Numbers in the Bible. Balaam, a prophet of God, misused his gifts and relationship with God for personal gain. The preacher emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical and cultural context of the Bible, as it was written over 3,000 years ago in ancient Hebrew. The sermon also highlights the unpredictable nature of God's communication with people, using examples from the lives of Abraham and Solomon. The preacher concludes by mentioning that the study will focus on the book of Numbers, specifically chapter 22.

And we're going to be studying the book of Numbers, chapter 22. We're going to be studying the life and the foolishness and folly of a man called Balaam, who, though he was a prophet of God, misused his gifts and his relationship for personal gain. There's a lot of things in the Bible. You must remember that this was written over 3,000 years ago, 3,500 to be exact, about, and written by Moses. And it was written in an ancient language that now is resurrected in the land of Israel today. They speak ancient Hebrew. They don't speak Aramaic as in Jesus' day. In fact, there's something beautiful about that, that the people of Israel today speak Biblical Hebrew. Because there were so many people coming into Israel from Poland and from Romania and from Russia and from America with different languages, rather than learn Yiddish, which was an Eastern European mixture of German and Hebrew, or learn Russian or learn English, they all learned Biblical Hebrew. And that's the national written and spoken language of Israel today, for the first time in history. They never spoke Biblical Hebrew. Maybe they did in Moses' day. But in Jesus' day, they spoke Aramaic and they wrote in Greek. That's why the New Testament was written in Greek. So in modern history, that's the first. Now, being written in Biblical Hebrew, there are many ways... Aramaic and they wrote in Greek. That's why the New Testament was written in Greek. So in modern history, that's the first. Now, being written in Biblical Hebrew, there are many ways that... One thing about the Bible that's so amazing, it's such a compact history. It's a compact revelation. You know, you might see a book like War and Peace or The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich or something. It's volumes. They've got one called The History of Civilization. It's ten, twelve volumes. Here we've got the history of the Jews, the history of the early church, and the history of the greatest man that ever walked the earth in this little book. And because of that, many details are omitted. Remember at the end of John, it says that if possible, if all the things that Jesus did were written, the world itself could not even hold the books. Do you know why it says that? Now, of course, if they wrote everything that you ever did for thirty years, every time, even every detail, every bite of food, and he took another bite of food, the world could hold, you know, of one person's life. Because when he says in John there, if they wrote everything that Jesus did, Jesus didn't just do things while he was on the earth. He created the earth. And he lived for all eternity. That's why the earth could not hold everything he's ever done. That's a literal statement. Even if somebody could write it all down, the world couldn't hold it. Because eternity is not holdable or fillable in infinity. Anyway, I was reading this today. No, I wasn't reading this today. I was reading it this afternoon, after I decided to teach on this. We've gone through a whole thing recently about God told me this, and God didn't tell me that. And leadership in our ministry has been quite puzzled, you know. What does it mean to hear from God? And how can we so quickly say next week we didn't hear from God after we said we have heard from God? And the ramifications of such. And I was just thinking about the story of Balaam. And I said, well, I've got to teach this study and get it on videotape so that people coming in the ministry or people going through the school could learn this invaluable lesson that Balaam learned the hard way. One of the most miraculous accounts in the whole Bible. One of the most incredible accounts. This is the story where a mule, a donkey, actually talks. There's a lot of people that have trouble with that, you know. They say that the donkey does not have the mouth parts for speech. Well, that doesn't keep God from making the donkey talk. People that say, Jonah, there's no way Jonah could stay alive in the belly of the whale with the whale's incredible gastric digestive juices. You know, and so on. There's no way that all his animals could, that people could live in an enclosed structure with 300 species of animals. Without dying from gassy schemes. You know, with God there's always a way. It's really natural for him to do things that are... So we're going to be studying this story. The curtain opens in chapter 22. The children of Israel are wandering through the desert on their testing ground and their punishment from God for not being obedient through faith. And God is letting them wander. They happen to be here in the land of Moab. Starting in verse 1, it says, Then the sons of Israel journeyed and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, opposite Jericho, right across the river from the current land of Israel. Now Balak, the son of Zippor, you don't want to say zipper, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. They had just beaten up and slaughtered and killed and plundered the Amorites. Now, here's Israel traveling around a country without a homeland. And they walk through the valley and they start bringing divine retribution from God and killing these races of people that are living in God's chosen land for the Israelites. Now we can discuss and think about all night why would God do such a thing? Why would God have people kill cattle and women and children? Of course, the liberal's way to get around it is that God really didn't do that. That was man's interpretation. He did it and blamed God. These were races of people who were so reprobate, not just spiritually, but were so corrupt physically. They were having practices of burning their children in the fire, witchcraft, demonization, sex with animals, and homosexuality running rampant, disease, venereal disease running rampant to where the only way to keep the disease from the children of Israel was to completely kill off... We used to wonder, why would God have them kill the cattle? In some cases, he didn't let them kill the cattle. In some cases, he did. Now, God always has health reasons for certain things. Just like circumcising a baby, boy, on the eighth day. They didn't find out until the last 30 years that the eighth day of a human's life, he has more natural blood coagulants in his blood than any other day in his life. The first day, he's got a little bit of coagulants, and it goes up sharply, and the eighth day it peaks never to reach that point again the rest of his life. In other words, the blood will scab over and stop bleeding quicker on the eighth day than any other day of a human being's life. Now, people would say, well, did God make that for the law, or did he make law for that? I don't know, but I know that God told them eight days, and they didn't know why. They just had to obey, and now science tells us why. That's kind of strange. They say, God says, kill all the cattle and the women and children off in this place. Why? Some of these people were so diseased from sex with animals and sex with children that to allow them to keep even the children as slaves and grow up in their midst would have completely destroyed through plague the children of Israel. And remember, there wasn't prisons. You couldn't travel with prisons. There was no humane way of handling it. Well, you guys just go take the bus to Tijuana. There was no place to send them, and I'm not going to justify God. God is justified. He doesn't need me to justify him. All I can say is that I know God had a godly reason for having them do this. So they just wiped out the Amorites, pretty much, and Balak, who's the king of Moab, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous, and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now this horde will lick up all that is around us if the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of Moab at that time. So he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor at Hethor, which is near the river, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people came out of Egypt. Behold, they covered the surface of the land. They are living opposite me. Now therefore please come, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. Now there's too many people in the Bible that just show up. There's too many people, where they were brought up, how they came to the Lord, how they were chosen by God to have such a reputation. Whoever you bless is blessed. Whoever you curse is cursed. He doesn't have to prove that. Apparently, Balaam has already established a reputation of being a pretty heavy dude. As far as if he says, this person's blessed, they're really blessed. And if they're cursed, it's all over for the people. And God speaks to him as if he's familiar with speaking with him much in his life. And there's a lot that we need to add in stories like this to understand. Take it for granted at this point, and I'll prove it to you as we go through, that Balaam knows the Lord. And everybody knows that Balaam knows the Lord. Who would hire a guy to come and curse your enemies if they didn't know that this guy really worked for he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hands. And they came to Balaam and repeated Balak's words to him. And he said to them, spend the night here and I will bring word back to you as the Lord may speak to me. And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. Then God came to Balaam and said, who are these men with you? Now, I really appreciate the fact that when God has a conversation with people, he asks them seemingly, he uses the expression, dumb questions. Like, Adam, where are you? Why does God ask us questions he already knows the answer to? This has nothing to do with knowing the future. This just has to do with knowing the present. To find out what our answer will be. Peter, do you love me? Adam, where are you? Cain, where is your brother Abel? Think about it. God will ask you obvious questions. Sometimes it will bother you, as with Peter. God, Jesus, you know I love you. Feed my sheep. Peter, do you really love me? Do you love me more than these? God will ask you questions that you already know the answer to, that he already knows the answer to, to try to show you something. Like, the time when I was praying for people to move into ministry, and I said, God, do not forsake us. And he came back to me, just like that, as audible as you would speak to me, and said, now would I ever forsake you? And it wasn't, I won't forsake you. It was a question. Now, would I ever forsake you? And it overflowed with joy, because I knew the answer to that. It was almost like a Jewish mother. Now, would I ever forsake you? I'm serious. It was just so warm and fatherly and loving. Then God came to Balaam in verse 9 and said, who are these men with you? Balaam said to God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, saying, behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt, perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out. And God said to Balaam, do not go with them, you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. Period. End of quote. That's it. You shall not go. He didn't even say, you shall not go. Do not go with them. Can't get any clearer than that. And God doesn't always tell you why. God does not always tell you why. He might just say no. But God even, he had such a good relationship with God apparently, that God told him why not to go. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed. Not only I don't want you to go, but this is the reason I don't want you to go and why I don't want you to do what they're asking. So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balaak's leaders, go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. And the leaders of Moab arose and went to Balaak and said, Balaam refused to come with us. And more distinguished than the former. We're going to go back and look at this in a minute. And they came to Balaam and said to him, thus says Balaak, the son of Zipporah, let nothing I beg you hinder you from coming to me, for I will indeed honor you richly and will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me. Now let's stop. Look at Balaam's answer to them. Back in verse 13. Now, if I was really a man of God and somebody said, I want you to sin. I want you to do something. Go ask God if you can do it. And God says, no, this is a bummer. Don't do it at all. These people are blessed. I don't want you to hurt them. What he should have come back and said was, I can't curse the people, for they're blessed. But what does he say? Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. What does that mean? Because he gets paid for his work. He's what they call, it's even before when Samuel was on the earth, they didn't have prophets. They called them seers. This is even before seers. They were called diviners. Or divinators. And they were paid for their work. You brought a gift when you sought the word of God from them. Remember when Elijah was approached? Or was it Elisha? By Naaman. And he came with loads of clothes and talents of silver and gold. You didn't go to a man of God without a gift in those days. So, he knew there was some big money to be made. Now, I'm adding this, and he'll prove it later. I'm just telling you in front. Balaam liked the bucks. Now, some of you might like money too. Some of you might think of good things you can do with it. But you can never put them both in the same category with obeying God and liking money. The love of money, it says, is the root of all sorts of evil. Not money itself, the love of it. Do not go with him. You shall not curse people for their blessings. Balaam says, he won't let me go. Now, say you ask, somebody asks you to go on a date. And you go to your mom and say, Mom, can I go out with this guy? She says, no, I don't think that this guy has character enough for you. Or you need to be studying your algebra for the big test Friday or whatever. There's two ways to go back to the guy that asks you. Well, I asked my mom, and she pointed out some really good reasons why I can't go. And I really trust her, and I really believe that she's wise, and I really believe that I'm supposed to obey her. Plus, she pointed out some really good things, you know, and explained to me. I have to study for my tester. Well, I'd really like to go, but the old lady won't let me go. Right? You know what I mean? Now, all that does is encourage the guy to find a way to get you to disobey your parents. Right? That's all it does. If you tell the guy in such a way that you believe it's your conviction, where he doesn't think it's your parents that he's got to get around, but your own heart, that he has to not only overcome your authority, but he has to overcome your own heart, if you know that I want to do something that God or a parent or authority won't let me do, you'll find a way to talk me, or try to talk me, into disobeying that. But if you know that I wouldn't do such a thing in my own heart, then you'll give up. Devil knows it too. You go to God and say, God, I really want a husband. I really want a wife. I really want this guy. I really want this ministry. And you don't have a joy in your heart. And you can't go back to the people who are praying for you or ask you to go to that college or ask you to go to that ministry and say, God doesn't want me to go. And boy, I'm really glad. I'm going to do what God says. Or, gee, I'd really like to go, but the Lord won't let me. That's wicked. And you open yourself up for all sorts of attacks. If the devil knows you're convinced that God's wisest and that it's the best thing for you not to do, he doesn't have a point of attack. All he can do then is try to attack your convictions. But if he knows that your convictions are not in line with God's program and God's principles, boy, then all he's got to get you to do is believe your convictions are better, smarter, or more pleasing to you than God's principles. You understand that? It's very important. You understand. There's a big difference with obeying God on the outside and obeying Him with a joyful, agreeable, thankful, knowing He's wise at heart. You can't, you can't understand this principle too much. Okay? I wish I could go. Leaders of Moazer Road went to Balak and said, Balak refused to come with us. And Balak again sent leaders, only now, more of them, and more distinguished than the former. Oh, I mean, we're going to have to razzle-dazzle this guy's eyes. We're going to have to tempt him. It's only temptation. He sends more of them. Oh, I'm more important. They've sent the important people. Last time, he just sent the messengers. This time, he might have sent his son-in-law or the vice, the corporate vice president of the Moab company, general chariots, or whatever, you know. He sends a delegation of more distinguished. I'll never forget when Carter was in the White House and the, they were having the funeral for Tito, the president of Yugoslavia who died. He was in the White House because he wasn't going to leave the Rose Garden because the hostages were in Iran. He suddenly gave up his principles to go try to run for president and lost, of course. He probably would have, may have won if he would have stayed there as a principal. And, and he wouldn't go to the funeral. And every big shot in the world went to the funeral. The president, Leonid Brezhnev of Soviet Union went. President of France went. The prime minister of England went. The king, Prince Charles went. Everybody went. He sent the vice president. Everybody couldn't believe it. This Tito, Tito had been around for years, you know, 40 years, whatever. Head of Yugoslavia and he sends the vice president. He's the only, he was the only head of a country that wasn't there for the funeral. Now, I wouldn't have gone either. I'm not saying he should have gone. I mean, I wouldn't have gone, you know, all the way across the land just to be a, you know, a figurehead for somebody that died that wasn't a good person to start with because everybody else was going. So they send temptation in the form of number, quantity, and quality. Right? More numerous, more distinguished. Satan will not only up the amount of temptation, but he'll up the quality if there can be such a thing as calling it quality temptation. If you saw a $5 bill lying on somebody's dresser, would you be tempted to steal it? Nope. If you saw a $5,000 bill lying on somebody's dresser, would you be tempted to steal it? I hope not. They asked men and women around the country, they asked them this question. How much money would it take for you to sleep with a stranger, have sex with a stranger? The average for the men was $10. $10. The average for the women was $10,000. And when they got up to a million dollars, almost everybody said yes, I'd sleep with a stranger for a million dollars. And what I'd answer back to them was, well then you're willing to be a whore. You're willing to be a prostitute. All you're changing is the amount of money. You're willing to put away your convictions for money. Would you do it for a billion dollars? No. Would you go to hell for a billion dollars? No. There's people that would. So when Satan ups the quantity and the quality of the temptation, the amount, instead of silver he'll give you gold. Well, if you can be bought at any price, then God doesn't care about the price. He cares that you can be bought. Would you leave the Lord's will for a tall, dark and handsome prince charming that had, he was a pastor and he'd been in a Bible school and he could make $50,000 a year and everybody loved him and he was, he made records and he could sing and he could dance and he led people to the Lord by the droves and he looked beautiful and he was tall and he was gentle and he was loving and he was everything you ever wanted and God said, no, would you still marry him? He was the best Christian you ever met. Not to mention the nicest looking, the most talented, three years older than you. His parents like you, your parents like you. God says no, to you, not him, but just you. He thinks the Lord wants it to happen but you know God said no. God said you're going to marry plain Frank. And Frank doesn't even like you. And Frank's okay, you know. He's about 20 pounds overweight. He's only been a Christian about two years. Doesn't have any skill but he really loves the Lord. He loves to pray but God has made it clear to you that you really like me. Okay, you got the picture? What's your price? At what point are you willing to disobey God? For what? What is there that can buy you? Are you for sale? Is God for sale in your life? Is obedience for sale? So, 15. And Balak again sent leaders more than numerous and more distinguished than the former. They came to Balaam and said to him, Thus says Balak, the son of Zipporah, Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me for I will indeed honor you richly and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come and curse this people for me. Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, Here is Balaam's zeal. Does he have real zeal? He was a man of God. He really was. God doesn't speak to people who aren't men of God. He was a prophet of God. He was a leader of the people in God's name. He wasn't a devil worshiper. Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything either small or great contrary to the command of the Lord my God. Very zealous statement. And now please, you also stay here tonight and I will find out what else the Lord will speak to me. Now, the error of Balaam is obedience to God plus. Or it's obedience to God but. Or it's obedience to God and. Something else. Yes, I'll obey God but stay here tonight. Stay again. Now he sent a delegation putting them up for the night. You didn't say go away. Get thee behind me. Split. I will not do this. I don't even want to be tempted. Flee temptation it says. Resist the devil. He will flee from you. Hang out and let me let me go talk to God. Let me pray about it. How many people have gone to hell praying about it? How many people have disobeyed God saying well I really have a burden for this. I really feel led to do that. I really have a piece about this. I'm going to go pray. I've really I can't believe the amount of people that say well I really prayed about it. Then I say but did God tell you? Praying about something is not spiritual. Hearing from God and doing what God says is spiritual. Praying about something Mormons pray. Christians pray. Buddhists pray. The devil himself probably has tried to pray in front of people to impress them. Don't ever come to me and say well I'm going to do this. I really prayed about it. Unless you can finish the statement I prayed about it and God has answered me and he told me I'm supposed to do this. It doesn't impress me that you prayed about it. And it doesn't impress impress God that you prayed about it. Because most selfish prayer is just one way prayer. It's like picking up the phone dialing a number doing all the talking and hanging up before the person can talk back. God came to Balaam at night and said to him if the men have come to call you rise up and go with them but only the word which I speak to you shall you do. Nothing harmful in that. Nothing angry in that. Here's the whole key. This verse this reaction of God to Balaam coming a second time and asking remember the first time God says who are these people and what do they want. This time God isn't saying who are these people and what do they want. God comes and says to Balaam if the men have come to call you rise up and go with them. Now remember there's details left out. I'm not going to add to the word of God. I'm just going to tell you what's obvious. Balaam went of course and said in verse 19 now please you also stay here tonight and I will find out what else the Lord will speak to me. Maybe I can get the consolation prize. Maybe I won't get the riches and the honor and the house full of silver and gold but I might be able to tell him something pleasing and get a tip. Maybe instead of a million dollars he'll give me a thousand dollars. That's the problem when you have a business. That's the problem. It can even happen here. We can make decisions based on how much income it will bring in. God forbid. But we can make decisions. Whenever you have ministry mixed with finances there's always the temptation to alter a decision or alter a policy just for financial reasons. Now if God lets you or God leads you to alter a policy and it brings financial blessing there's nothing wrong with that. But if your sole reason for doing something is so that you will be financially remunerated or paid off in some way that's evil. It's wicked. Especially when it's attached to ministry. That's the problem. Balaam had a ministry and he also had a business called the diviner's shop. The diviner's house. I will find out what else the Lord will speak to me. What else? Oh, what an evil word. God, I know you told me no but what else can you tell me about this? Don't ever ask God for anything else when he gives you the final word on something. When he gives you a definite word. He gave him a definite word. No. And he told him why. Goodbye, Balaam. I'm going now. So God gave him the final word and he says I'm going to go find out what else. Well, God gave him what else and God contradicted himself. Did he? Yeah. God told him no because he was in a certain situation. Now he comes back to him what I consider a disobedient and greedy man and God gives him and tells him the word that he deserves to hear. Sure. Go. Why? You'll see in the very next verse. So Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab but God was angry because he was going and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now, why would God tell him to do something that he was angry if he did? Because God never tells you to do something after he tells you not to do it unless he explains why he's changing his path. God might say go offer your son as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah to Abraham and then say now he says do not harm the boy for now I know you fear me. Now I know you love me more than anything else. So he says I am changing my direction to you because I have learned this or because you have proven this. But God says no all one time and then says alright go and doesn't give any reason. Be careful. God is very strict. He's very strict. And when God says no and then you ask him a second time God will say alright go ahead do what you want. He doesn't even say it that way in here. I'm adding to the flavor of the thing by you can see in 22 God was angry. So when God was saying alright you're not going to be obedient do what you want. Sure go ahead and go. And I'll have a little surprise waiting for you down the road. You must you must know that God usually will only answer you once. And very many of us because of our relationship with God being so low quality compared to New Testament Christianity or even Old Testament Revelation the quality of our walk and communication with God is so when we hear something from God it's so far in between. When we really get a direct message from God in our Christian life in 1981 the quality of Christian life is so so below standard that when one of us hears something from God or gets an answer from God it's so exciting that we don't need to hear again for another couple of months. I mean I've only had about five mountaintop experiences in my whole Christian walk. And I could probably live the rest of my life without hearing from God again if I had to and still be a Christian. I don't want to. I don't want to. But remember Solomon only heard from God three times in his life as far as I know. And you know the times when God appears to people is very look at Abraham you can read the story of Abraham God Abraham goes years you know God goes to Abraham and says you're going to have a son. Alright. You don't hear from him for 13 years later. Meanwhile Abraham's gone out and had a son. Wrong son. No. Oh. Oops. You know. Well go ahead and bless him anyway Lord. Nope. You got to get rid of that one. The son I promised was due this next year. I forgot to tell you when. I didn't really forget to tell you I was testing you. How would you like for God to say I'm going to give you a wife. And that's it. That's all he said. Five years later he shows up and says alright I'm ready to give you a wife. But I've already got Sheila. You know. You'd feel pretty dumb wouldn't you. Especially if Sheila was inside the tent snickering. I got her. Now. We live in a very civilized time. When God doesn't have you get rid of wives and kids anymore. You know. And I'm very grateful for that. But there was some this is before the law. I mean this is before this is I mean the law of Moses I guess had been given but this was before there was any kind of civilized ways in the land. This was a time when even David had many wives and Jacob had multiple wives and so on. I mean there was all kinds of things being tried out and tested and so on and so forth. So Balaam goes and here we've got an angel of the Lord takes his stand in the way of an adversary it's an enemy against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. Verse 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. Then the angel of the Lord stood in the narrow path of the vineyard with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. There was a little kind of a bridge a walled bridge. Okay. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall so he struck her again. And the angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord she lay down under Balaam so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his fist. And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and she said to Balaam What have I done to you that you obstruct me these three times? Balaam is so shocked he answers her. I mean really. He's so shocked he talks back to her. He doesn't go Why are you talking? He's so mad. He's so upset. And why is he upset? You'll see in a minute. Balaam said to the donkey Because you have made a mockery of me. He's riding with the people the officials, right? Right? Balaam Balaam He's riding with the officials the princes the president of general chariot back to Balak and they're all going and this guy he's a prophet he doesn't even know how to handle his donkey Right? It'd be like you're in a motorcade and all of a sudden your car starts veering off to the left You know? Get back here You know? And your car starts having a mind of its own. He's never had his donkey do this before. Because you have made a mockery of me if there had been a sword in my hand I would have killed you by now. That's how mad he was. He was foaming at the mouth. He's never been so embarrassed in all his life. His donkey was showing him to be a poor horseman. And the donkey said to Balaam Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you? He said no. No. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand and he bowed all the way to the ground and the angel of the Lord said to him Why have you struck your donkey these three times? All of a sudden everybody is concerned about donkeys. Pretty smart donkey though. Donkey was smart. Saw the angel of the Lord and said I'm not going that way. Behold I have come out as an adversary because your way was contrary to me. God's explaining further. Doesn't usually do that to people. The word contrary literally you can see in your footnotes there you can see in the footnote means reckless. Your way was careless reckless. You had no care for the fear of the Lord. But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times if she had not turned aside from me I would surely have killed you just now. And let her live. God speaks to him and says your donkey just saved your life. You better keep her off spring for generations. He said raise this donkey you got a smart donkey here she saved your life. She was trying to keep you out of trouble. And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord I have sinned for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then if it is displeasing to you I will turn back. Now as I read that before the first impression to that statement now if it is displeasing to you I will turn back was that that's pretty good it showed Balaam's heart he's willing to turn back. But now I see it's actually a wicked answer. Total wickedness. What do you mean if it is displeasing to you what more do you need? You can tell you got a broken foot your donkey just broke your foot you've got God himself the angel of the Lord himself standing before you with a drawn sword telling you that your way is contrary and you're asking if it is displeasing I will turn back. God wrote him off right there. That was the ultimate. It was. It was the absolute ultimate. God wrote him off. If he really would have been doing what God wanted him to do he would have said God now God still could have told him to go if he wanted to but the correct answer would be I have sinned I am repenting which means I'm turning around God I'll meet you back at the hut you know I'll meet you back at the cave I won't go another step he told me not to go I'm not going. Now God then might have said no now you can go I want you to go I've got something for you to do now God always turns off things for his own glory you know that we don't need to discuss that principle tonight God still did it even though you'll find out at the end of this story Balaam gets killed by the children of Israel the end of Balaam's life is to be murdered by God's people not murdered but slaughtered by God's people so he's written off he's had it he's not God's chosen anymore and I believe it's right there now then if it is I will turn back but the angel of the Lord said to Balaam go with the men but you shall speak but go in the word which I shall tell you so Balaam went along with the leaders of Balaam when Balaam heard that Balaam was coming he went out to meet him at the city of Moab which is on the Armin border at the extreme end of the border oh yeah down there then Balaam said to Balaam did I not urgently send you to call you why did you not come to me am I really unable to honor you so Balaam said to Balaam behold I have come now to you am I able to speak anything at all the word that God puts in my mouth that I shall speak there is something in the second sentence that reveals Balaam's attitude