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KEY TEXT: Deuteronomy 23:5 (KJ21) – “Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.”

When Balaam sought to curse, heaven turned his tongue to blessing. What was forged in hatred was broken by love. In the same way, the Sabbath is God’s memorial of power and protection, an altar in time where His people are shielded. To honor the Sabbath is to step beneath His covering, where no weapon, no spell, no curse can prevail.

Balaam was a non-Israelite prophet and diviner. He was a fraudulent prophet. He was hired to curse the Israelites, but he ended up blessing them instead. When someone is promised money or given material goods to do a job, they do their best to do that job so that they get that reward. Take note that most people in the world esteem money more than anything else.

There are a few people in church who also esteem money more than anything else. Balaam, like many people working for the kingdom of darkness, would use his evil powers to earn a living. He was tasked by the king of Moab, Balak. When a king gives an assignment to someone, he often takes the best in the land. He does not just take anybody.

Normally, when a foreigner is hired, it means that he is better skilled than the local people of the land. It means that they have not been able to find someone better than that foreigner in that land. Therefore, we can conclude that Balaam was the highest-ranking corrupt prophet and diviner. He was not from the land of Moab. He was hired to come to the land of Moab to do the job of divination. This shows that no other well-known ungodly prophet and diviner in the land of Moab could match his prowess.

God told Balaam not to go and curse the Israelites because the Israelites were blessed, but Balaam later on went after he was pressured by the king and offered greater rewards.

2 Peter 2:15 says that Balaam loved the rewards of unrighteousness. He loved those rewards, but he could not do that assignment because God had not allowed him.

On his way, God tried to stop Balaam through his talking donkey. Balaam later on went, and instead of speaking cursing words to the Israelites, he ended up speaking to them words of blessings. God put his words in Balaam’s mouth so that Balaam ended up speaking words of blessing to them. This means that even the most unrighteous people can be used by God to bless you. God can use them to speak words of life and blessing to you. That is why it is not good to despise anyone, for God can use anyone to help you. He used Mordecai, Haman’s worst enemy, to benefit Haman (Esther 6:6-10).

Israel had conquered the Amorites and possessed the land from Arnon unto Jabbok (Numbers 21:24). Therefore, they camped in the plains of Moab (Numbers 22:1). The plains of Moab were originally owned by the Moabites but were taken by the Amorites when the Amorites defeated the Moabites (Numbers 21:26).

The plains of Moab were the final campsite the Israelites were going to be in before entering the promised land. The king of Moab and the Moabites feared the Israelites. Balak feared the Israelites, too. This fear is mainly because the Israelites had conquered those who had conquered the Moabites. Thus, they could not defeat them physically by war. However, the king of Moab had an understanding that many people don’t have, including Christians. That understanding is that life is spiritual.

Since they could not physically defeat them, the King tried to overpower them spiritually by using the ‘great’ false prophet Balaam. Balaam failed. However, he gave advice to make the Israelite men sin (adultery) with the Moabite women. Through that, it would be easy to curse them. Sin creates holes in your soul that make it easy for the Devil to enter and bring all sorts of attacks to you. Satan often uses the sin of adultery, especially with ungodly women, to bring men down.

When you give in to the allurements of an ungodly woman, you have caused yourself to be in subjection to her. A man is meant to lead, but through engaging in immoral sexual behavior, he hands over his leadership mantle to the one he is sinning with. Uniting yourself with a harlot makes her lead over you. As a result, you obey her ungodly commands, which later on make you cheap (a piece of bread, Proverbs 6:26) and eventually lead your life to waste.

This story of the Israelites shows us how we need to be watchful in the last phases before our breakthrough. This is because Satan does not rest. If he was not able to catch you before, he will try his best to catch you after. The Devil is always increasing the fierceness of the attack. When you rely on God’s everlasting arm, you will surely receive help, and you will enter into your breakthrough seamlessly.

The original Hebrew word used for hearken is shama, which means to hear, listen, pay attention to, or obey. Deuteronomy 23:5 says that God would not hearken to Balaam. God does not hear, listen, or pay attention to those who go against His will. He does not answer their requests and prayers, particularly if they want to do something harmful to His faithful children.

The reason given in the Bible why God turned the curse into a blessing is that God loved the Israelites. When God loves you, He turns what was meant to be a curse to you into a blessing. God’s love overrides human hatred. God’s sovereignty is supreme, and God defends His covenant people.

“When Balaam, allured by the promise of rich rewards, practiced enchantments against Israel, and by sacrifices to the Lord sought to invoke a curse upon His people, the Spirit of God forbade the evil which he longed to pronounce, and Balaam was forced to exclaim: “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?” Numbers 23:8” – The Faith I Live By, Page 331, Ellen G. White.

Balaam’s curse broke on the shield of God’s love, and what was sharpened for harm became bread of blessing. So it is with the Sabbath, a holy wall of time where no sorcery may enter,
a rest that keeps us in covenant, a sign that the Lord of creation is also our defense. Remain within its sanctuary, and even the fiercest curse will fall powerless at your feet.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Heavenly Father,
Thank You for turning every curse into a blessing because of Your unfailing love. Just as You shielded Israel in the plains of Moab, shield my heart from sin and my life from the enemy’s schemes. Help me honor Your Sabbath rest, stepping into Your covenant of protection and peace. May my words, like Balaam’s turned by Your power, speak blessing and not harm. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

• Write down two situations in your life where you feel attacked, hindered, or cursed (it could be struggles, temptations, or opposition).
• Then, on the same paper, write a blessing from Scripture that directly counters each one (for example, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper” – Isaiah 54:17).
• Keep the paper in your Bible or prayer journal as a reminder that what the enemy meant for evil, God transforms into good.

Author: Mark Alex   

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