Troublesome Topic: TIMES WHEN ASKING FOR FAVORS ENDED POORLY

BALAAM

Think about the story of Balaam found in Numbers 22-24. When Balaam received the request from King Balak to put a curse on the people of Israel, God spoke to him and told him not to do it (22:12). So he sent the messengers away. But King Balak sent them back a second time with an offer of great riches. Balaam told them he could not do as the asked, even if the king gave him the royal palace filled with silver and gold. However, he also told the messengers to stay overnight and he would find out “what else the Lord will tell me” (22:18-19). God had already spoken clearly, there was no need for further discussion. The only thing left to do was obey. This means Balaam wanted to have it both ways; he wanted to avoid being under God’s wrath because he recognized that the God of the Israelites was the Creator and Lord of the whole world, but he also wanted to please King Balak and be richly rewarded for it. So he said the right thing at first, but that night he tried to bargain with God or asked God if He was sure about His first answer. In other words, he used prayer to press God for what he, a mere man, wanted to happen.

In this case, God relented. He seems to have changed His mind. However, God’s purpose had not changed. He would not allow any curse against Israel and He wanted to work in Balaam’s life, if Balaam was willing to allow God to do His work in him. In this process God would reveal openly what was hidden in Balaam’s heart. The only thing that changed was the methods God would use.

HEZEKIAH

Consider the story of King Hezekiah in II Kings chapter 20. He was very sick and God sent him the prophet Isaiah to tell him to get his house in order because he was going to die. Hezekiah begged God for more time and God gave him 15 more years, but in those years, he turned away from God.

I think this served to demonstrate clearly to Hezekiah and others where his heart was. He started out good, by the time he got deathly sick his spiritual condition may have been on the edge, or darker than most people realized. When word came that it was God’s will for him to die, he did not accept is, but pushed back against it. He was focused on his own accomplishments rather than Gods will. God granted his request for a favor to show everyone clearly the direction in which he was headed.

The next lesson is GRATITUDE CHANGES ME