Balak’s plan
is for Balaam to see only what he wants him to see and to trick the eyes. If the prophet only sees a fraction of the
people he knows are there perhaps he will be able to believe and prophesy that
the king will defeat those he has determined to be his enemies. That determination is completely his own choice,
he need not confront them and treat them as enemies, they have only asked for
safe passage through his land. What
Balaam has seen though in the angel of the Lord, he fears more than the king’s
anger. Balaam may be a Moabite prophet
but he knows to fear the Lord whose angel has confronted him so he speaks only
the blessing the Lord has pronounced on His people, whether the prophet likes
it or not. He can no longer disobey the
Lord without understanding the consequences.
A wedding
invitation was a two part process. The
guests were first informed of the date and then on that date were summoned when
all the preparation was complete for the feast.
They had agreed to keep the date open for the wedding in advance and
this particular wedding of the parable was the wedding of the king’s son,
certainly an invitation anyone would have been honored to have received. Yet on the day of the feast, they respond
that they are too busy with their daily lives to attend. These are not extraordinary excuses that are
offered, they are workaday things while the wedding of the king’s son is
certainly extraordinary. The wrath of
the king against them is great and, since the feast has been prepared, others,
not considered worthy of the original invitation, are now brought to enjoy the
king’s largesse and share in his joy.
One, however, has refused to put on the garment supplied for the feast
and the king’s anger is again kindled because this one has disrespected the
king. We must come in the blood of
Jesus, we don’t get to decide there are many ways to the Father, that is not an
option Jesus left open.
The Spirit
is life. When God created Adam and Eve,
He breathed life into them, distinguishing them from all the rest of
creation. There was something more than
a physical creation in the image of God, the breath of life He gave us
differentiated us also. The Spirit, the
pneuma of God, given to believers, is to re-vivify this flesh, restore what was
lost in the Fall, the ability to live according to God’s will. We who have seen Jesus as the incarnate Son
of God crucified for us, a righteous man dying for the unrighteous, risen from
the dead by the power of the same Spirit, are to be like Balaam, knowing whom
to fear and being careful to speak and act only as He leads us. Are we as careful as that? Paul had his own vision of Jesus, heard the
voice from heaven, and indeed it changed his life completely.
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