In yesterday's reading the Lord told Balaam to go to the
king and today we see that the Lord was angry because Balaam went. Is this really bad editing? Down the centuries surely this could have
been fixed. Look down to verse 32 of the
passage and you will see that the Lord is angry because Balaam's intentions
were perverse or reckless, not because he obeyed physically, but because in his
heart he was not being obedient, he had his own agenda. Nowhere along the way was he looking for the
Lord or for his guidance, that is why he was more stubborn than the donkey in
going his own way. If he had been
looking for the Lord to tell him what to say when he arrived he would have been
more sensitive to the situation and would not have beaten his donkey, he would
have seen the Lord. The donkey makes a
simple logical point, you have ridden me these many years and I have done
nothing like this before, surely that should have caused you to think. Balaam had in interesting day to say the
least.
The leaders want to know who has given Jesus authority to
teach in the temple and drive out the money changers. The presumption is twofold: that such
authority is required and that He didn't get it from them so He really
shouldn't be doing these things. They,
like Balaam, can't see what is directly in front of them. They have seen all they need to see to know
who Jesus is but refuse to see at all.
Jesus responds by asking them to identify John's authority for his
ministry and they know they cannot answer one way or another, there is a trap
set for them both ways. Their only
option is to withdraw for the moment.
The little parable tells the tale of the leaders. They make a good show of obedience in word
but not in deed. They, like Balaam, have
no intention of doing other than their own agenda.
Paul's entire premise is based on the belief that we are new
creations in the Spirit. That is what
makes all the difference, that we have the Spirit of God within us, nothing
else. Jesus died on the cross to set us
free but gave the Spirit to complete the transaction. His death sets us free from the penalty of
the law but the giving of the Spirit gives us new life, the freedom within to
live according to God's will and pursue Christ-likeness. Do you have that freedom today? The law had us hemmed in, we were sinners, no
way forward that led anywhere other than death.
We didn't recognize that standing in our way was Jesus until He chose to
make Himself known to us. Now, we are to
be like Balaam, knowing that we are on a mission and speaking only as He speaks
to us, just as Jesus lived in the flesh.
We have been given freedom from the law to the extent that it is an
external thing, now, we have the law written on our hearts that we might desire
to do according to God's will. Ask Him
today to make Himself manifest to you that you might know the power within you
to live as He intends.
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