Hi, I'm Pastor Darryl Bailey at People's Valley Baptist Church. We want to come and ask you to worship with us and join us. We're located at 68 Lefford Lane. Come and be with us when you get a chance. Our hope is to share God's word of truth and build up lives into the kingdom of God. And now, let's get ready to go into the word God In the book of Numbers in our series called preparation for the promise, this is the fifth session As we look at it of Jehovah calls You'll find it in Numbers chapter 22. Take your Bibles on over there starting with verse 22 and we got to go down to verse 35 now this series in the book of Numbers is is about how God always is pointing us somewhere. But sometimes it isn't always clear where he's pointing us. And as we wait for his direction, God will shape us. He will teach us how to trust him. But you've got to watch out because the danger of waiting is that during that time, we can grow restless. We can become frustrated and even disobedient. And the Book of Numbers is a great reminder to keep our eyes focused on God while we wait in the wilderness. You know, for God to fulfill his promises. Even the book of Numbers can appeal to us today as men and women of God. God establishes the tabernacle at the center of the camp. And he establishes worship at the center of the Israelites. If God is not the center of all that we do, we're gonna fail to worship him as we're called to do. in your marriage, in your finances, in your job, in your business, on your job, wherever you work, if God, listen, is not the center of all that we do, we're gonna fail to worship him as we're called to do. We must strive to take very seriously God's expectation to worship him fully. And so the Israelites, they waited for God to lead them out into the wilderness. And we have to learn fully to trust God's promise to lead us, which means that we must stay put. When he calls us, to and we must move along when he prompts us to go. Now, today Jehovah calls out of Numbers chapter 22 verses 22 down to verse 35. God calls his followers to represent him and his purposes in this world. Now, I want you to listen for God's attempts to communicate with Balaam and Balaam's choices to run ahead of God's directions. You know, when Balaam encountered the angel, he was on his way to curse the Israelites at the invitation of King Balak. Now, if he wants to go on back further into the word of God, King Balak of Moab had hired a fortune teller named Balaam to curse the people of Israel. And it was through Balak's persistence in getting Balaam to answer his summons that we saw the steps that Satan takes to destroy us with his temptation. There's a warfare every day that's going on. that's conducted by evil spirits of darkness, evil spirits who serve under the supreme power that is identified in the holy scripture as Satan or the devil. Oh yeah, I'm talking to you today. And in deep malice and wrath against God, these evil forces try their very best, when possible, to frustrate the plan of God for this world. These evil spirits, they seek to cut the heart of God because of God's judgment against their arrogance. and rejection of him. And the way that they seek to hurt God is by taking over the normal desires and the obsessive passions of men and women, using them to destroy people. They use the passions to enslave people. And I'm talking about passions such as the things that you'll see in everyday life. He uses the passion of greed and drugs and alcohol and gluttony and lust and cravings and things that are vulgar, bestiality, killing, abuse, immorality, pornography, profanity. Oh my God. If you have caught yourself wanting to cuss and use profanity, you better watch out. You're in a battle where the devil is trying to use you in such a way. And if the curtain were rolled back between earth and heaven, man would be able to easily see what lies behind all of the sin and all of the evil all of the conflicts and struggles of this world. But you can't roll that curtain back. But you've got to get up every day and put on your armor of God. And even though we're in the little Bible study of the book of Numbers, this is a powerful lesson that you need to listen to as I teach you today, because God would clearly begin to show you all of the horde of evil spirits seeking to cut the heart of God by deceiving people and by turning them away from God. And so one of the ways used by these evil spirits is the world of the occult and the world of the false prophet, the diviner, the sorcerer, the psychic, the palm reader, the fortune teller, the astrologer, and the host of others. These are the kind of things that the evil and devil uses and works through today. And the leaders of all of those of the occult advertise and they cry out for the attention of people. claiming that they can know the future, they can meet needs, they can bring blessings into the lives of people, and some even go so far as to claim that they can control and alter the future, and that they can bring blessings upon those whom they bless, and cursings upon those whom they curse. Believe me, I bet you I've felt the cursings of a many a people that have said, man, we're gonna curse that preacher, we're gonna bring that preacher down over at People's Valley, but I'm still standing today. Oh, I thank God. Under the power of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places, they mislead people and they cause them to turn away from the only living and true God, the Lord God Himself, Jehovah Yahweh, and the world of the occult is a world controlled by evil. Listen, spirits who are set upon destroying the lives of people and cutting the heart of God. I don't know about you, but I'm not about to let any of this craziness of this whole world occult try to mess up my witness. I'm saved by the blood of Jesus. But remember, Israel is camped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River across from the great city of Jericho, and the present scripture is an event that takes place totally unknown to the Israelites. It's a picture of the unseen, unknown attempts by the powers of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places and an attempt to destroy the people of God in order to break the heart of God. Listen, keep in mind that Israel is totally unaware of what is happening, but not God. God knows and God protects his people and he will not allow any person to touch his people and to call a curse of judgment and destruction down upon them. Judgment and destruction are in his hands. And listen, and I'm gonna tell you something. He will not allow any person to touch his people or to call a curse of judgment and destruction down upon them. The judgment and destruction are in his hands. and no one else, and to curse his people with judgment. Listen, we begin to realize that here there's an evil plan that's underway, amen. In the background, Balaam's encounters with God was very dramatic. A false belief in the world of divination, sorcery, and the occult is seen. And here that we look all the way down, uh... as uh... the psychics and fortune tellers and palm readers and sorcerers and divine psychics self-proclaimed prophets of new age movements of the zodiac of the whole world of the occult have all been sought by people down through the centuries of human history people who want to know their destiny and what the future holds and they want the blessings of the gods that be or else they want some enemy cursed They want only good things to happen to them and not bad things, but they're going about it the wrong way. And I'm going to tell you, you may not realize how many people are out there that look at all of the dark sides of the world for their answers and their reasoning instead of Almighty God. And I'm here to point you in the right direction in this Numbers Bible study, amen, through the topic of it called Jehovah Calls. Hallelujah, and I'm glad we're talking about the series preparation for the promise, you know as we look down at verse 22 Chapter 22 verse 22 Here is the third encounter of Balaam with God, and it aroused the anger of God. This is a story of Balaam and the donkey, a story that reveals the anger of God over greed. Simply stated, God used the donkey as a sign of his anger against the greed of this false prophet. God can use anybody. God can speak through a false prophet. God can use a donkey to speak. God can do almighty things, but I'm gonna tell you, out of the Bible. The only other two things that God used in a case like this, besides the donkey of Balaam, was the snake that was in Genesis chapter 3. And so, here we got to look out for all of the leaders of the cult, but here, I want you to listen. Listen for God's attempts to communicate with Balaam and Balaam's choices to run ahead of God's directions Because here we begin to realize that when Balaam encountered the angel he was on his way to curse the Israelites at the invitation of King Balak and he wanted he had greed he wanted to make money and And you know there's a lot of people out there, but God places boundaries in all of our lives to help us to see and follow His will. Now, I'm going to tell you, we're going to identify those unusual ways, but you know what? When you look at the book of Numbers before we start reading, Telling the truth can be hard sometimes. We may be called on to tell the truth, but what about when doing so hurts someone that we love? What if the truth offends or angers a neighbor or a co-worker? We may find ways to justify of not telling the whole truth so we don't run the risk of offending or angering somebody. We really don't lie, we just didn't tell everything that we knew. And we know that we should tell the full truth, but our emotions and our fears sometimes get in the way. And so here we begin to realize and identify that Jehovah calls. Because in Numbers, back in Numbers chapter 22 verses 1, the Israelites had defeated every enemy they had encountered since leaving Egypt. except when they irresponsibly attacked the Canaanites in Numbers chapter 14. They defeated the Amalekites in Exodus chapter 17. The king of Arad in Numbers 21. The Amorites in Numbers 21 verses 21 through 25. The king of Og, of Bashan in Numbers chapter 21 verses 33 down to 35. With the Transjordan firmly under Israel's control. They settled in the plains of Moab just across from Jericho, the first city in Canaan. Israel would attack. And so, as I said earlier, seeing how the Israelites thoroughly routed their enemies, King Balak and the Moabites feared that they were next on the Israelites' agenda. And in hopes of rebuffing the Hebrews, the Moabites formed an alliance with the Midianites. In Numbers chapter 22 verses 1 through 4, both of these nations were actually relatives of the Israelites. The Moabites were descendants of Lot in Genesis chapter 19. And the Midianites were descendants of Abraham through Keturah that Moses had married into in Genesis chapter 25, unknown to Balak. God had forbidden the Israelites from attacking Moab according to Deuteronomy chapter 2 verse 9. Terrified by the Israelites' presence, Balak wasn't satisfied with increasing the size of his army. He enlisted spiritual help by calling on Balaam, a pagan diviner and prophet. And so, believing a curse would tilt the odds in his favor, Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites. In Numbers chapter 22 earlier, up in verses five through seven, God spoke to Balaam, telling him that he shouldn't curse his people. Hey, can you believe that? God began to speak to a diviner. And after Balak sent another impressive entourage and probably a higher fee for Balaam's service, God came to Balaam again. This time, God permitted Balaam's visit with Balak on the condition that he would only do what God told him to do. I thank God in Numbers chapter 22 verses 15 through 20 was what that was about I'm kind of highlighting and breaking down and giving you some of the background of this Sunday school lesson and so Balaam is one of those figures that is very difficult to interpret or to understand. He's mysterious. He's from a town called Pithor in Syria, west of the Euphrates River, in Numbers 22, verse 5, and the name Pithor simply means soothsayer. it would imply that he was a pagan diviner. And on the other hand, when he had a command from Yahweh, God of Israel, he was obedient. In parts of the narrative, Balaam appears to be pious, and he declared that no amount of money could persuade him to go to Moab against the prohibition of Yahweh, of Jehovah, whom he calls my God. In Genesis excuse me in Numbers chapter 22 verse 18 that he talks about this because this is what he said he said and Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balaam if Balaam would give me his house full of silver and gold I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more well you know what Balaam he wasn't a believer in God he was what He was under the services of Balak, but he wasn't a born-again Christian. He wasn't an Israelite. He was a diviner, a pagan diviner. And so here we begin to realize that his words, however, don't indicate that he was a true worshiper of Yahweh. The Bible elsewhere regards him as evil and as an instigator of sedition of Israel. at Baal of Peor in Numbers later on in Numbers chapter 31 verse 8 and verse 16 and then also in Deuteronomy 23 verses 4 through 5 and also in Joshua chapter 24 verses 9 and 10. And so here as we try to understand the text of our Sunday school way, man, as I go through all of that to break down We begin to get to the word of God and one of the things that I look at is I see that three strikes and we're out. Three strikes and we're out. Just like a baseball player that has three strikes and you're out. All of a sudden we begin to realize that here we see three strikes for Him to give Balaam an opportunity to get things right and when we look at that we start out in Numbers chapter 22 verse 22 and the Bible says and God's anger was kindled because he went other words in He goes on and says, and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his, I'm gonna call it donkey, in case I have kids listen to this. I don't wanna give them the impression to say this just because it's biblical. His donkey and his two servants were with him. Now he was riding upon his donkey and his two servants were with him, excuse me. And verse 23, and The donkey saw the angel of the Lord. Notice how many times you listen and you see the word Lord. The angel of the Lord standing in his way and his sword drawn in his hand and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field and Balaam smote the donkey to turn her into the way. But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards a wall being on this side and a wall on that side in verse 25 and when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord she thrust herself unto the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall and he smote her again in verse 26 and the angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left, and when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the donkey with a staff." Now, we see that God's anger was kindled because Balaam went. But the Lord had told Balaam to go in verse 20, amen? because it says, and God came unto Balaam at night and said unto him, if the men come to call you, rise up and go with them. But listen, but yet the word which I say unto you, that shall you do. That's what you need to remember. God told him to go, but he said, you better say what I tell you to say. Many have argued that Balaam was not a true worshiper of the Lord and therefore not a true prophet, but merely a soothsayer. But, Whatever Balaam may be at this time, he once was a true prophet if Balaam was not to obey the Lord. But I don't know about that. I believe, as I've told you, all the references that point to that he was not a true prophet of God. But the Lord had told Balaam to go, but now was angry at Balaam that was going. Why? because Balaam had done or said something along the way that God had not authorized, thereby disobeying God's command to do and to say what the Lord told him. The soothsayer is seen by the world as a man of great spiritual stature, as I was telling you earlier as I opened up, and be shown by the God of heaven and earth that he was spiritually blind and powerless because, listen, According to the Word of God, those people under the occult, I don't care what they do, God is the ultimate one in control of everything. The angel of the Lord was likely the physical manifestation of the Lord himself in the form of an angel, Amen. And I'm glad that he was a theophany, which is an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. We saw this many times before in Genesis 16, 7. And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the ways to Shur. And he tells Hagar to go back home after she had fled from Sarai. In Genesis, chapter 18, verses 1 and 2, we see the same thing, that the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre, and he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day, and he lift up his eyes and looked, and lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself toward the ground. He appeared to Abraham and informs him that he will have a son through Sarai. Oh, so we saw it again in the book of Exodus. of a theophany of the appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament in Exodus chapter 3 verses 1 through 6. Here, Balaam was riding his donkey and this animal had more discernment than his master did. The domestic donkey was highly prized in the Middle East as an important mode of transportation for the common people of the land as well as the princes. It was ideal for carrying the supplies if a load was not too heavy. You know what? A donkey's more sure-footed than a horse is. That's why when you went up around the mountains to do your prospecting, I learned this when I was out in Colorado, and I went back into the old ghost towns with my landlord that knew all of the locations of the back west of panning gold and looking for gold. He was an old prospector, and he had told me this, and I believe he made man. And so the donkey was an animal that was highly adapted for the desert travel. It had an easy gant. Travel at a quick pace, fast enough to keep up with the camels, and on rough terrain that was faster than horses because it was sure-footed, listen, and able to endure rough ground and sharp rocks. Another advantage of using a donkey for travel is that they required little water, one-fourth the barley that a horse would consume. And so the donkey could live on thorns and thistles and other rough forms of vegetation. If there was any water in the region, the donkey could sniff it out. The weakness of this animal is in very low tolerance for cold temperatures. It loses its strength and speed as the temperature drops. This would be a factor if someone wanted to travel during cold and desert nights. The donkey's not a dumb animal, as some perceive it to be. Instead, it's extremely intelligent and alert. And when this animal is well-treated, it holds its head up high, steps lively, and can gallop if the need arises. If it's treated with cruelty and whipping, it becomes a slothful, spiritless animal. And when the donkey is well-groomed, its hair shines across and glistens. The white donkeys were highly prized because it was believed to be swifter. The wealthy sheiks would own the white donkeys because of their expensive price tag, and the wild donkeys which roamed the desert would be hunted by wealthy sheiks and princes for days. They posed a great challenge because they were slender, swift, and very difficult to approach because of their keen sense of smell, sight, and hearing. The Arabs hunted the wild donkeys because of its meat that was considered a great delicacy. And the wild donkey was captured. It would bite, kick, plunge, rear up to escape. And once a burden was placed on his back, he would calm down and submit to his master. And the donkeys were usually very dependable. And it was the reason that Balaam was angry with this animal. God is trying to get Balaam's attention and he's using this donkey to do it. And I'm gonna tell you, we begin to realize that how the squeeze indicates the warnings that are ignored because in verse 22, the angel is in the way. In verse 24, he is at the path of the vineyard with a wall on both sides. In verse 26, here is a narrow place where no place to turn. And in verse 27, the donkey falls upon Balaam. You see, he's trying to get his attention. And so here we see the physical manifestation of the Lord in the form of the angel demonstrated his sovereign power that God stood in the way of Balaam and the holy God who dealt harsh with the sins of his own people would not tolerate any disobedience in a pagan diviner. Balaam would do things God's way, or he'd forfeit his life. And I'm glad that God is in control. Donkeys, as they were reliable, amen. As they were smart, amen. Down the road, the angel reappeared between a narrow passage. But I'm going to tell you, here the animal was smarter than the master. See, the angel had a sword blocking the way. The donkey turned his side out of the way into an open field, saving Balaam's life. How did Balaam reward her? He beat her. That's the first time. Down the road, the angel reappeared between a narrow passageway, moving out of the way, and the donkey pressed upon the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against the wall. Boiling with anger, Balaam beat her again the second time. In the road ahead, the angel positioned himself where the donkey couldn't get around him, leaving the donkey with no other choice but to lay down. Exploding emotionally, Balaam beat the donkey a third time. You see, three times when the batter comes up, three strikes and you're out. But here, three times just to get the attention of Balaam. Balaam thought the only thing standing between him and Balak's riches was that donkey. He was greedy. Little did he know that the donkey saw what he could not see and if Balaam was a specialist in the supernatural Spear as he claimed an ordinary obedient animal being disobedient Three times should have told him something was amiss Although boundaries may at times seem burdensome, God sets them so that His children can be fruitful and be blessed. Just as God sets boundaries in Balaam's life, God provides boundaries to keep us within His will. Sometimes you're like a Balaam where you're so angry because your parents have set boundaries for you and it is for your own purpose. Your parents have tried to tell you and reason with you and set boundaries as God does, but you got angry with them. Like Balaam, we can ignore the warning signs and keep going on our way, or we can respect them, going only where God wants us to go. Although boundaries may at times seem burdensome, God sets them so his children can be fruitful and blessed. And so we've got to listen for the things. And so what did we see? We saw three strikes. before Balaam was going to recognize that God was trying to get his attention. The next thing we see is two questions, because as we continue reading in Numbers chapter 22, verses 28 through 30, the Bible says, And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And verse 29, And Balaam said unto the donkey, Because thou hast mocked me. I would, there were a sword in my hand, for now would I kill thee. In verse 30, and the donkey said unto Balaam, am not I thine donkey upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, nay. For the first and only time, all of a sudden, we begin to realize that the donkey spoke. Maybe he was a relative of Francis the talking mule or maybe he was a cousin of Mr. Ed the talking horse. Just kidding. The donkey asked, what have I done to you to smite me these three times? Have I ever done this before? Has any other creature spoken in the Bible? Yes, as I said, it was the serpent in Genesis chapter three. It's amazing that this donkey speaks. And what is even more amazing is Balaam's response. What would you do if a donkey began to talk to you? Balaam shows little surprise. Why? Could it be that he has heard such things before? I don't know. His rage may have blunted his ability to be surprised. And when you're in a rage, you're usually not thinking very clear. There's some buried insights and treasure because the change in the donkey's behavior indicated a hidden explanation. The same holds true for people when there's a drastic change in their behavior. Be patient with them and ask them if they're okay. Do you make the same mistakes as Balaam? Do you ignore God's no and you go ahead with your plans anyway? Do you miss the cues of the donkey? The cues such as your conscience, the cautions of scripture, or friends, or your circumstances, which are all saying, don't do this! There's danger ahead! This is the wrong way to go about doing this. You see, is there an angel that's blocking your path? The angel of other choices that make more sense. The angel of your comprehension about your decision. The angel of complications or circumstances. Hey, is your foot being crushed? If you please. Is God using physical affliction to prevent further mistakes? The angel of your plans are being hindered and they're failing. Hey, do you beat the one that's trying to help you? Listen to me, class. Hey, do you attack your parents and your friends and your teachers or your pastor? You ought to thank God for these people that are in your life. Proverbs 27, 6. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27, 17. Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Sometimes we strike out at people who get in our way. We also do this when we're embarrassed. Don't allow your pride to hurt people. Don't let your greed destroy your life and your relationship with others, amen? 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 9, but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perditions. Balaam's eyes are open. The light comes on in his brain. And I thank God, notice his pride, because I thank God we'll get to that a little bit further on down. But here we begin to realize that Balaam asked two questions. The first question is, what have I done unto thee that thou hast smitten me these three times? And the second one, Am not I thy donkey upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? Throughout her life of service the donkey had always faithfully complied with every command. Confronted with a question, all Balaam could do was respond with a one-word answer, Nay. I thank God every one of us The honest answer of the beast is burden, is he certainly couldn't answer God. But I'm glad Balaam conversed as if he talked regularly with animals. And so, Jesus cast demons out of a man and allowed them to inhabit a herd of swine. Though the pigs didn't speak, the demons identified with the animal world in Luke chapter 8, verses 26 down to verse 39. In his involvement in the spirit realm, it's possible that Balaam thought that he talked with animals on this occasion. However, it clearly was God who gifted the animal with speech, getting Balaam's attention so that he could hear a message from the Lord. You see, God can communicate to humans through whatever means he chooses. Pay attention. And throughout the Bible, he spoke in a variety of ways, including angels, right here in Numbers, chapter 22, verses 22 down to verse 35, and also in Luke, chapter 1, verse 28. He spoke in a variety of way. He spoke in dreams in Genesis 28, verse 12, symbolic actions in Judges 6, verses 36 through 40. He spoke in a soft whisper in 1 Kings 19, 12, in an audible voice in 1 Samuel 3, verses 9 and 10. He spoke in the voice of the prophets in 2 Kings 7, 1. He spoke in the Holy Spirit in Romans 8, 16. And he spoke through Jesus in Hebrews 1, verses 1 and 2. being the creator of the universe. He can speak even through the mouth of a donkey if he chooses to do so. Just know that if God does impart his will through a brute beast, that person has probably reached a low point in his or her spiritual life. It's imperative that we filter everything that we perceive. as a message from God through his written word. Listening and learning are two of the hallmarks of growing believers. And the primary way God speaks today is through his word, the Bible. And while God can speak in and through all things, he's consistent. That's why you need to listen to preaching. That's why you need to listen to Bible study. It is imperative that we filter everything that we perceive as a message from God through His written word. Living by the Bible, we can know without hesitation that we're following God's will. And so, as we look lastly in verses 31 down to verse 35, we see one view. That one view will be what God's view is. When God is speaking to you, you better be obedient to that view. And here is someone that is not even a believer, but God has got him going anyway. And what they want to do is they want to go another path to try to get the greedy riches of the money and figure out another way to not tell the truth that God wants the truth told. They want to figure out another way to tell King Balak so that they can still get the money that they were hired to do. But God says you're going to tell the truth. And so here we pick up again with one view, keep it in mind, in Numbers chapter 22, verse 31. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand. And he bowed down his head, and he fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine donkey these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me. You hear that? And verse 33. And the donkey saw me and turned from me these three times, and lest she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee and saved her alive. In verse 34, And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeased thee, I will get me back again. And in verse 35, And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men Listen, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. Well, I'm going to tell you, as verse 31, accustomed to dealing with the man-made gods, Balaam thought that he could do whatever he pleased until he met the God of the Israelites, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. But after opening the mouth of the donkey, God opened the eyes of the pagan diviner, and angels in the Bible are presented as mighty beings and warriors. And standing before Balaam, that as we see how that this was a type of the Lord as we begin to realize that this angel represented him and he was a theophany of the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ that after we look and realize that It said and his sword drawn in his hand a sword that's in the scabbard indicated that it was a time for meditation But a sword that was drawn indicated. It was a time for war Completely unaware that Balaam almost paid the ultimate price for his disobedience realizing the severity of his situation he fell prostrate on the ground. Laying on one's face was a sign of surrender. And although he may not have had a relationship with the one true God, the soothsayer understood that he was in the presence of a powerful being that he had never before encountered. And I'm glad that in verses 32 down to verse 35, the angel echoed the donkey's question in verse 23, asking why he had beaten the beast three times. And he said he came to oppose Balaam because he considered Balaam's actions perverse. The evil cannot be the mere fact that Balaam was going to Moab. God had given Balaam permission to go. The angel reaffirmed this, refusing Balaam's offer to turn around and head home. It is more likely that Balaam had been looking for a strategy to allow him to say what God told him to say, but also to say things that would please King Balak and earn Balaam a large payment of money. That's the greed that you see. And because of his lesson on the road, he knew not that this was a bad idea. When he got to Balak, his prophecy contained only what God had given him to say. Acknowledging God had the power of life and death, Balaam admitted his sin, stressing that he was ignorant of the angel's appearance and offered to return home. You think he was sincere? Probably so, since he was overwhelmed with the fact that he nearly died. But it doesn't mean that he became a true worshiper of God. And later actions would testify in Numbers chapter 31, verse 16, uttering the faith, I have sinned. It doesn't necessarily mean one is putting salvation faith in God and is willing to turn from the sin. Because King Saul in 1 Samuel 15, 24, and Judas Iscariot in Matthew chapter 27, verse four, all spoke the similar words, but none of them turned to God. And more often than not, they were sorry for what they did or that they got caught like Balaam. You see, God told Balaam to continue his journey and to go with the men. But Balaam could only speak the oracles that God gave him. Only the word that I shall speak unto thee that thou shall speak. Balaam now realized that this mission was about more than cursing a nation and making money. The Lord was to use Balaam to pronounce a blessing on Israel. in front of their enemies. I'm glad you can read further in Deuteronomy chapter 23 verses 3 through 6 and Joshua chapter 24 verses 9 and 10 because as humble servants of God, we represent Him when we declare His truth. It is His message that we speak, speaking God's truth in a privilege, one of the greatest privileges granted by our Lord and Savior, our Heavenly Father. And as a result, the message should be delivered as God gave it, without compromise. And while standing for the Lord, it may be costly, believers can bear the cost knowing that God will ultimately reward their efforts. I'm glad every one of us, as we begin to realize how powerful that the Lord is, that God can do mighty things. And so, as we realize that each and every one of us, as we get ready to close out, many of us try to compromise ourselves. But I'm glad Satan wants us to do nothing and he wants us to go against the things that God wants us to do. But I'm glad that we can stand and we can ask the Lord to do some mighty things that no one else. And I hope and pray as I close out with our Sunday School lesson that Jehovah calls under our series, Preparation for Promise, amen, that God wants to do some mighty things, amen. And so each and every one of us, when we look and realize that here, as we close out, that God wants to do some mighty things, amen, that as we thank God that He communicates His will to us and that we always ask for His guidance to keep us within His loving boundaries of our lives, amen. Each and every one of us, as we look at the lesson, God provides boundaries designed to keep us within his wheel. And God communicates to humans through whatever means he chooses. As humble servants of God, his people must be careful to present God's clear message to others regardless of the cost. And so let's pray. Heavenly Father, by your grace, keep us from putting our hope in the wrong place. By your grace, make us to trust in our Lord and Savior for his resurrection and ours to be the place where along that we look for the final healing. Until you call some of us to a life that will be a permanent struggle, difficulties, hardships, relationships with parents and children, husbands and wife, loneliness and sacrifice, but none of these because Lord, these will you allow us, the word, to be able to bring hope into people's lives because where there is hope, God there is you. Lord, help us to believe that and help us to realize how joy-giving and life-transforming hope can do a change to people's lives because Jehovah is the one that calls us. And you're always pointing us somewhere, but sometimes it isn't always clear where you're pointing us to. But we wait for your direction to shape us, to teach us, and we always trust you in Jesus' mighty name. Yeah.