Day 48

The Lure of Money

Read: Numbers 22-24

What a story! The prophet Balaam is offered a large honorarium by Balak if he will curse Israel. Oh how he wanted to go, for the sake of that money, but God said no. Balaam is not ready to give up so easily. He tells Balak he will see what else God might say. He is not satisfied with God’s answer, so God does what he often does for us: he gives us what we want if we insist, but at what a price.

God tells Balaam that if he insists on wanting to go, God will let him go. But he is ready to destroy Balaam for disobedience, something even his donkey realizes and talks about. Balaam is so absorbed in his desire to collect that fee that he doesn’t even seem surprised that the donkey speaks!

Balaam acknowledges that he has sinned, but he still wants to go on, and God allows him to do so. What a warning to us. Try as he might, over and over again, still hoping for that big payment, he is unable to curse Israel but only to bless him. Seeing the whole picture, we can see that his prophecy that “a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17) was fulfilled in Christ.

Are you tempted to take a high-paying job which may not be God’s will for you? Are you tempted by questionable business practices because of the financial gain involved? Remember Balaam!

PRAYER
Father, help us to realize that there is no profit in gaining the whole world if we lose our own soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.