*DAILY DEW 2/JULY/2023* *THE ERROR OF BALAAM* (II) _Key Bible Text:_ *"And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive."* (Numbers 22:32-33 (KJV)) _Bible Insight:_ BENT ON CURSING Balak then sent more distinguished officials, apparently assuming Balaam was playing hard to get, and promised a fantastic reward. This time God said, “Go with them, but do only what I tell you” (verse 20). Note something: God already told Balaam not to do it. Balaam didn’t need to ask again. Now God is going to use Balaam’s desire for money as a means of having God’s blessing spoken over Israel. So Balaam tells them God has given him permission. It’s true, but not honest. Surely the officials believe that means God has given Balaam permission to curse the Israelites. The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and left for Moab (Numbers 22:21). God sent an angel to oppose Balaam on the way. The donkey could see the angel, but Balaam could not, and when the donkey three times moves to avoid the angel (one time crushing Balaam’s ankle), Balaam was angry and beat the animal (if we are going to compare Balaam and Moses – like Moses struck the rock). “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,” and it rebuked Balaam. “Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn.” I think – I think - this is what the prophet Nathan did to king David when he told him the parable of the sheep: “Thou art the man.” I think Balaam is the donkey. God is opposing him because his path is reckless. “Balaam – take heed. If you don’t turn aside, God will kill you.” _MEDITATION:_ *"The fundamental mockery of Balaam is obvious. The one perceived to be able to control the Israelites with words could not even control his donkey with a stick. The one who claimed to be a seer of the unseen could not even see what his donkey saw… The one who is the wise among the wise was beaten in a spoken exchange by the dumbest of animals"* *#TheChurchofTheLivingGod* *#Daily_Wisdom_for_living* *#Becoming_More_Like_Jesus* *#The_Rise_of_An_Army* *#Daily_Dew_Devotional* *#Hello_JULY,2023* ❤ *#Guest_Message* Links To Visit: *FB Pages* https://www.facebook.com/DavidJoshuaEgbochuo/ https://www.facebook.com/thedavidgen/ https://www.facebook.com/THEREVIVALCORPS/ *Telegram Group:* https://t.me/joinchat/NzXQlVc9Hx7LfaRSnh9fHg Feel Free to Share with Friends. God bless you...