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Batyah's Blog | on
June, 21, 2013 | by
Ministry Team
Shalom chaverim veh mishpachah! It’s almost Shabbat!!!
Our Torah portion for this week, Balak (Destroyer, Devastator), we find in B’midbar/Numbers 22:2~25:9
For whatever reason, this wasn’t one of the OH WOW! (parah-shoat) Parashot, for me. In fact, it was pretty much the eleventh hour before I felt The Holy One had given me some understanding into a few of the matters.
Let’s check out a few verses. Verse 7: the leaders of (Mo-ahv) Mo’av/Moab and (Mid-yahn) Midyan / Midian, (current day Jordan and Saudi Arabia) approached Bil’am with an undisclosed amount of payment for “divining” (speaking a curse over something or someone) per Balak’s instructions. Bil’am asks them to stay the night, saying he will give them the answer as The Almighty instructs him. Verses 9-12 Elohim wants to know what’s going on, as if He didn’t know, so Bil’am tells Him! And the answer is . . . “You are NOT to go with them; you are NOT to curse the people, because they are blessed.” Seems pretty, cut and dried, clear to me!
Bil’am gets up the next morning, tells the dudes he can’t go with them, which had an implication perhaps others of higher rank and additional payment might change his mind. Verses 15-20: Balak complies and sends princes of higher status assuring Bil’am if he comes he will be rewarded very well. Again Bil’am assures them he can only speak what Yehovah speaks regardless of the reward. What he says in verse 18 blows me away! “I cannot go beyond the word of Yehovah my God to do anything, great or small.” The Creator was no more his God than a hill of beans!!! Again Bil’am asks the princes to stay the night so he can find out what else Yehovah has to say. Now pay attention!!! Yehovah came to Bil’am and said “if the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you.” (verse 20) The Almighty has just given Bil’am permission to go, correct?
Then verse 22 states: “Elohim’s anger flared up because he went”. HELP ME!!! I don’t understand!!! Didn’t The Holy One just give him permission? Finally, I asked Abba and this is what He shared with me. After all the conversations with Bil’am, it was apparent Yehovah’s perfect will was stated in verse 12 when He said “You are not to go with them.” What happened in verse 22 was The Almighty’s permissive will. Abba’s permissive will is not always best. It always carries the consequences of not following His perfect will.
May we learn to keep our ears finely tuned to Abba’s PERFECT WILL and not settle for His permissive will in our lives. Abba, help us keep our feet on the narrow path you have set before us through obedience to your holy Torah.
Shabbat shalom veh shavuah tov, Batyah
