I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me.

Numbers 22:21-35 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

²¹ So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

²² But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. ²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. ²⁶ The angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. ²⁸ And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” ²⁹ Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground. ³² The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. ³³ But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” ³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” ³⁵ But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.

Balaam was being opposed by God. That is not a very good place to be. In order to better understand the context of today’s text let’s look at the proceeding verses, verses 12-20.

¹² God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” ¹³ So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴ The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more distinguished than the former. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, hinder you from coming to me; ¹⁷ for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.’” ¹⁸ Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God. ¹⁹ Now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the Lord will speak to me.” ²⁰ God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

God’s initial answer to Balaam was: “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” When the second delegation came Balaam could have responded to them as he did the first, surly he knew that God still considered the people blessed. Instead he sought permission again to go with these men who opposed God. Like He did with Balaam, God will grant us permission, He will allow us to go down a path that is not according to His perfect will if we persist. God has given us a free will, an ability to choose our own paths and directions. The fact that He allows us to do things which are contrary to His perfect will does not mean that He blesses or condones those things. God allowing us to choose the wrong path, or to choose to follow the wrong people is simply God operating within the parameters He designed for man.

Like Balaam, if we determine to follow a path that is contrary to God’s perfect will, which He has already revealed to us through His word and through our own conscience, we will find at some point that we will be opposed by God. Many of the obstacles and hindrances in our lives are not really attacks by the enemy, the devil. Rather often the hindrances we face are really the consequences of going down a path that is contrary to God’s perfect will. As you reflect on that be certain that you don’t try to judge the truth of this principle according to what you perceive in the lives of others, people who are prospering even though they do not follow God. The psalmist says: Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. ² For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb… Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes…Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. ⁹ For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. ¹⁰ Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there…¹² The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³ The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming (Psalm 37:1-13)        When we see others who appear to be prospering although they are “evildoers”, we should neither take that to mean God is blessing them, nor should we be envious of them and follow their path. The Lord sees their day coming, but He is patient, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Timothy 3:9) We should not concern ourselves with what God is doing with others. We should concern ourselves with what God is doing with us.

It seemed as though God had given permission to Balaam, as though He was in agreement with the path he had chosen. The text says:     But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him.    Three times the angel of God stood in the path to stop Balaam from following the course he was on. If it seems that our way is difficult, that there are things which are standing in our path, we should check the path we are on. We should make sure that the path we have chosen is truly God’s path. If we are on the path God has chosen for us we may encounter hindrances and obstacles from the enemy. But certainly it is better to be with God and opposed by the devil, who Jesus has already defeated, that it is to be opposed to and by God.  When we go down a path of our own choosing, not only might we be opposed by God but there are also some natural consequences we may face. When someone ends up in prison because of their choices and there receives a revelation of who Jesus is and turn their life around, it doesn’t mean that their lawlessness was actually part of God’s perfect will. Rather it confirms what Paul says in Romans 8:28-29:    God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;      God doesn’t cause us to do things that are contrary to His revealed will. But when we have, like Balaam had our eyes opened to see the danger of the path we are on, God will use those things to conform us to the image of His Son, to make us more like Christ.  

In today’s text Balaam repents of the choice and path he has taken. Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” ³⁵ But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.”    Once God has gotten our attention, once He knows that we will speak His words, He may bless and send us as a witness and with a message to those living and walking in sin.

If there is no hindrance in our lives we probably are not walking in God’s will. The devil will indeed try to stand in the way of God’s people and their mission. But if it is God Himself who is hindering or opposing us on our path we need to repent and return to the path He reveals. God’s perfect will, the path He has for us will never contradict His perfect will revealed in His word.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for Your perfect will revealed by Your word and by Your Spirit. Thank You for hindering and opposing me when I choose a wrong path. Even more thank You for Your grace which uses all things for my good, to conform me to the image of Christ, to restore me to the image in which I was created. I choose to yield to You, Holy Spirit, that my path would be the path, the perfect will of the Father. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.