Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed

Numbers 22:1-20

The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.

God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”

Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.”

But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.” That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”

Why?

The Balaam knew the mind and the way of the Lord, but the reward from Balak made him blind and try to find a way to help Balak.

Balaam is a magician, he does not know who the Lord is, even he did not know the power of the Lord.

Balaam did his job but he was focused on the reward from the king and tried to find a way to curse Israelites.

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22-24章講另外一件事

西實本王曾打敗摩押人，現在以色列人又打敗西實本王，摩押人懼怕以色列人。以色列人自己完全知道。神為我們擋掉許多事情，我們卻往往不知道。我們生活平安，生活安定，都是神的保守，只是我們自己不知道。

神用反問方式讓巴蘭來說，其實巴蘭已經知道了。神已經給答案了，不用再問。巴蘭似乎很屬靂，而且尋求神的證話語。巴蘭想的是巴勒的禮物。表示巴蘭很屬靈、很恆切禱告。好像神被巴蘭說服！讓他去。神要用驢子來告訴他，連畜牲驢子都知道，巴蘭卻執迷不悟。人常想去改變神的心意，符合我的心意。合理化、合法化讓神來背書。我們常明知答案卻一再禱告，禱告是改變自己的心意，符合神的心意，不是求神同意我們的心意。

20章米行暗、亞倫死了，表示第一代已經死了，銅蛇之後生命提昇，神開始讓他們面對敵人。過去都是自己的生命問題所造成的。今天我們的生命成熟，神讓我們遇事麻煩、爭戰，也是要到一個爭戰，最麻煩的是屬靈的爭戰。

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How?

Being Christain is easy to focus on money or profit and miss our way in this world, be aware the Lord knows what we are thinking and doing.