"Lessons From a Man Who Knew Better" by Hiram Kemp

Sharon Moore is the kind of man that most people want to root for.

Sort of underdog, pulls himself up, becomes the head

football coach for the University of Michigan, one of the most coveted jobs in all

of college football. And that's why it was a shock to everyone in 2025

when he was let go by the university because of an inappropriate relationship

with one of his fellow coworkers who was on staff. As Moore saw

his life spiraling out of control, as the charges and the investigation

against him by the university was underway, he made things even worse

by engaging in a home invasion and eventually was charged with

a felony. Moore knew better, and yet that didn't stop him from doing the things

that he did. You might think about George Santos,

a famous or former US congressman who also

knew better. I mean, he was a congressman, he knew better, but still that didn't

stop Santos from actually defrauding the government and individuals on his campaign

by taking government dollars and investing them without permission,

charging things to the campaign credit card that he never should have. As a result,

Santos spent some 87 months, or has been sentenced to 87 months in

federal prison. And a similar thing happened with Elizabeth Holmes. She started a company

called Theranos where she basically said she developed some technology that was

able to test blood, but even after the technology was proven to not do the

very same things that she claimed that it could do, she still deceived

and defrauded investors, and as a result, she was sentenced to 11

years in federal prison. And last but certainly not least,

there's Brian Williams, famous NBC Nightly News anchor

who for a long time had been claiming that in 2003, at the height of

the Iraq War, he was in a helicopter that had been struck in the midst

of battle. Turns out Williams was actually in the helicopter in front of

the one that was actually struck in the midst of combat, and he went on

this story for as long as he could, but finally he confessed. He recanted.

NBC suspended him for 6 months without pay and

ultimately parted and went their separate ways. He was charged with being the

news anchor responsible for actually relaying and reporting the truth,

and yet it didn't stop him from actually deceiving and reporting lies.

Williams and all of those mentioned before him, they knew better,

but they didn't do better. This isn't just a modern phenomenon.

It goes all the way back to biblical times. Sometimes people study

the Old Testament and they mistakenly conclude that in the Old Testament

God dealt exclusively and only with the nation of Israel.

But as you read the Old Testament, especially an account in the book of Numbers,

it's also true that God on occasion dealt directly with the Gentiles.

In fact, in the book of Numbers there's a most unusual account because not

only as Israel's making their way toward the Promised Land does God engage in a

relationship with the Gentile nation, but there's actually a Gentile prophet

to whom God communicates and ultimately reveals some truth

and some instructions. If that wasn't strange enough in this

account, in this account in the book of Numbers, there's also a talking donkey and

a prophet, though every time he wants to open his mouth and curse, it's almost

like it's out of his control because every time he speaks, God ensures

that he blesses the people. Tonight we're going to study the life of Balaam.

If you have your Bible, go ahead and turn it to the Old Testament,

to Numbers chapter 22. Balaam is a prophet and

Numbers 22 · chapter mention

a man that will teach us much from his life, even though as a prophet

and a spokesman for God, he should have known better. He went in the completely

opposite direction, or at least tried to. And every time scripture touches

on his life, it makes this plain. And tonight I want to look at some

lessons from his life. But before that, let's just kind of walk through the story

as briefly and relatively quickly as we can, looking at Numbers 22 to 25

to get us situated in the context

what was true about Balaam, what happened in his life, and then we'll draw the

lessons. Numbers 22 begins in verse 1 by saying the children of Israel

were on their way and they were camped out near Jericho and on the opposite

side of the Jordan, and the reputation of Israel was spreading all around

the ancient Near East about what they had done to previous nations like the Amorites.

Balak, who's the king of Moab, and all of Moab, according to

Numbers 22 and verse 3, they were greatly trembling, afraid, and astonished

Because they knew what Israel had done to other nations, and he feared that as

they made their way to Canaan, the same thing would happen to them.

But King Balak had a plan. Balak decided to go

to a man by the name of Balaam, the son of Beor, and what he

would do is send these messengers and send them with money to pay

Balaam, this prophet, to come and speak a curse against Israel.

Because as far as King Balak was concerned, Balaam was a prophet,

and whatever he said would ultimately come to pass. And so

in Numbers 22:4-8, Balak, the king of Moab, sends his messengers

Numbers 22:4–8

with money and financial resources to Balaam in exchange

for his prophecy of curses against this rival nation known as the

Israelites. And so they go and they approach Balaam with their offer.

Balaam says, I can't say anything. First, I've got to check with God and make

sure God's okay with me cursing the people of Israel. And so they go

to Balaam, Balaam talks with God. Numbers 22:9,

Numbers 22:9

God says, you can't go with these people. Because I've already blessed Israel. Whoever I

bless is blessed and whoever I curse is cursed. You can't go with these

people to curse the people of Israel. And so the people, they go home and

they go their— go their own way. They bring word back to Balak.

That's not good enough for Balak. He sends them again, but this time with more

treats, more prizes, and more financial resources. They approach

Balak— Balaam again and say, why don't you come with us and curse

the people of Israel? And in Numbers 22 and verse 18, Balaam says, Though Balak

would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can't go beyond the

word of the Lord my God to do less or to do more. I can't

do it. God's already told me what to do. But yet, Balaam still decides,

you know what? I'm going to go to God and ask just in case God

has changed His mind. It's at this point in the story that God tells the

prophet Balaam, go ahead and go with these people, but under one condition.

When you go, you can only speak the message that I give you permission

to speak. And as soon as Balaam's out of their presence and on his way

toward the king of Balak to curse the people of Israel, the text says that

God's anger burns in fury against Balaam. And it's at this point that a reader

might be confused. Why would God be upset with the man that He had just

given permission to go and speak this prophecy? But of course the problem is

Balaam ultimately wants to go and do the opposite of the will of God

and to curse these people. Or else he's willing for a price to

say whatever he wants even if it's contrary to the will of God.

And so he goes, but on his way as he's riding on a donkey in

Numbers 22, his donkey is able to see something that Balaam can't see,

and that is the angel of the Lord standing in their pathway with a sword

of punishment. And the, the donkey refuses to go forward.

Balaam continues to push, and ultimately the donkey is smashing Balaam's

leg up against the wall because of his fear of proceeding lest they come into

the pathway of this fierce and amazing angel. Finally, the donkey lays down.

Balaam strikes the donkey 3 times, and it's at this point

that the donkey speaks to Balaam and they have this conversation about why the donkey

won't proceed and go forward and then God opens the eyes of the prophet and

the prophet can now see what the donkey could see all the time. There's an

angel standing in the way preventing their progress. God shows up

again and reiterates to Balaam, when you get to the

king of Moab, make sure you say exactly what it is that I give you

the permission to speak. Balaam and Balak finally meet and when they do there's

this discussion and Balak says to Balaam, What took you so long? I sent money.

I was going to bless you and prosper you. They have

a conversation and they agree to continue these things in the morning when he'll be

led up on a mountain to curse the people of Israel. Numbers 23 and

24 really is the same scene 4 different times. They offer up

sacrifices, they offer up burnt offerings, and every time the prophet Balaam

is supposed to curse the people of Israel. And every time he opens his mouth

to do so repeatedly through poetic and prophetic utterances,

no matter what he tries to do, he always ends up blessing the people of

Israel. He says things about them being a prosperous and successful

nation, about them crushing and triumphing over their enemies,

and about their ultimate success. The king Balak is frustrated.

I mean, after all, he's paid good money to get this prophet to preach the

sermon exactly the way he wants him to. But no matter what he does,

he can't stop the blessing that God's pronounced on these people. At one

point, Balak gets so frustrated, he tells Balaam, enough!

Shut up! Say no more. Don't bless them, don't curse them. Just don't

say anything. But it's out of his control. Even when

he tells Balaam to be silent, the blessings continue to flow over and over again

out of his mouth. And Balaam reminds the king, isn't this what I told

you when I was in my country? I've got to say whatever God tells me

to say. This happens 4 times repeatedly, and then finally in their frustration,

they go their separate ways. And then lastly, in Numbers 25,

in an account that seems to be completely distinct and separate from this,

After Balaam has continued to bless the people of Israel,

Israel engages in sexual sin. On the surface, it seems

like just another one of Israel's blunders, but Numbers 31:16 says

Numbers 31:16

this was instigated by Balaam as he led them into sexual

immorality and ultimately into sin. In fact, every time the New Testament touches on

the man named Balaam, the prophet from Moab, it always mentions his deception

and his leading God's people into sexual immorality. 2 Peter 2:15-16,

2 Peter 2:15–16

Revelation 2:14, and Jude 11 all put

Revelation 2:14

together this comprehensive picture of Balaam as a false prophet who knew

better, but ultimately he didn't do better.

And tonight, with that in the back of our minds, here are the

lessons we learn from a man who knew better, so that hopefully as we

read this account— Romans 15:4, whatever things were written before were written for our learning—

Romans 15:4

hopefully as we read and study this account, we'll be better as a

result. Here's the first lesson, number 1. Truth is truth no matter who

speaks it. The first lesson we learn from Balaam's life and the people of Israel

in Numbers 22 through 25 is this: truth is truth no matter who

speaks it. You know, modern people are funny. Modern people read the Bible,

and I mean, you get to an account like Numbers 22, and modern people,

skeptical people, say, come on, Hiram. I mean, you say you

believe the Bible. Don't tell me that you believe that a donkey actually

talked to a man, and more than that, that the man talked back. You can't

really believe that happened. And yet research says modern pet owners—

between 55% and 84% of modern pet owners

talk to their animals as if they're human beings. We laugh

and mock biblical accounts, and yet we go home and talk to dogs,

cats, chickens, and cows as if they're human beings. We've got

names for them, we give them voices, and we're back and forth having this grand

conversation. What you need to appreciate about Numbers 22 is verse 28.

It says, the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey so that he could communicate

truth to Balaam. In verse 30, this is where he begins to speak to Balaam

and he says, listen, I've always been your beast. You've always rode me. I've never

mistreated you. Surely there must be a reason for my behavior. And it's the first

lesson that Balaam learns and that we need to learn. Truth is truth no matter

who speaks it. This really shouldn't surprise us, this idea of the talking

animal. After all, if God could open the mouth of the fish so that it

could swallow Jonah, Jonah 1:17, and then later open the mouth of the same

Jonah 1:17

fish so that it could spit Jonah out on dry land in Jonah chapter 2

Jonah 2 · chapter mention

and verse 10, And if he could put a coin in the

mouth of a fish to pay the temple tax for Jesus and his disciples

in Matthew 17:26-27, and then shut the mouth of the lion

Matthew 17:26–27

so that it wouldn't harm Daniel in Daniel 6:22-23, what we're

Daniel 6:22–23

reading about in Numbers 22 is actually no challenge for God whatsoever.

He makes all things, and everything in the world belongs to him.

Psalm 24:1. Truth is truth no matter

Psalms 24:1

who speaks it. But the truth for us is sometimes we miss the truth because

we don't like the person that the truth is packaged in. Maybe we want

them to be different or look different or presented different, and sometimes we miss the

truth. In 2 Corinthians 10:10, we're told that the Corinthians

2 Corinthians 10:10

and some others that were influencing them were saying this about Paul: His letters are

weighty and impressive, but his speech is unimpressive and

his bodily presence of no account. That is, Paul can

write amazing literature, amazing letters, but his physical presence

is unimpressive. Paul would send Timothy to churches like Corinth, and he would

say in 1 Corinthians 16:10-11, when Timothy arrives,

1 Corinthians 16:10–11

make sure that you treat Timothy just like you're treating me,

because he's doing the will of the Lord just like I am. Why was Paul

saying that? Because he wanted the Corinthians to know truth is truth

no matter who speaks it. Appreciate the heart of a man like Apollos.

As educated and well-read as he was, how humble and honest he

had to be as he was corrected by 2 blue-collar tentmakers as they took

him aside, Priscilla and Aquila, and said, we've got to say some things about your

preaching and teaching and explain to you the way of God more accurately, Acts 18:24-28.

Acts 18:24–28

You know what Apollos appreciated? Truth is truth.

Even if they didn't go to college, even if they're not well-spoken, even if

I've read more books than them, I can still learn from them.

I guess every one of us knows somebody like this. I mean, you know people

that, you know, you can tell them the same thing 100 times, over and over

and over again, they want nothing to do with what you have to say.

Somebody else comes along, says the exact same thing, maybe changes 2

or 3 words or slight phrasing, and all of a sudden they've had an

epiphany, a grand revelation, and all of a sudden they

see what you've been trying to tell them all along.

There are people all throughout the world, they'll listen to truth from everybody

in the world except their spouse. There's all kinds of people,

they don't want to hear anything that their younger sibling has to say because after

all they're the oldest, or they don't want to hear anything their older sibling has

to say say, because you're not the boss of me. And we miss truth over

and over again because we're so focused on the packaging and the person

instead of the product of truth itself. How much better is it to get

wisdom than gold and understanding than choice silver? Proverbs 16:16.

Proverbs 16:16

The truth can liberate us and set us free, but we have to allow it.

John 8:32. Balaam had to know truth is

John 8:32

truth even if it's on the lips of a donkey. You can learn from

somebody or an animal even if you didn't plan to initially.

In 1979, there was a landmark study done by

the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. They had 2 groups of people. I don't

know what they used as their standard, but here are the groups of people.

There were one group— there was one group of people that they described as physically

attractive and another group of people that they described as physically unattractive.

The whole point of this study was, what is the most important thing

in the art of persuasion? And how do you become the most persuasive

person you could be? In the end, those individuals that they deemed as physically attractive

were far more successful in getting petitions signed and convincing other

people to do what they would have them to do. And when they finished the

research, it all boiled down to one thing: they look better.

Research says if you really want to be persuasive, it's not education,

it's not research, it's not being studied. The most important thing

in persuasive speech, analytics, or sales is to

be physically attractive. And I don't know if you hear those words and appreciate

how great a travesty that is and how shallow and vain that is, but there

are scores of people even tonight being spiritually deceived because

the preacher's handsome, he dresses nice, he says it in

such a nice and good and golden way, all the while rejecting

John's words in 1 John 4:1, beloved, don't believe every spirit,

1 John 4:1

but test them to see whether or not they come from God. It's what Paul

means in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, test everything and

1 Thessalonians 5:21

hold fast to that which is good. Don't be gullible. Be a seeker

and a student of truth because truth is truth no matter where it comes

from. It's a challenge to us to be people that love truth. Don't ever say

to yourself, well, I don't want to really hear the truth from them because,

I mean, they're older than me, or they're younger than me, or they talk slower

than I'm used to hearing it or faster than I'm used to hearing it.

I don't want to be in that class. I want to be in— I want

to learn from this person. Truth is truth no matter who speaks it. Guard your

heart against saying things like, you know, that sounds denominational. Never mind what it sounds

like. Make sure you're following that which is scriptural. Jesus says there's nobody

who's on our side that can say one word against me, Luke 9:49-50.

Luke 9:49–50

That doesn't mean we're not discerning. It means we're all the more discerning and

we're committed to truth more than tradition, more to tribalism,

and more than personality. And the first lesson we learn from Balaam

is truth is just truth. Listen, truth doesn't abide with the majority or

the minority. Truth is truth if nobody believes it or everybody believes

it. It just is. Here's number 2: God

can only open your eyes if you're willing to see.

The narrative of Balaam is chock-full of both humor and irony.

First of all, there's a donkey talking, but I don't know if it ever dawns

on Balaam that— I don't know what's crazier, the donkey talking or Balaam talking back

to the donkey. But there it is. But more than that, in ancient Israel,

before the prophets were ever called prophets, they were called seers. See 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 9:9

9:9. That word seer has to do with seeing, and God does this

by inspiration of the Holy Spirit on purpose. Tucked in Numbers 22 is

the irony of the fact that the donkey can see but the seer cannot.

In Numbers 22:27, it says that the donkey, he saw

Numbers 22:27

the angel of the Lord. Balaam's a prophet. He's a seer. He's supposed

to to see not only physically but spiritually with depth and insight and

understanding, and he misses it. And finally, in Numbers 22,

about verse 31 down through 33, finally, after the donkey

opens his mouth— God does that in verse 30— then Balaam's

eyes are open and he can finally see.

All the time spiritually blind. And it's a reminder to us,

God can only open your eyes if you're willing and ready

to see. The prophets in ancient Israel talk about this.

Isaiah 6:9-10, it's one of the most quoted prophecies in all the New

Isaiah 6:9–10

Testament. God says, I'm going to speak to people whose eyes

are blind, whose ears are dull, and who've kept themselves from listening to me

because they don't want to see. They won't. Jesus dealt with this.

He opens the physical eyes of the blind man in John chapter 9, and in

John 9 · chapter mention

John 9 and verse 41, at the end of that chapter, Jesus says to the

Pharisees, you wouldn't have any sin at all except you say you can see.

But now that you claim to see and yet reject me, your sin remains.

God can only open your eyes spiritually if you and I are people who

are willing and ready to see what God has to offer us. Our eyes

are open. We're people that desire truth. We want to be exposed to it

so ultimately we can change and be the people that God would have us to

be. But first, we've got to be willing. It's got

to be our choice, our own decision to say, God, Psalm 119:18,

Psalms 119:18

open my eyes that I might behold wonderful things out

of your law. Listen, It's one thing to pray that prayer. It's another thing entirely

to desire it and ultimately to live it. 2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12

2:11-12, Paul writes about people who will be put under a

strong delusion because they don't receive the truth, but instead

they have pleasure in unrighteousness. And if we don't desire to see spiritually, God will

just let us go our own way. We have to be willing. We have to

want our eyes open, and then and only then can God open them on our

behalf. Maybe you've heard about the ostrich effect before. It's the idea of

burying one's head in the sand and being distracted and refusing to

receive information. Researchers say from the age of about birth to 6,

kids don't have a problem with this. They want all the information,

they want to know everything, but about the time they hit 10 years old,

even young children begin shielding themselves from information that

they think is not ultimately going to be satisfying to them or good for them.

And this research I was reading about from the University of Chicago, she's done work

in this area to suggest Which you already know if you've been reading the Bible.

God's truth at first may bruise us, but at last it'll bless us.

It may not be convenient at first, but it's ultimately for our good, and we've

got to be the kind of people that want it even when it's difficult.

God can only open your eyes if you're willing to see. When God spoke

to Balaam initially in Numbers 22:9-12, and he says, don't go with these people,

Numbers 22:9–12

and then there's the talking donkey. If none of that was going to open Balaam's

eyes, Nothing ever would. Balaam had his mind set. He just wanted

God's permission, God's rubber stamp. He didn't want to see. He wanted to go his

own way. How many times do you pray for patience

and then you get stuck in traffic on Scottsville Road and you say, God,

I want patience, but I want it another way? God will open your eyes if

you're willing to see. How many times do you pray for your marriage? Strengthen our

marriage, bless us, make us strong, and you come home and

both get on your phones? Never talk to each other.

God, give me opportunities in evangelism on my job with coworkers.

God provides them, but the people are annoying. They're irritating, man. I'm here to

focus. I'm here to work. The people become interruptions. God is

only going to open our eyes. It's ever before us. The question is,

do we have the eyes to see? Balaam's a prophet. It's his job.

It's his responsibility to have insight and to have sight,

and yet he's blind. Here's lesson number 3:

you never truly lose when you follow God. 2 times

Balaam sends these messengers— Balak sends these messengers to Balaam with money

to hire Balaam to come and curse the people of Israel. And you know what

happens. He delays, but eventually he goes. In Numbers 22:37,

Numbers 22:37

when he finally shows up, Balak says to him, what took you so long?

Hey, I gave you possessions. I was ready to honor you.

And eventually, as the prophet prophecies continue and Balaam is unable

to curse these people because God forbids it, Balak gets frustrated.

And in Numbers 24:10-11, he says,

Numbers 24:10–11

I brought you over here to curse my enemies, but you keep blessing them.

Just stop speaking altogether. And then if you're in your Bible, look at Numbers 24:11.

Numbers 24:11

I think this is astounding. Balak says this to Balaam, I would have blessed

you and honored you. But the last part of verse 11, he says, the Lord

has kept you back from honor. If you write in the margin of your Bible

in verse 11, you can just put this right in the margin: lies. Because that's

exactly what that is. God's never kept anybody back from honor.

Balak says to Balaam, hey, God has kept you back from honor. But here's

the truth: God's never kept anybody back from anything that was

ultimately going to be for their success and their ultimate good.

One thing about God according to scripture is he's heavy-handed in his blessing.

Our cup runs over. His goodness and steadfast love will follow us all

the days of our life, Psalm 23:5-6. Every good

Psalms 23:5–6

and every perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of lights, with whom

there's no variation or shadow due to change, James 1:17.

James 1:17

Balak's wrong about this. He says basically, hey, following God is what's

ultimately messing up your life. And it's here we learn this lesson: you

never truly lose when you follow God. This is the first

lie that's told in the Bible, and every other lie compounds on this afterwards.

It's what the devil says to Eve in Genesis 3:4. Essentially,

Genesis 3:4

the devil says to Eve, it's obeying God that's keeping you and

Adam from being all that you could be. Genesis 3:4,

Genesis 3:4

God knows in the day that you eat thereof, your eyes will be opened and

you'll be like God. You'll know good and evil. What is he saying? God's keeping

you back from honor. And then in the days of Amaziah in 2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 25:7–9

25:7-9, King Amaziah pays 100 talents of silver

to hire 100,000 soldiers from the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A prophet shows up and says to Amaziah, hey, you can't take these guys with

you in battle. God's not happy with this. He won't bless your success because they're

idolatrous. To which Amaziah responds, maybe just like you and I would, hey,

but I already paid them the 100,000 talents of silver. What am I going to

do about the money? The prophet says, God is able to give you much more

than this. 2 Chronicles 25:9. What was he saying?

2 Chronicles 25:9

Essentially, God's never going to hold you back, and you never truly

lose when you follow God. It's what Peter says in Mark chapter 10 at

Mark 10 · chapter mention

the end of the chapter. He says when the rich young ruler walks away,

Lord, and what's going to be for us? We've left everything to follow you.

And Jesus says, Peter, there's no man who's left

father or houses, brothers, mothers, wife, and land

that won't receive as much in this life and in the world to come,

everlasting life. Mark 10:29-31. Jesus was

Mark 10:29–31

saying, when you truly follow God, you never really

lose. It's a lesson we need to learn, because when you think about godly speech

and modesty and integrity and honesty, we live in a

world that has no idea what true winning and success ultimately looks like.

And we can be fooled into thinking that if I follow God, I'm actually

going to come behind, I'm going to come up short somehow, some way. And the

only way to truly succeed in life, the only way to really get ahead— listen,

Christianity is keeping me from honor. I could be further

along in my career, in my job, in my social relationships if I just

break out of this conservative Christian mold and just set myself free and do

what I always wanted to do, my own thing. And Balaam teaches

us a lesson. You never lose when you follow God. There is

no honor that Balak could have given him that God couldn't double.

He learns a lesson. God's better than gold. That doesn't

make money evil. It just means it's too weak to be our God.

Jesus says, no man can serve 2 masters. Either he'll hate the one and

love the other, or he'll hold to the one and despise the other. Matthew 6:24.

Matthew 6:24

You can't serve God and money. You never lose when you

follow God. You're always led in triumphal procession, always led in victory,

and always receiving what God would have you to, and you'll

have exactly what you need. If you choose to follow God, there is a sense

in which you may lose some earthly prizes, but you will lose no heavenly promotions

and possessions. Paul says, whatever things were gain to me, I counted loss that I

might win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness which is

found in the law, but that which is in the faith of Christ Jesus.

Paul says, I don't count myself to have attained it, but this one thing I

do: forgetting the things which are behind and reaching forward to the things that are

out in front, I press toward the mark for the prize of the upward call

of God in Christ Jesus, Philippians 3:8-14.

Philippians 3:8–14

Balaam thought he would lose, but he wouldn't. Faith is the victory

that overcomes the world, and we need to remind ourselves of that, 1 John

1 John 5:4

5:4, and remind ourselves of this reality. When you look

at all the things in the world and whatever we've got to give up and

let loose of so that we can receive Christ, God's able to give you much

more than this, Philippians 4:19. Here's number

Philippians 4:19

4. No one can change God's Word.

Balaam was initially committed to this. You remember Numbers 22:18?

Numbers 22:18

The first time they come to him, he says he can't go. The second time

he says in Numbers 22:18, though Balak would give me his house full of silver

Numbers 22:18

and gold, I can't go beyond the Word of the Lord my God to do

less or do more. But as he starts speaking, he sort of speaks like a

man who, if you gave him just the right price, he'd say whatever

you wanted him to say. But here's the funny thing about this narrative. Every time

he opens his mouth, even when it seems like he doesn't want to, he opens

his mouth in blessing the people of Israel. You know why that's the case?

It's because of this truth: no one can change God's Word. In Numbers 23 and

verse 12, and in Numbers 23 and verse 26, mark these down.

Balaam says to Balak, hey, this is what I told you. I can't

do anything about it. I know you hired me to curse them, but whatever God

says, that's what I've got to speak. It's because Balak the

king, he has a false understanding of how prophecy works. Prophets and preachers

of truth don't originate their message. They simply

echo the message that God's already given them. 2 Peter 1:20-21,

2 Peter 1:20–21

Peter says, prophecy came not in old time by the will of men, but holy

men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter

2 Peter 1:20–21

1:20-21. If Balaam is a true prophet and spokesman

of God, the power in his message won't come from him. He won't be able

to originate or create truth. He'll simply be regurgitating and echoing the

truth that God's already given him, and nobody can change God's Word.

A few weeks ago, I preached about the Bible, and we quote these passages all

the time for good reason. Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-6,

Deuteronomy 4:2 Proverbs 30:5–6

Revelation 22:18-19— these passages

Revelation 22:18–19

about God's Word. And you know what they say? Don't add to God's Word,

and don't do what? Don't take away. And I know what we mean, and they're

in the Bible, and that's exactly right. But there's a sense in which you shouldn't

add or take away from the Word of God because it's disrespectful and it's irreverent

to try. But at the heart of it, nobody can add to it.

I mean, if you write whatever you want at the end of Revelation 22,

good luck getting that disseminated throughout all the world and allowing it

to stand forever and ever. It won't be able to be done because Isaiah

Isaiah 40:8

40:8 is a promise about God's Word and not ours. His Word will stand

forever. Ours will not. There's a sense in which nobody can add to it or

ultimately take away from it because it'll stand eternally. And what

Balaam learns, and a lesson we learn from a man who should have known better,

nobody, no one can change God's Word.

Maybe you could think about some reasons why somebody might want to do this.

I mean, in King Balak's case, it's obvious. Curse Israel because this

dominant army is sweeping across the desert. Of the ancient Near East destroying

everybody, and I feel like Moab's next. But maybe in our time you can

think about some of the reasons why somebody might wish this wasn't true.

Sometimes people want to change God's Word because they think, you know what, I really

wish God was more restrictive in certain areas. I mean, I wish God tightened the

reins just a little bit. But try as they might, He's not going to change

it. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, 2 Corinthians 3:17.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Sometimes others say, you know, I really wish we could change some of God's Word.

I wish Christianity was a little bit more inclusive. I wish people were saved

outside of Jesus if they're good people, if they're religious, if they're doing

the best they can with the knowledge they have. He's not going to change it.

There's no salvation in no one else. There's no other name under heaven given

among men whereby we must be saved, Acts 4:12. Jesus says,

Acts 4:12

I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but

by me, John 14:6. That message is going to stand forever and

John 14:6

ever in eternity. And nobody can change it.

In 1952, Sidney Rosenthal invented what's known to us

as the permanent marker. Sometimes we call it the Sharpie, but right under that it

says the permanent marker. I guess this isn't false advertisement, but there's also a sense

in which it's not really permanent. I mean, given the right chemicals and enough elbow

grease, you can get rid of permanent marker, but try it with the Word of

God. John 10:35, Jesus says, Scripture cannot

John 10:35

be broken. Heaven and earth may pass away, but my word will

never pass away, Matthew 24:35.

Matthew 24:35

His word will stand forever, 1 Peter 1:25.

1 Peter 1:25

The truth will be with us forever, 2 John:2.

The Bible's never changing. We don't continuously read the Bible

and study it over and over again because we're checking to see if there's anything

that's changed. We go to it over and over again so that we can be

changed, and because it's reliable. And it's living and it's active and it's sharper than

any two-edged sword. Throughout this narrative, Balak moves Balaam to various

mountains in various places. They offer the same 7 sacrifices

in different places, and everywhere he looks, the Word of God's the same.

And Neil taught a lesson this morning in the sermon and in the Bible class,

and you could think beyond those subjects about a host of things that sometimes

make every one of us uncomfortable in Scripture, and we sometimes think,

why did he say it like that? I wish he said it otherwise. No,

the biblical response is to rejoice in God for what He has revealed,

what He has said, and to learn to submit and accept

it, because nobody can change God's Word.

Here's number 5: there's more than one way to disobey.

I think you read the book of Numbers and you get to the end of

24 and you think 25 is a separate narrative, but it's really not.

In Numbers 25, this is where the children of Israel go into sexual immorality.

At Baal and yoked themselves to Baal at Peor, and they engaged in

sexual immorality and idolatry. And as a result of this, they're condemned.

That's Numbers 25:1-9. But in Numbers 31:16,

Numbers 25:1–9 Numbers 31:16

we learn this happened because Balaam enticed them and tempted them

to do so. And it's a reminder there's more than one way to disobey God.

You start out in the book of Numbers, and what you see is no matter

what Balaam tries to do, he can't curse these people.

It's deeper than the book of Numbers. He can't curse these people because God has

made up his mind. There's nothing you can do to change my mind about the

people of Israel. He can't get them doctrinally, so instead

he tries morally. I can't change their status as the blessed

Old Testament people of God, so what I'll do instead is I'll try

morally. And guess what? He succeeds. Revelation 2 and verse 14

talks about the sin of Balaam and how he got these individuals in Israel

stumble through sexual immorality. Israel was solidified and protected

as God was their Lord, and there was nothing any outside force was going to

do to ultimately change God's view of them. I think this

is really the focus of this narrative and why it's in the Pentateuch to begin

with. It's saying no matter what Israel went up against, there was no outside force

that was going to cause them any trouble. But here's what the Old Testament also

teaches: if Israel wanted to be destroyed from within, God was

going to do nothing to stop them from destroying and annihilating themselves.

Hosea 13:9 says, they've been cursed against themselves.

Hosea 13:9

There's an African proverb which says, if there are no enemies within,

the enemies without can do no harm. But the sad

truth for Israel is oftentimes there were far more enemies within.

And on this occasion, though God had just protected them 3 chapters in a row

from outside influence and from Balaam cursing them, They're tempted to sexual

immorality and they give in because there's more than one way to disobey.

I raise this point to say to us, you got to study and know your

own heart. Listen, if you're the kind of person that says, hey, I'm doctrinally strong

and convicted, that's a great thing, but remember there's more than one way to

disobey. You say, I know the Bible well when it comes to the doctrinal propositional

truth. Not going to get anything past me. No human innovations.

Nobody's going to add and take away from the Word of God. Not on my

watch. That's a great thing, but be careful that the devil doesn't slip in another

way. Be careful that the devil doesn't get you through your attitude or through arrogance

or through thinking about, what can I get away with in the dark? Because the

works of the flesh will destroy you just as quickly as false doctrine, Galatians 5:19-21.

Galatians 5:19–21

The devil doesn't really care which way he gets us. If he can get you

believing the truth but behaving the lie, he'll be just as happy.

But if on the other side you say, I don't really know the Bible that

well, but listen, I'm a moral person. I want to treat people well. I want

to do the right thing. There's more than one way to disobey. And if you're

high up on morality, listen, that's a great thing, but beware of the temptation

to think doctrine and truth really don't matter. I think everybody ought to just be

a good person, be a nice person. Let's not really get into the details of

Bible study and who's in and who's out. Let's just all be good and

nice people. Hold fast to the sound words, the pattern of sound teaching.

Which you've received from men like Paul, 2 Timothy 1:13, because at

2 Timothy 1:13

the end of the day, there's more than one way to disobey.

And everybody thinks that the way opposite of theirs is always

the worst. We always see it in others and we miss it in

ourselves. Balaam couldn't get Israel through doctrine. He couldn't get them cursed

and pronounced cursed by God. And so he went through and tried to get them

morally. And in your life and in my life, he'll be pressing the buttons.

And if he can't get you doctrinally, He'll get you through attitude.

He'll get you through temptation. He'll get you through immorality. And if he can't

get you through morality, he'll try to get you to soften and get squishy on

doctrine because he knows at the end of the day, disobedience by

any other name is still disobedience.

And that's ultimately what he wants. Here's the last thing. Number 6,

you can't make God change his mind. It's what Balaam teaches us.

You can't get God to change his mind. Numbers 23:8,

Numbers 23:8

Balaam says to Balak, God blessed them and

I can't curse them. In Numbers 23:19,

Numbers 23:19

he says, God's not a man that he should lie or the son of man

that he should repent. Has he said it and will he not do it?

Has he spoken and will he not make it good? The blessings that God speaks

no man can revoke. And then in Numbers 23:25-26,

Numbers 23:25–26

he doubles down again and he says, I told you, Balak, Whoever God blesses is

blessed, and there's nothing we can do about it. The last thing we learn

from Balaam, and I confess it's my favorite point in this entire section,

nobody can make God change his mind. And this point is really

deeper than the book of Numbers. It goes all the way back to Genesis 12:1-3.

Genesis 12:1–3

God told Abraham, in you all nations of the earth will

be blessed, and God meant that. And centuries passed and time cycled on,

but God still promised to bless Abraham's seed because of his

faithfulness to God. Deuteronomy 7:7-8, God says,

Deuteronomy 7:7–8

Israel, I chose you not because you were special and the most numerous,

but because I made promises to your father and nobody was going to change my

mind about it. This means that if a person is wicked and sinful and

ungodly, there's nothing anybody can do to change God's mind about

that person and their deeds until they repent. God told the wicked

nation of Assyria, Nahum 2:13, And in Nahum chapter 3 and verse 5,

Nahum 2:13 Nahum 3 · chapter mention

I'm against you. When Solomon says in the book of Proverbs,

6 things the Lord hates, yes, 7 are an abomination to

Him, Proverbs 6:16-19, there's no legislation,

Proverbs 6:16–19

there's no campaigning, there's no rallying anybody in all the world

can do to change those deeds from unrighteous to righteous. Nobody can change

God's mind about you. If you engage in ungodliness and God says, I despise this

behavior, there's nothing anybody can do to change His mind about it. You'd be better

off repenting because he's not going to change. But the flip side

of that is nobody can change God's mind about you if

you're a Christian, if you're in Christ Jesus. Listen to Paul: if God be

for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31. Nobody can

Romans 8:31

change God's mind about you if you're his child, not even you.

John says in 1 John 3:20, if our hearts condemn us,

1 John 3:20

God's greater than our hearts and knows everything. Meaning even if

you say, I don't feel saved, I don't feel good about my spiritual standing with

God, and you're walking in the light, adhering to his word to

the best of your ability, it matters not what anybody thinks, including you.

You couldn't change God's mind about you if you tried. There are scores of people

that think they can get God to stop loving them, but God says it's just

not going to happen. When we were yet without strength, at the right time

Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; perhaps

for a good man some would even dare to die. But God makes his love

apparent to us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8. Nobody can change God's mind. And if God

Romans 5:6–8

says you're in, you obey the gospel, you trust in Jesus, you're in.

Even when you don't feel like it. Even if a prophet tries to condemn you

and curse you, every time he opens his mouth, blessings come out because God's mind

was set toward Israel. And to a greater degree, the Church

of Jesus Christ, the new Israel of God, God's mind is set toward you,

and there's nobody that's going to change His mind about that.

Balaam should have known better, but he didn't do better.

His story though really doesn't end in the book of Numbers,

because centuries from this moment, there would be another prophet riding

on a donkey into a city. But this prophet would

be different from Balaam. He would not be riding into the city in order

to receive riches and to curse. Instead, he would be riding into the

city on a donkey in order to be made poor and ultimately to bless.

Balaam was on his way to the best of his ability to try to deceive,

to connive, and to curse. Jesus was on his way on a donkey

into a city in order to die and ultimately to

bless. He's the greater and better Balaam who

rides on a donkey not to try to deceive or to change God's

Word, but ultimately to fulfill it. Balaam should have known better,

but he didn't. And it's written for our learning so that as we read this

account about his life, we be better individuals as a result.

God's Word says the same thing it's always said about people, our status,

our condition as sinners, and how we can change from being sinners to

being sanctified in Christ. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God

and you want to turn away from sin, confess Jesus as the Son of God

and allow your body to be immersed in water God will wash away your sins

and you'll be a new creature. He'll add you to his kingdom and you'll belong

to him. That's what his word says. Nobody can change that. And once you do

that, nobody can change God's mind about you. Dale's going to lead us in

a song to encourage us. If you need to respond to the invitation, we'd be

happy and willing to pray with you and pray for you. If we can help

you in any way, come now as together we stand and as we sing.