“Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle and said: “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!’ 8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?” Numbers 23:5-8 NKJV
“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” Numbers 23:19-20 NKJV
“Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 Then he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, 4 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open: 5 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!” Numbers 24:1-5
God who speaks,
Balaam is not a character we really take very seriously. He disobeys You and beats his donkey. Yet when he opens his mouth to speak, he only says You have revealed. He is a different man. Focused, resolute and unshirking. There is much in his 4 prophecies that comes true.
First, that God’s people will number more than the grains of dust (Numbers 23:10). As You God promised Abraham (Gen. 13:16).
Second, they were destined to become a ruling nation (Numbers 23:21-22). They were nomads at that time. He mentions a lioness and a lion, similar to Jacob’s blessing to his son Judah (see Gen. 49:9-10). And perhaps to the future Lion of Judah!
Third, the promise of blessing on those who bless God’s people and cursing on those who curse Israel (Numbers 24:9). The same promise You gave to Abram (Abraham) in the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:3).
Forth that a Star would come and a sceptre (Numbers 24:17), A star and a king. Was that the sign the wise men found in scripture? “We have seen his star in the east” (Matthew 2:2).
Balaam teaches us much about listening to You and being able to speak truth. He sees as You see Lord . Not a nomadic people in tents he sees the Kingdom of God and speaks blessings over it. May we speak blessings over God’s people, Israel and those adopted through Jesus, the church, wherever they may be or however they may worship. And Jesus said to bless our enemies . . . (Matthew 5:44).
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Thursday 119th February 2026
Wayne Watson uses James 3:10 fr inspiraion but for me it ties up with today too.
Sticks and stones can break my bones
Lies can break my heart
Before you fire your poison tongue
Contemplate the scar
Forest lie in ruin
From a careless flame
This is our undoing
The tongue cannot be tamed
Oh, the tongue cannot be tamed
Ships upon the seven seas
Driven by the wind
Mastered by the pilot’s hand
Submission in the end
He can turn the wheel one-handed
And the course is easily changed
It’s hard to understand it
Why the tongue cannot be tamed
Oh, the tongue cannot be tamed
Fresh water from an unclean well, no
Fruit growing on a dying tree
No, it’ll never be
The same breath, one then the other
Blessing and cursing
We praise God then abuse one another
I tell ya, this ought not be, no, no
I tell ya, this ought not be, no, no
Break the wild one, draw the reign
Bid him do your will
Yoke the oxen to the chain
Cultivate the hill
Beast and every creature
Move at your command
But who will be the teacher
Of the wayward tongue of man
It’s a wayward tongue
(You know it is)
Fresh water from an unclean well
No, no, no
Fruit growing on a dying tree
No, it’ll never be
The same breath, one then the other
Blessing and cursing
We praise God then abuse one another
Oh, I tell ya, this ought not be,
Repeat chorus
Ought not be, no, no
Ought not be, no, no
Lyrics: Wayne Watson.