“Behold, I have received a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.”
— Numbers 23:20
Here we find the prophecies of Balaam — a prophet who had been summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, with one specific purpose: to curse the children of Israel as they passed through his land.
What makes this story so fascinating is the nature of Balak’s request. He had already made up his mind about the Israelites. He did not go to Balaam out of any goodwill or genuine inquiry. He wanted these people cursed — destroyed — and he was willing to pay for it. But when Balaam consulted with God, he found that he was not only forbidden from cursing them — he was commanded to bless them.
A Battle the Israelites Never Knew About
There is something almost breathtaking about this story when you step back and take it in. While the children of Israel were simply making their way through the wilderness, an entire conspiracy was unfolding behind the scenes — an enemy king and a hired prophet scheming against them. And yet the Israelites never even knew about it.
They never had to pray a special prayer against this wicked scheme. They never had to strategise a defence. They simply walked, and God — as their protector and their God — stood between them and the attack. The enemy came, and God fought the battle before it ever reached His people.
Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”
— Numbers 23:25-26
The foundation of this protection is stated plainly just one verse earlier:
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 it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
— Numbers 23:19
God had made a promise to the children of Israel — that He would be their God, that He would deliver them from Egypt and bring them into the land of Canaan. And because He is not a man who lies or changes His mind, He was going to keep that promise — even when His people were grumbling and complaining all the way through the wilderness. He keeps His end of every promise, always.
Enemies We Cannot See — and a Protector We Cannot See
This story reminds us that as God’s people in Christ, there are battles all around us that we are not always aware of. We have enemies who are looking to devour us.
Peter is explicit:
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
— 1 Peter 5:8
We have the devil as an enemy. We have the world as an enemy. We have our own flesh as an enemy, always working to slow us down and pull us away from God. These forces are real, they are active, and they are persistent.
And this was no abstract truth for Peter — Jesus Himself had told him directly that Satan had requested to sift him like wheat. The enemy had specific designs against him. And yet Jesus added something vital: but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.
A Protector Who Is Also Unseen
While there are enemies we do not see, there is also a protector we do not always see. We have God on our side. The same God who stood between Balaam and the children of Israel — the same God who refused to let a hired prophet speak a curse over His people — is the same God who has transferred us from the kingdom of darkness into His own kingdom, and who has promised to keep us all the way to the end.
Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.
— Hebrews 12:2For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 1:6
Gratitude for Unseen Protection
May we come to God our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit who seals us until the day of Christ — with reverence for His protection over us, with gratitude for the battles He fights that we do not even see, and with deep humility in knowing that the victories we experience are not won by our own power and strength. We persevere simply because we are kept by God.
Amen.
Leave a Reply