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Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 by Lloyd Anderson

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Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 by Lloyd Anderson Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 By Lloyd Anderson Lloyd Anderson: We're beginning today a series of studies on the subject of the unforgettable characters of the word of God and certainly all of these unforgettable characters of God's word have an unforgettable truth for today. I'm sure we recognize that God has given us the messages of various people in the word of God in order that we might profit thereby and realize that the Lord is seeking to teach us a great deal when he gives us these stories of men and women, who across the years of biblical history, have either been a tremendous help, or who have been evil in the sight of the Lord, and they have been given for our spiritual profit. Now, today, we're going to begin our series, which goes through December and January and February, and we're going to begin with Numbers chapter 22. And if you have your Bibles, would you turn to the 22nd chapter of the book of Numbers? And I'd like to read just a few verses, beginning with verse 1. "And the children of Israel set forward and pitched in the plains of Moab. On this side, Jordan by Jericho. And Balak, the son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Emirates. And Moab was so afraid of the people, because they were many, and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, 'Now shall this company lick up all that around about us as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam, the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him saying, 'Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt. Behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people, for they are Anderson: Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 too mighty for me. Peradventure, I shall prevail, that we may smite them. That I may drive them out of the land for i--what, that he whom thou blessed is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.' And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand, and they came on to Balaam and spake under him the words of Balak. And he said them to them, 'Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me.' And the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. And God came on to Balaam and said, 'What men are these with thee?' And Balaam said unto God, 'Balak, the son of Zippor, the King of Moab, hath sent unto me saying, 'Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt which covers the face of the earth. Come now, curse me them. Peradventure, I shall be able to overcome them and drive them out.'' And God said, 'Unto Balaam, thou shall not go with them. Thou shalt not curse Israel, for they are blessed.' And Balaam rose up in the morning and said unto the princes of Balak, 'Get you into your land, for the Lord refuses to give me leave to go with you.' And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak and said, 'Balaam refuseth to come with us, and Balak sent yet another princes, more and more honorable than they. And they come to Balaam and said unto him, 'Thus, saith Balak, the son of Zippor, let nothing I pray thee hinder thee from coming unto me, for I will promote the young to very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me. Come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.' And God came unto Balaam at night and said unto him, 'If the men come to call thee, rise up and go with them. And yet the Page 2 of 15 Anderson: Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.' And Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab, and God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. And Balaam smote the donkey to turn her into the way. But the angel of the Lord stood on the path of the vineyards. A wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall, and he hit her again. And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood on the narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, the donkey fell down under Balaam, and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with a stick. And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said unto Balaam, 'What have I done unto thee? What hast thou smitten me these three times?' And Balaam said unto the donkey, 'Because thou hast mocked me, I would there were a sword in mine hand for now would I kill thee.' And the donkey said unto Balaam his master, 'Am I not thine donkey upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine until this day, was I ever want to do so unto thee?' And he said 'No.' And the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down his head and fell flat on his face." Now, in the study that we have before us today, the story of Balaam and his disobedience before the Lord, we're going to learn from the biography of Balaam, the consequences of covetousness, and the consequences of disobedience to the Commandments of the Lord, and to warn the Christian Page 3 of 15 Anderson: Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 against the danger of a divided loyalty such as was characteristic of Balaam in the book of Numbers chapter 22. Now, Bible biographies describe people who were subject to our feelings and temptations. James 5:17 and First Corinthians 10:13 echo again and again in the New Testament that God sent them messages of people who lived in the Old Testament day, in order to be spiritually profitable to the in the New Testament hour. Now their problems and decisions were recorded for your benefit and mine, according to First Corinthians chapter 10 and verse eleven. You remember that Balaam was a hireling prophet, and he's alit-an illustration of the truth, according to James one and verse eight, that a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. You see, he was a man of contradictions who attempted to serve two masters: wanting wealth and honor from Balak, as well as the approval of the Lord on the other hand. Now this strange man, Balaam said with his lips, 'Let me die the death of the righteous. And let my last end be like this.' Numbers 23:10. While down deep in his own heart, he loved the wages of unrighteousness, and the love of money and covetousness was his besetting sin. And he could not say with the apostle Paul in the New Testament in Acts 20 in verse 33, 'I have coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel.' Now I think we need to realize in the scripture we read to you just a few minutes ago, in verses 1 to 22 of Numbers chapter 22, that you have the picture of a disobedient prophet. And his name was Balaam. You see, Balaam was a soothsayer. He was from Pethor of Mesopotamia, and he lived near the river Euphrates, over where Iran and Iraq are at the present time in geography. He had some knowledge of God, but how he received it, the Bible doesn't tell us. When Israel camped in the plains of Moab on the eastern side of the Jordan River, you remember that Balak, the king of Moab, sent for the Prophet Balaam. He evidently had a reputation for Page 4 of 15 Anderson: Unforgettable Characters #1 and #2 great ability to cast a spell or a curse by enchantment or divination, according to Numbers 22 verses 6 and 7. And we read that to you just a moment ago. The fact that he sought for enchantments proves that he was not a true prophet of God, as we understand, a true prophet ought to be.
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