Kept

 As all tyrants are wont to do, when Balak didn’t get his way, he became angry. He tried everything to get Balaam to curse the people of God, but there’s nothing like an angel with a sword standing before you to make all the gold and silver in the world seem worthless and irrelevant.

When he saw he couldn’t bribe, bully, or befriend his way to what he wanted, Balak sent Balaam away, but it’s the way he did it that is telling and worth focusing on for a breath. Yes, there is far more to learn from the story of Balaam, and we well might at another time, but this one parting shot was so typical of what people who don’t get their way with God or the servants of God do that I would be remiss.

Numbers 24:10-11, “Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.’”

After all the back and forth and the attempts at enticing Balaam, when it came to it and when it was time to part ways, Balak insisted it was the Lord that had kept Balaam back from honor. Nowadays, people do that all the time, but not in so many words.

I was planning on supporting your ministry until you said that one thing about adultery, or divorce, or woman pastors, homosexuality, excessive alcohol consumption, or take your pick of a thousand pet doctrines, pet sins, and extra-biblical ideas that we will break fellowship over if we are contradicted.

If the Word of God is clear on something, and an individual keeps back honor from you because you pointed to Scripture, is that not like Balak saying the Lord has kept you back from honor? No, that’s different. How so? It took Balaam a while to get to the obedience portion of his journey, but once he did, nothing Balak could say would detour him from doing as the Lord commanded.

The choice between pleasing God or pleasing men is not a one-shot deal. It’s not something you do once, and then you’re set for the rest of your life. It’s a choice we have to make every day of our lives, especially if we are in ministry, because there’s always someone somewhere offering you the carrot or the stick, and you have to choose whether you will remain faithful to God or compromise for the sake of carrots. Carrots get eaten, they go bad, and they run out, but the favor of God is timeless and eternal. That men would choose carrots over diamonds is still baffling, but I will not answer for other men’s choices when I stand before God, just as they will not answer for mine.

I was my grandfather’s interpreter for over a decade. During that time, there were countless instances wherein he had to choose to remain true to the calling and mission God had assigned him or cut corners and make concessions for a bigger audience, ministry, or pool of support.

I don’t remember the specific state, it was either Michigan or Colorado, but we’d just gotten done preaching a Sunday service, and we were out to lunch with the pastor. He was a nice enough person, so I don’t believe he said what he said with malicious intent of any kind, but as we were waiting for our food to arrive, he looked at my grandfather and said, “You have an amazing testimony. If you’d focus on that and leave the last fifteen minutes about impending judgment out of your presentation, you’d have a far bigger audience.”

I dutifully translated what he said, and my grandfather looked him in the eyes and said, “The reason I had to go through the hardship, torture, and persecution is to have the strength to speak those last fifteen minutes no matter who it was to. The purpose of the hardship I endured was to be able to say the hard things when easier ones would be more readily accepted.”

The enemy will always try to frame things in such a way that obedience unto God and His commands seems like a hindrance, a drawback, and a burden. Speaking the truth will always have a downside and no upside, so why stick your neck out? Why say anything when it’s likely no one will listen, but everyone will be quick to demonize you?

The enemy will never highlight the many benefits of doing what God says when He says it but will always point out what you may have had, had you curated His words so as to soften the blow and pull the punch.

If he can convince you of that, he’ll go one step further and highlight how much more you could have and how much bigger you could be if you didn’t just skim the edges of rebellion but surrendered to it altogether. If half a truth gets you invited to guest speak at a mega church, a whole lie might get you onto Oprah. Once that happens, it’s all gravy trains with biscuit wheels.

Those with a shred of self-awareness will even justify their disobedience by telling themselves they’ll get back to preaching the truth as soon as they get big enough, but they never do. Evidently, you never get big enough. There’s always some other carrot, some other venue, some other continent to conquer, so the truth will have to wait. And there it will sit, ignored and unspoken, until the Son of Man returns to once and for all answer the question of whether or not He will find faith on the earth.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, jr.