Quitter

 The devil’s not a quitter; far from it. If he can’t convince you of something in the first go-round, he’ll make another pass, then another, because although he doesn’t tire, men often do, and he hopes you will too. It’s a war of attrition the devil is waging, and he’s hoping you’ll get exhausted, throw in the towel, and give up altogether.

Vigilance is not easy, but it is necessary. Just because you overcame once doesn’t mean you won’t have to do it again. Just because you resisted the devil yesterday doesn’t mean you won’t have to do it all over again tomorrow.

After Balaam told God who the men were and what they wanted, God nixed the idea, and Balaam went to tell them that, sadly, he could not accommodate Balak’s request. God had said no, and that would have to suffice. So far, so good. Balaam turned down the money to be obedient to God, and at this stage, we’re kind of rooting for him. Let’s face it, at this point, he’s a lap ahead of most modern-day seers, visionaries, and speakers of heretofore untapped and unheard-of revelation. Balaam did the right thing, at least at first.

Numbers 20:13-17, “So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.” And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, Balaam refuses to come with us.” Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’”

Balak thought he could get his way by sending his second-string players, but when they came back empty-handed, it neither deterred him nor made him reconsider his request. The message was clear enough, and it should have ended there if Balak had any fear of the Lord. God said no, and that’s that.

Granted, his emissaries simply told Balak that Balaam refused to come with them rather than the Lord had forbidden him from doing it, but either way would have likely had the same response from Balak.

Man places himself in a dangerous predicament when his heart is set on something God is against. Because he refuses to take no for an answer, he tries to find ways around, over, under, or through the will and word of God, not realizing that they are immovable. If God has declared a thing, making a pouty face won’t change His mind on the matter. If He has called something a sin, no amount of disagreement from wolves and hirelings will transform it into an acceptable practice.

Balak wanted what he wanted, and what the will of God was on the matter didn’t enter into the equation. He had no more respect for Balaam than he did for the God of Israel. Such men never respect anything or anyone. However, he needed Balaam and so decided to play nice and send even more reputable princes to his door.

His message to Balaam was clear: if this isn’t enough, don’t worry, there’s more where this came from. We’ll make a deal, I promise, I just need this problem solved, and these people cursed.

There are countless people with the spirit of Balak running around, unconcerned with what God says, what God commands, or what God thinks. They have a want, a desire, or a need, and they’ll let nothing stand in the way of fulfillment, even if it’s God Himself.

Their first instinct is never to inquire of the Lord if their plans align with His plans or if it is His will that they proceed with a particular endeavor. They are the captains of their ships, don’t you know? They are the deciders, and they will decide without any external influence. All well and good, but when your decisions have you staring up from the wrong end of a pit, don’t blame God or grow bitter toward Him.

Too many people see themselves as the lost sheep for which Christ left the ninety-nine rather than the willy goat that’s always going where he isn’t supposed to be and doing things he shouldn’t be doing. When we are consistently rebellious, disobedient, and indifferent toward the Word and will of God, it’s no longer an issue of being a lost sheep but a stiff-necked goat who despises the authority of the Shepherd. 

It’s human nature to see ourselves in the best possible light, to give our intentions the best possible reasons for being, and to give our choices and decisions an undeserved gravitas and magnanimity because it’s either that or admit that oftentimes we act like spoiled, selfish children throwing a hissy fit.

Balak wanted what he wanted and thought he had the resources to see it done. He would spare no expense to see the people of God cursed, and he ensured Balaam knew that.

‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’

Imagine some powerful individual, the likes of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos, had sent this message to a minister or ministry today. Objectively speaking, it was quite the offer. Please come; I’ll give you whatever you want and do whatever you say, with the caveat that you curse this people for me. But Balaam had already told Balak to leave the people alone. I guess doing whatever Balaam said to do did not extend to this.

I’ll do whatever you say, except for that one thing, is the snare many a soul has fallen into over the centuries. Obedience is not a buffet where you can pick and choose the things you’re obedient about. You’re either walking in it, or you aren’t, and there’s no middle ground.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.