Balaam says: God is not human, that He should lie, or a mortal, that He should change His mind. When He has said something, does He not do it? When He has spoken, does He not fulfill it?
Balaam has been hired to curse Israel. But every time he opens his mouth, blessings come out instead. He's caught in a bind - his words are being moved by God. And he's noticing something about God's nature: you can't bribe God. You can't deceive God. God means what He says.
I'm Balaam's opposite in the best way - I'm on God's side, not trying to curse but to bless. But I notice I sometimes try to bargain with God in ways that assume He might change His mind.
Lord, I pray, if I do this, will you do that? As if God is negotiating, as if He might take a better deal. But Balaam has figured something out that I'm learning: God is not like that. He's not human. He doesn't lie. He doesn't change His mind when something better comes along.
That's either terrifying or comforting depending on whether you've bet against Him. If you're on His side, it's comforting. He said He'd be faithful, and He will be. You can build on that. You can trust it.
If you're on the other side, it means you can't negotiate your way out. You can't bribe Him. You can't trick Him. Your only option is to surrender.
Balaam saw this and tried to honor it even while being paid to violate it. That's integrity under pressure. That's worth emulating.
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