Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 10: /01/2023
Listen to our Bible
Study Discussion at: The Shpur of a King is Among Them Podcast
Or watch the Video Zoom Session of our Study on YouTube:
The Shout of a King is Among
Them!
“then the Lord knows how
to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under
punishment for the day of judgment.” II Pet. 2:9
The account of Balaam takes up a large swath of Scripture,
from Numbers 22 through 24 and echos throughout the Old and New Testament. He
was a genuine prophet in the sense that he heard from God, but had some
misguided ideas about what to do with that. There are some rich truths that we
can draw from this passage and embrace as we walk with the Lord today.
1) “Has the LORD as great
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold,
to obey is better than sacrifice,”
I Sam. 15:22
Even today and certainly throughout the history of the
church there is a notion that we can play a game of attrition with God by
bringing various sorts of sacrifices. God is not calling us to be “nice” by the
worlds standards, but to be holy, and the only pathway to holiness is
obedience. Peter repeats the injunction of Leviticus 11:44, “Be holy, for I
am holy.” I Pet. 1:16. Balaam is tempted to curse Israel for personal gain,
but he is also compelled to speak the word that God commands him to speak.
Christians can, and sometimes do, embark on deceptive practices in order to try
to cajole God toward their own agenda. Fasting and extravagant giving are two
examples. But God is not going to be deviated from His objective, and simple obedience
is indeed far better than sacrifice. “The word of the Lord endures forever.”
I Pet. 1:25
2) From the passage in II
Pet. 2:9 we see that, “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of
temptation”. This is comforting. We pray, “Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. Matt.
6:13
James goes further to say, “Let
no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted
by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” Js. 1:13
Peter is exposing “false
prophets…false teachers” and “destructive heresies” in II Pet. 2. Balaam
was a true prophet, but with false intention and no particular affection for
Gods people. He meets a disastrous end in Num. 31:8; killed with the sword
along with the five kings of Midian. Satan doesn’t dress in a red suit with
horns
3) Finally, we cannot be
cursed! There is a lot of controversy surrounding this statement in Christian
doctrine today, teaching that believers can be cursed and/or demon possessed. I
believe that this passage of Scripture (Num. 23:18-24) puts that notion to
rest.
As born again believers in
the Lord Jesus Christ we are delivered from the power of darkness, Col. 1:13.
Paul says, “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Rom. 6:11. And Gal. 3:13, “Christ
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it
is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’”).
The compelling factor here is that it is based upon and
grounded in the promise and integrity of God. We are not righteous on our
own, but, “whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rm.
10:13. God sees us as righteous through
Christ’s sacrifice.
We get a foreshadowing here
in Num. 23. Verse 21 says, “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has
He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord God is with him.” This was God’s
promise to Israel. And
“The shout of a King is
among them.”
We have a promise! “For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,” I Th. 4:16 And
we join in that shout, “Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation”
Ps. 95:1
“Shout to God with a voice
of triumph!” Ps. 47:5
II Pet. 2:9,10 & 15,
“then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve
the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who
walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise
authority…They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way
of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
Col. 1:13, “He has delivered
us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of
His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
sins.”
Rom. 6:8-14, “Now if we died
with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the
dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that
He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to
God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive
to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal
body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present you members as
instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under
grace.”
Gal. 3:13,14, “Christ has
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of
Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Jde. 1:11, “Woe to them! For
they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for
profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.”
Rev. 2:14, “But I have a few
things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam…”
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