Joshua 1:7 ... turn not from it (the Word) to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
*****
The Word of God does not change ... It continues forever.
Several years ago, I met a man from Shreveport, Louisiana, (USA). He was a pastor and he and wife divorced. He wanted to remarry.
Jesus said:
Matthew 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
I told this man the only scriptural way a man can divorce wife and remarry is if his wife has committed adultery.
***
***
Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus said: Have ye not read, that HE which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
***
Mark 10:11-12 And HE saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
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After I told Pastor these things, a few weeks passed and then he called me again and asked, "Has there been any change in that doctrine which would allow me to remarry?"
I replied: "So far as I know the Bible has not been rewritten."
*****
When a person wants to do something and is stopped by the
Word of God and hopes the word will be changed, that person is like
Balaam.
Numbers 22
5-12 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam ... 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 too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot (know) that he whom thou blessest 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 unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
And he (Balaam) said unto 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 unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
(What are you doing keeping company with the ungodly?)
And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth 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 shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
(But
Balaam very much wanted those earthly rewards offered him by the king
of Moab so even though he turned down the king at first, the king sent
again offering Balaam even greater reward to curse the children of
Israel. Balaam is hoping God has changed HIS mind so he can curse the
people and get the reward from the king of Moab. So Balaam asks God
again if he can go with king of Moab.)
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Is the Word of God going to change?
This is what that pastor who came to me asking if he could marry after divorcing his wife hoped.
If
we hear the word of God on the matter and that word is contrary to that
which we want to do, to return again and ask if God has changed HIS
mind because of the lust of our own heart, is to enter the sin of
Balaam.
And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: For I will promote thee unto very great honour, 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.
(But Balaam really wants the reward offered by the king of Moab so he is going to ask God again if he can go with the king and do the work of the king, cursing the children of God, for that reward of the king.)
Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more.
***
In our little church group, we had a woman who very much wanted to go to her son's second wedding. (Son and first wife divorced.) She ended up going to second wedding and was tormented and
kept escaping from the group and hiding out in an upstairs bedroom.
There was some type of desire in her flesh that caused her to want to be
in this setting but when she got there, she found she had to keep
fleeing into isolation.
There is no blessing in getting what we want if what we want is evil or is among evil. (Light and darkness can't co-exist.)
Will God change HIS mind and let us do what we want?
Not really ... God will not change HIS mind, but HE might turn us over to the evil we want to do and let us go into the evil desired by our fleshly heart.
This is what God did with Balaam.
Certainly it did not please God for Balaam to go with the evil men and continue in his own fleshly desires for perceived reward from man.
Certainly it did not please God for Balaam to go with the evil men and continue in his own fleshly desires for perceived reward from man.
***
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, 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.
(God told Balaam to go with the men if they came to him again asking him to go. So why was God angry? Balaam's heart was perverse and God saw this and stood against him in the way.)
(God told Balaam to go with the men if they came to him again asking him to go. So why was God angry? Balaam's heart was perverse and God saw this and stood against him in the way.)
Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
(Three
times the ass recognized the angel of the Lord and took action to save
them, while Balaam failed to see the danger. We might beware of strong
lusts. In this case the lust was for perceived reward from man.)
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? and he said, Nay.
Then 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.
And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
*****
So Balaam went with the men of the king of Moab.
(Would
you really want to go anywhere with people who are against God and with
people who are against the children of God. Yet Balaam did want to go
with the evil people to get reward of the king.)
The king of Moab took Balaam to see the vast number of people at the border of the land for he wanted Balaam to curse these people and he expected Balaam to curse these people who were the children of Israel.
The king of Moab took Balaam to see the vast number of people at the border of the land for he wanted Balaam to curse these people and he expected Balaam to curse these people who were the children of Israel.
Numbers 22:41
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought
him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost
part of the people.
(Notice where the king took Balaam ... "to the high places of Baal.")
(Notice where the king took Balaam ... "to the high places of Baal.")
And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.
And God met Balaam: and he said unto HIM, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.
And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.
How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?
For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
***
And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
And he (Balaam) answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth?
(Even though Balaam's desire was evil, God would not let him curse the children of Israel whom HE had blessed.)
*****
Now the king of Moab is going to try again to curse the nation of Israel but from another place.
(When
the attack against us fails, the devil often tries another way to bring
about destruction for us. God will always win but we must be alert and
follow the way of God, clinging to the word of God without turning "to
the right or to the left." Joshua 1)
*****
Numbers 23:13-24 And
Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place,
from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of
them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.
(People who fail to follow God will
always try to persuade you to go another way, away from the word God
gives you. So if you continue with them, you injure yourself.)
And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the Lord yonder.
And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken?
And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
God is not a man, that HE should lie; neither the son of man, that HE should repent: hath HE said, and shall HE not do it? or hath HE spoken, and shall HE not make it good?
Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and HE hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.
HE hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath HE seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!
Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
*****
Numbers 23:25-30 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do?
And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward jeshimon.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do?
And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.
(The king of Moab does not give up and continues to try to curse the children of Israel. He just goes at it another direction.
Perhaps that will work, he thinks. So the devil tries to do with us.
If one way fails, he tries another. Thus the apostle Peter warned us:
Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring
lion walketh about, seeking whom he can devour. Whom resist, steadfast
in the faith. I Peter 5 )
And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward jeshimon.
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
*****
Numbers 24:1-9 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.
And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!
As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.
(When the Lord has planted us, they will not overcome us even if they slay us for we will cling to that word given us by God.)
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.
(Our arrows today are those words given us by God which will destroy the enemies of God as we speak them.)
He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
*****
Numbers 24:10-11 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.
Therefore now flee thou to thy place:
I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour.
*****
Numbers 24:12-19 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak?
And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
*****
Later God causes Balaam to be killed.
Numbers 31:1-8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
(Notice how Balaam was hanging out with the evil people, with the Midianites. Notice also how the man of God, Phinehas, was with Moses. Those who seem to be of God but hang out with evil people show us something. How can they hang out with the evil? How can they be around the evil. When the wrath of God comes on the evil, that wrath will fall on those who choose to live among the evil.)
*****
Abraham set his goal to receive blessings from God, not from man.
He was tested when the king of Sodom offered him treasures.
Genesis 14:21-23 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
Many men come to me today wanting me to give them money and other things. They identify themselves as being ministers. I doubt they are ministers of God for they see their "wealth" as coming from other humans.
They do not wait on God, they do not follow God, for if they did, HE would take them into HIS way of prosperity.
They see humans as their source of money and things.
Numbers 31:1-8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.
And Moses spake unto the people, saying, Arm some of yourselves unto the war, and let them go against the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, shall ye send to the war.
So there were delivered out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.
And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand of every tribe, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the holy instruments, and the trumpets to blow in his hand.
And they warred against the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they slew all the males.
And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.
(Notice how Balaam was hanging out with the evil people, with the Midianites. Notice also how the man of God, Phinehas, was with Moses. Those who seem to be of God but hang out with evil people show us something. How can they hang out with the evil? How can they be around the evil. When the wrath of God comes on the evil, that wrath will fall on those who choose to live among the evil.)
*****
Abraham set his goal to receive blessings from God, not from man.
He was tested when the king of Sodom offered him treasures.
Genesis 14:21-23 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
Many men come to me today wanting me to give them money and other things. They identify themselves as being ministers. I doubt they are ministers of God for they see their "wealth" as coming from other humans.
They do not wait on God, they do not follow God, for if they did, HE would take them into HIS way of prosperity.
They see humans as their source of money and things.
We, who are of God, should purpose that our blessings come from God as Abraham did. If we have anything on this earth, let it come from God.
There is a promise of God when we choose to go that way.
Matthew 6:33 Jesus says: Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The world seeks after things.
Jesus exhorts us in Matthew 6, to seek after God.
If we follow those verses shown us by the Holy Spirit and diligently walk in each portion of scripture shown us by HIM, all the other things will be added to us along the way. We will not be thinking continually of worldly possessions and how to get them, but rather we will be focused on doing those scripture called to our attention by the Holy Spirit. Things will be added by God as we do this.
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Joshua 1:7-9
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn
not from it to the right hand or to the left,
that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? (Didn't God tell you to do this?)
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Have not I commanded thee? (Didn't God tell you to do this?)
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
*****
We cannot be righteous in the sight of God and turn
away from that Word given us by God.
Only when we cling to that word God gives us will we be righteous in God's sight, and only then, by doing that word faithfully, will we prosper and have good success while walking in God's righteousness.
I Timothy 6:9-12 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Only when we cling to that word God gives us will we be righteous in God's sight, and only then, by doing that word faithfully, will we prosper and have good success while walking in God's righteousness.
I Timothy 6:9-12 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
*****