Day 102 - Is God capricious?
Scripture focus: You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Psalm 139:15 The Message
I was in a bible study class where a friend of mine became absolutely convinced that Numbers 22 proves that God is whimsical, capricious, and unpredictable. I saw her point - I disagreed with her conclusion. It appears as if God is giving approval to Balaam in 22:20 to go with Balak's team. But in verse 22 it says, "But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the lord stood in the road to oppose him." My friend thinks that this means you can't trust God. He'll offer a divine "Yes!" one day, and rescind it with an angry "No!" the next.
Recall a couple of previous verses of scripture that might shed a bit of light on things.
But my people would not listen to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own desires. Psalm 81:11-12 NIV
He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. Psalm 106:15 ASV
I don't believe that God is changeable; I suspect that all this confusion is cleared up when we realize that God knows each of us - inside and out. He knows every bone in our bodies. He knows how we were made. God knew the real intentions of Balaam. He wasn't so interested in what Balaam said, or even what he did, so much as he was aware of the intentions of Balaam's heart. And Balaam's heart was several sizes too small for the accomplishing of God's prevailing purposes. So God had to enlarge his heart.
What happens next is an incredible story. But before we read on, think about this. God is and God will. His purposes always prevail. No mere mortal will ever come between God and a prevailing purpose. God was committed to the Israelite people and was unwilling for anyone to curse them. Thus, saith the Lord. The end.
Commentators doubt whether Balaam initially understood who he was talking to - and I don't doubt that one bit! I don't think we understand that either. When we pray, we're talking to Holy God - the God who is and will. We've gained access, direct access, to his throne of grace. We can climb up into the lap of God any hour of the day or night. We can talk with God. We don't have the power to change his mind. But we do have the capacity to have the mind of Christ ourselves.
Sometimes we're not going to understand his reply. Trusting God will require us to accept his heart and intentions, even if we can't grasp his ways.
Recommended reading: Joshua 3 and 4 in the morning; Luke 14 in the evening
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