Chapter 22: verse 6... interesting that Balaam was given this notation of power... that whoever he blesses will be blessed and whoever he curses will be cursed. verse 8... so did Balaam's power come from God? verse 9... God seems to know Balaam... how does Balaam know God if he is not an Isrealite? Does this mean that God was working throughout many peoples and many lands, but only chose the Isrealites to be an example, but not His only people? verse 18... 'I could not do anything big or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.' ... do we believe this, or do we try to do 'whatever God can't or won't do' in our lives? verse 19... why ask God again? was He hoping for a different answer... maybe one more suited to His liking?... do we do this? try to bargain with God or 'perceive' God's answer until we like what we 'think' we hear? How can we be certain that the voice we hear is God's?... I would suggest that when we do not know for sure, or are looking for an answer to a 'big' question, we need to cross-reference our 'answer' with God's Word, the truths we know about Him (as they are unchanging), previous experience, the desires of our heart, and wise council.... by honestly looking at all these things, and asking the Holy Spirit to give us discernment, we should be able to get a clear answer... one word of caution, though... do not expect the answer on your own time, as that may impair your ability to really hear the true answer... sometimes we need to wait and be still and silent for a long time to hear what God is telling us to do. verse 22... why was God angry? He told Balaam to go (see verse 20) the study notes suggest that Balak summoning Balaam shows that Balak believed man was in control, and not God, but Balaam's reliance and obedience to God showed that he believed that man was under the control of God (or at least under the control of the supernatural beings... not sure if Balaam was completely a follower of God, or if he just called out for any spirit and God was the one who answered here... God could do that, too, since God knows all that is going on and would want to protect His people against the potential onslaught of evil sources). This story about the donkey is apparently a wake up call from God to Balaam that Balaam needs to become more "spiritually alert" like his donkey (according to the study notes) verse 28-29... ok, it really cracks me up that when his donkey talked, Balaam didn't bat an eye, but just answered it like it was an everyday occurance to hear and talk to his donkey! :) verse 30... ok, good point that we need to take into account the past experiences we've had, and not take what is happening right now as the 'norm', unless it truly is. verse 33 (in reference of verse 29)... how often do we think that God is setting us up to be taken as a 'fool' when really He is saving our behinds? I know there are many times when my first inclination is to complain to God about why He is doing something to me, when in the end it is a good thing that I went through that thing because it brought me closer to God, or made me a better person, or whatever verse 34-35... now that God knows He really has Balaam's attention and understanding of who is in charge, God lets Balaam go on? verse 37-38... the rhetorical questions make me laugh... 'am i really not able to reward you?'...'can i say just anything?'... it would be fun to talk like this for awhile just because. :)
Chapter 23: ok, these next two chapters really had me laughing, because Balak was like, 'oh, so you can't curse the Israelites from here, let me take you to another viewpoint and maybe you can do it from there'... like God isn't clearly seeing who Balak wants Him to curse... or maybe he thinks he can trick God by showing Him the people from a different angle... duh! God lives in Heaven and sees it all... He doesn't live on Mount Olympus of something, with a blocked vantage point... anyway, this whole scenerio reminds me of the Dr. Suess book "Green Eggs and Ham"... could you eat them in a box? would you eat them with a fox?... :) verse 1... why 7 alters? study notes say that this is the only place in the Bible where the word 'oracle' is used in conjunction with the words of 'Gods true prophets'... the dictionary says that an 'oracle' is a person through whom a diety is believed to speak... since Balaam continually says that he cannot say what God does not put in his mouth (Numbers 22:38, and others)... and God seems to actually put words into Balaams mouth (verse 5, and others)... maybe the difference between this time and other prophets, is that God actually trusts the other prophets to truthfully relay the message that He gives them, whereas here, God feels that He must actually do the speaking, so the message comes through correctly.... because God does not put words into Moses's mouth, but instead relays messages to him, which Moses then relay's to the people... this makes me remember that God can make His will be done regardless of who He uses... it also makes me want to be the kind of person that God uses because He trusts me, not because I am the one on hand at the time. verse 19... characteristics of God...God cannot lie...does not change His mind
Chapter 24: verse 1... this is why I am skeptical of Balaam's allegiance to God... he seems to be the kind of guy who likes to keep his options open... but he might be coming around to the sovereignty of God... I mean, wouldn't you like to be in allegiance to a God who loves His people so much that He can't be bought or persuaded against them?... anyway, this makes me think about how we sometimes think we can have the best of 'both worlds'... that we can 'love' God on Sunday, but live according to the ways of the world the rest of the week, or whatever... but God makes sure we know that is not an option (see Matthew 6:19-24, Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 1:5-10, Isaiah 59:2, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 John 2 [specifically verses 15-17], and Matthew 12:25) verse 10... still laughing that Balak thought he could overpower God verse 11... 'but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded'... how often do we only look at the material things as rewards and forget that God promises to reward us with Heavenly things (Matthew 5:11-12, Luke 6:35)... like when Peter says to Jesus, 'we gave up everything for you, what is left for us' and Jesus tells him 'you will receive 100 times what you gave up and receive eternal life'(Matthew 19:16-30)... our eyes are to remained focued on the eternal prize of Heaven, not the 'wealth' of the world which moths and rust destroy (Matthew 6:19-21) verse 14... If I were Balak I think I'd rather not know what is to come... but maybe it will deter him from pushing the envelope any further? verse 17... study notes say that this refers to Revelation 22:16... which says that the 'star' is Jesus.... also 'crush.. the skulls of Sheth'... the footnotes say that 'sheth' could also be translated 'all the noisy boasters'... when phrased that way, it brings it a little closer to home... we must remember that it is not about us... it is all about God... 'saved by grace through faith, not by works, so no one can boast' (Ephesians 2:8-9) verse 20... reminds me of 'the first will be last and the last will be first' (Luke 13:28-30) verse 21-24... look forward to seeing if we read about the fulfillment of these prophesies in future books/chapters... if not, does anyone know of historical fulfillment of these things? Just curious, as I like to make the mental connections. verse 25... interesting that they have no more dialogue... I wonder what Balak is thinking as he goes home... definately has a lot of 'food for thought'
The IDEA: Romans 1:12-That we may be mutually strengthened, encouraged, and comforted by each others faith. Have you ever read the whole Bible before? We have never done it. We want to share God’s Word, but how can we if we do not know it.
The PLAN: Ecclesiastes 4:12-One person is easily overcome, but two can stand together and conquer. Three is even better, though, as a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. With each others help we can succeed-So, let us team up and read the Bible in a year.
The DATE: We will start Dec 26, 2009 - Dec 26, 2010.
The FYI: We will read 3-4 chapters each day, starting in Genesis, and post thoughts daily. If you do not have a Bible, you can access many translations at www.biblegateway.com. You can also download an audio for each chapter at: http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Read it.
ReplyDeleteSandj
Chapter 22: verse 6... interesting that Balaam was given this notation of power... that whoever he blesses will be blessed and whoever he curses will be cursed.
ReplyDeleteverse 8... so did Balaam's power come from God?
verse 9... God seems to know Balaam... how does Balaam know God if he is not an Isrealite? Does this mean that God was working throughout many peoples and many lands, but only chose the Isrealites to be an example, but not His only people?
verse 18... 'I could not do anything big or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.' ... do we believe this, or do we try to do 'whatever God can't or won't do' in our lives?
verse 19... why ask God again? was He hoping for a different answer... maybe one more suited to His liking?... do we do this? try to bargain with God or 'perceive' God's answer until we like what we 'think' we hear? How can we be certain that the voice we hear is God's?... I would suggest that when we do not know for sure, or are looking for an answer to a 'big' question, we need to cross-reference our 'answer' with God's Word, the truths we know about Him (as they are unchanging), previous experience, the desires of our heart, and wise council.... by honestly looking at all these things, and asking the Holy Spirit to give us discernment, we should be able to get a clear answer... one word of caution, though... do not expect the answer on your own time, as that may impair your ability to really hear the true answer... sometimes we need to wait and be still and silent for a long time to hear what God is telling us to do.
verse 22... why was God angry? He told Balaam to go (see verse 20)
the study notes suggest that Balak summoning Balaam shows that Balak believed man was in control, and not God, but Balaam's reliance and obedience to God showed that he believed that man was under the control of God (or at least under the control of the supernatural beings... not sure if Balaam was completely a follower of God, or if he just called out for any spirit and God was the one who answered here... God could do that, too, since God knows all that is going on and would want to protect His people against the potential onslaught of evil sources).
This story about the donkey is apparently a wake up call from God to Balaam that Balaam needs to become more "spiritually alert" like his donkey (according to the study notes)
verse 28-29... ok, it really cracks me up that when his donkey talked, Balaam didn't bat an eye, but just answered it like it was an everyday occurance to hear and talk to his donkey! :)
verse 30... ok, good point that we need to take into account the past experiences we've had, and not take what is happening right now as the 'norm', unless it truly is.
verse 33 (in reference of verse 29)... how often do we think that God is setting us up to be taken as a 'fool' when really He is saving our behinds? I know there are many times when my first inclination is to complain to God about why He is doing something to me, when in the end it is a good thing that I went through that thing because it brought me closer to God, or made me a better person, or whatever
verse 34-35... now that God knows He really has Balaam's attention and understanding of who is in charge, God lets Balaam go on?
verse 37-38... the rhetorical questions make me laugh... 'am i really not able to reward you?'...'can i say just anything?'... it would be fun to talk like this for awhile just because. :)
Chapter 23: ok, these next two chapters really had me laughing, because Balak was like, 'oh, so you can't curse the Israelites from here, let me take you to another viewpoint and maybe you can do it from there'... like God isn't clearly seeing who Balak wants Him to curse... or maybe he thinks he can trick God by showing Him the people from a different angle... duh! God lives in Heaven and sees it all... He doesn't live on Mount Olympus of something, with a blocked vantage point... anyway, this whole scenerio reminds me of the Dr. Suess book "Green Eggs and Ham"... could you eat them in a box? would you eat them with a fox?... :)
ReplyDeleteverse 1... why 7 alters?
study notes say that this is the only place in the Bible where the word 'oracle' is used in conjunction with the words of 'Gods true prophets'... the dictionary says that an 'oracle' is a person through whom a diety is believed to speak... since Balaam continually says that he cannot say what God does not put in his mouth (Numbers 22:38, and others)... and God seems to actually put words into Balaams mouth (verse 5, and others)... maybe the difference between this time and other prophets, is that God actually trusts the other prophets to truthfully relay the message that He gives them, whereas here, God feels that He must actually do the speaking, so the message comes through correctly.... because God does not put words into Moses's mouth, but instead relays messages to him, which Moses then relay's to the people... this makes me remember that God can make His will be done regardless of who He uses... it also makes me want to be the kind of person that God uses because He trusts me, not because I am the one on hand at the time.
verse 19... characteristics of God...God cannot lie...does not change His mind
Chapter 24: verse 1... this is why I am skeptical of Balaam's allegiance to God... he seems to be the kind of guy who likes to keep his options open... but he might be coming around to the sovereignty of God... I mean, wouldn't you like to be in allegiance to a God who loves His people so much that He can't be bought or persuaded against them?... anyway, this makes me think about how we sometimes think we can have the best of 'both worlds'... that we can 'love' God on Sunday, but live according to the ways of the world the rest of the week, or whatever... but God makes sure we know that is not an option (see Matthew 6:19-24, Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 1:5-10, Isaiah 59:2, 2 Corinthians 6:14, 1 John 2 [specifically verses 15-17], and Matthew 12:25)
ReplyDeleteverse 10... still laughing that Balak thought he could overpower God
verse 11... 'but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded'... how often do we only look at the material things as rewards and forget that God promises to reward us with Heavenly things (Matthew 5:11-12, Luke 6:35)... like when Peter says to Jesus, 'we gave up everything for you, what is left for us' and Jesus tells him 'you will receive 100 times what you gave up and receive eternal life'(Matthew 19:16-30)... our eyes are to remained focued on the eternal prize of Heaven, not the 'wealth' of the world which moths and rust destroy (Matthew 6:19-21)
verse 14... If I were Balak I think I'd rather not know what is to come... but maybe it will deter him from pushing the envelope any further?
verse 17... study notes say that this refers to Revelation 22:16... which says that the 'star' is Jesus.... also 'crush.. the skulls of Sheth'... the footnotes say that 'sheth' could also be translated 'all the noisy boasters'... when phrased that way, it brings it a little closer to home... we must remember that it is not about us... it is all about God... 'saved by grace through faith, not by works, so no one can boast' (Ephesians 2:8-9)
verse 20... reminds me of 'the first will be last and the last will be first' (Luke 13:28-30)
verse 21-24... look forward to seeing if we read about the fulfillment of these prophesies in future books/chapters... if not, does anyone know of historical fulfillment of these things? Just curious, as I like to make the mental connections.
verse 25... interesting that they have no more dialogue... I wonder what Balak is thinking as he goes home... definately has a lot of 'food for thought'