Worship: For Heaven’s Sake The story of Balaam has important lessons for us all today. It shows the danger of covetousness and the importance of remaining faithful to God. It also reveals the power of God over His people. When God is for you, no power can work against you. (Read more below.)
Wellness: For Health’s Sake Pastor Flemons, a doctor of biblical wellness, discussed the effects of the REFRESHING lifestyle on the circulatory system with one focus: relying on God. (Read more below.)
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TOPICS THIS WEEK
Worship: February 12 – Balaam; February 13 – Apostasy at the Jordan; February 14 – The Law Repeated; February 15 – The Death of Moses; February 16 – Crossing the Jordan; February 17 – The Fall of Jericho; February 18 – The Blessings and the Curses [All topics per Patriarchs and Prophets by Ellen G. White, accessible at this link: http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp.asp]
Wellness: February 12 – February 18 – Benefits of the REFRESHING Way Lifestyle on the Circulatory (Cardiovascular) System
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Words of Encouragement
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
John 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
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For Heaven’s Sake…
Balaam had been urged to curse God’s people. A delegation of Moabites and Midianites representing King Balak personally visited Balaam. They offered him inducements, the rewards of divination. They thought sorcery was the answer to the power of the God of the Hebrews. They were wrong. And Balaam knew it.
“Balaam was once a good man and a prophet of God; but he had apostatized, and had given himself up to covetousness; yet he still professed to be a servant of the Most High. He was not ignorant of God’s work in behalf of Israel; and when the messengers announced their errand, he well knew that it was his duty to refuse the rewards of Balak and to dismiss the ambassadors. But he ventured to dally with temptation, and urged the messengers to tarry with him that night, declaring that he could give no decided answer till he had asked counsel of the Lord. Balaam knew that his curse could not harm Israel. God was on their side, and so long as they were true to Him no adverse power of earth or hell could prevail against them. But his pride was flattered by the words of the ambassadors, ‘He whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.’ The bribe of costly gifts and prospective exaltation excited his covetousness. He greedily accepted the offered treasures, and then, while professing strict obedience to the will of God, he tried to comply with the desires of Balak. PP 439.2″
And that is where Balaam went so wrong. Especially should church leaders so love the truth and be swayed only by the power of God that inducements to prosperity won’t distract them from doing the will of God. Instead of using the opportunity to be a decided witness for GOD to these delegates and those sent afterward, Balaam’s donkey ended up witnessing to him. Two groups of delegations came and returned to King Balak, annoyed with Balaam’s delaying tactics. Balaam found himself in pursuit of them to win all of the rewards of divination.
On the way, the donkey saw the destroying angel and tried again and again to avoid him. Frustrated and blinded by covetousness and ambition, Balaam could not see the angel. Instead, he beat the beast mercilessly. God then opened the mouth of the donkey and gave him the speech of a man (2 Peter 2:16). In his mad rage, Balaam spoke back to the donkey as though he was speaking to a man. Then God allowed Balaam to see the angel of the LORD. Immediately, he bowed his head and fell on his face and confessed his sin.
Balaam had been so insistent on finding ways to gain the wicked rewards that finally he was told to continue onward to the king of Moab. But the angel warned him that he was to speak only the words of God. Once there, “Balaam confessed that he came with the purpose of cursing Israel, but the words he uttered were directly contrary to the sentiments of his heart. He was constrained to pronounce blessings, while his soul was filled with curses.PP 447.1
“Balaam prophesied that Israel’s King would be greater and more powerful than Agag. This was the name given to the kings of the Amalekites, who were at this time a very powerful nation; but Israel, if true to God, would subdue all her enemies. The King of Israel was the Son of God; and His throne was one day to be established in the earth, and His power to be exalted above all earthly kingdoms.PP 450.2
“Disappointed in his hopes of wealth and promotion, in disfavor with the king, and conscious that he had incurred the displeasure of God, Balaam returned from his self-chosen mission. After he had reached his home the controlling power of the Spirit of God left him, and his covetousness, which had been merely held in check, prevailed. He was ready to resort to any means to gain the reward promised by Balak. Balaam knew that the prosperity of Israel depended upon their obedience to God, and that there was no way to cause their overthrow but by seducing them into sin. He now decided to secure Balak’s favor by advising the Moabites of the course to be pursued to bring a curse upon Israel.PP 451.4
“He immediately returned to the land of Moab and laid his plans before the king. The Moabites themselves were convinced that so long as Israel remained true to God, He would be their shield. The plan proposed by Balaam was to separate them from God by enticing them into idolatry. If they could be led to engage in the licentious worship of Baal and Ashtaroth, their omnipotent Protector would become their enemy, and they would soon fall a prey to the fierce, warlike nations around them. This plan was readily accepted by the king, and Balaam himself remained to assist in carrying it into effect.PP 451.5
“Balaam witnessed the success of his diabolical scheme. He saw the curse of God visited upon His people, and thousands falling under His judgments; but the divine justice that punished sin in Israel did not permit the tempters to escape. In the war of Israel against the Midianites, Balaam was slain. He had felt a presentiment that his own end was near when he exclaimed, ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!’ But he had not chosen to live the life of the righteous, and his destiny was fixed with the enemies of God.PP 451.6
“The fate of Balaam was similar to that of Judas, and their characters bear a marked resemblance to each other. Both these men tried to unite the service of God and mammon, and met with signal failure. Balaam acknowledged the true God, and professed to serve Him; Judas believed in Jesus as the Messiah, and united with His followers. But Balaam hoped to make the service of Jehovah the steppingstone to the acquirement of riches and worldly honor; and failing in this he stumbled and fell and was broken. Judas expected by his connection with Christ to secure wealth and promotion in that worldly kingdom which, as he believed, the Messiah was about to set up. The failure of his hopes drove him to apostasy and ruin. Both Balaam and Judas had received great light and enjoyed special privileges, but a single cherished sin poisoned the entire character and caused their destruction.PP 452.1
“It is a perilous thing to allow an unchristian trait to live in the heart. One cherished sin will, little by little, debase the character, bringing all its nobler powers into subjection to the evil desire. The removal of one safeguard from the conscience, the indulgence of one evil habit, one neglect of the high claims of duty, breaks down the defenses of the soul and opens the way for Satan to come in and lead us astray. The only safe course is to let our prayers go forth daily from a sincere heart, as did David, ‘Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.’ Psalm 17:5.PP 452.2
(This study is based on Numbers 22 – 24 and chapter 40, “Balaam” in Patriarchs and Prophets (PP), by Ellen G. White, available at this link: http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp.asp.)
For Health’s Sake…
“Stress has a great affect on the cardiovascular, or circulatory, system. Everyone knows that there is some kind of link between stress and high blood pressure,” says Pastor Flemons. It is a known fact that people have had strokes and heart attacks due to a moment of extreme stress.
However, if people were to rely on God, stress would vanish or at the very least be lowered significantly. Stress causes the blood vessels to constrict and fat to be produced and converted into usuable sugar for energy in a fight-or-flight situation. Trusting in God, however, opens the blood vessels and normalizes the heart rate.
Trusting in His full forgiveness of sin is a great stress reliever. In that is peace. Not trusting in God promotes guilt. As guilt lingers, stress increases. Trust in the word of God. It provides guidance to right decisions. In that is wisdom and assurance. Prayer allows you to unload burdens and entrust them to God. In that is confidence and strength. Telling others about what God has done for you benefits them and you. You will find that helping others relieves your own stress.