King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Friday, March 05, 2021
Chapters: Numbers 22-24
Message: God’s Anointed
Hello My Friend,
[Anoint; To consecrate by unction, or the use of oil. Unction; The act of anointing, Richness of gracious affections, Divine or sanctifying grace.]. The word unction is a very interesting word, it does not even sound like a real word, but it is actually a word written in the Bible, [I John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.] The Holy One, The Lord, God Almighty, and Jesus Christ Himself, consecrates us, meaning, makes us clean, holy, and ready to be used at His disposal, not for the sake of our own righteousness, but for the sake of His saving grace, [Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,]
God’s anointed are not the entire descendants of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob (Israel). God’s anointed are not the entire congregation of countless religious cults. God’s anointed are the entire body of those who believe in all that He is, and have received Him as their LORD. Believers before Christ came here in the flesh may not have seen Him, but they had faith in the promise that God would send Him, whichever name He was given at the time. God did choose the children of Israel as His people to show the rest of the world that there is only one living God. God did not choose Israel because they were more righteous, and as we learned, they too were subject to the same judgment as the rest of us. God chose them because of the promise He made to Abraham, and He never goes back on His word. Now, here they are, camped out in the plains of Moab, and just a boat ride into the promised land. It was there that the king of Moab sent for a prophet, who was of Mesopotamia.
[Numbers 22:1-3,5,7 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 7 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.]
[departed with the rewards of divination in their hand;] Balaam’s name means foreigner, and for some reason word got out that he was able to communicate with God. The people of Moab as well as many other nations feared Israel greatly, especially after they heard of their journey and how they defeated the Amorites. Balak thought that if he could get someone to place a curse on Israel then he would not have to deal with them, which is why he sent for Balaam, and use enchantments to curse them.
[Numbers 22:12-13,15-17,20 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 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: 17 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. 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.]
[For I will promote thee unto very great honour,] This has Satan’s name written all over it, he is the one who attempts to overthrow God’s will, he is too cowardly to stand up to God himself so he sends these false prophets to try and curse God’s anointed. Nevertheless, nothing will ever stop him from trying until Jesus returns. Now, even though God told Balaam to go up when he asked the second time, He became angry with him.
[Numbers 22:22-25,28 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 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. 24 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. 25 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. 28 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?]
[And God’s anger was kindled because he went:] So, why was God angry when he went after He was the one who told him to go to Balak after he went to Him the second time? Because he went with the princes of Moab, and did not wait till they came to call him. I laugh every time I read this because Balaam literally had a conversation with a donkey. And there was Jesus, standing with a sword in His hand, ready to kill him, if it were not for the donkey. It was then that God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the Him standing there.
[Numbers 22:31-35 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. 32 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: 33 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. 34 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. 35 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.]
[unless she had turned from me,] It was for the donkey’s sake and not Balaam’s that he was not already dead. You know, as meek and mild as Jesus is, He will not let anyone get between Him and His anointed, [Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.]
As you will notice, Satan is good at mimicking God, even when it comes to the sacrifices and offerings offered up to God. He does this so that it might appear that God is with them, but as you will also notice the way that the offerings are presented is not as God commands. Balaam told Balak to set up seven altars and offer up seven oxen and seven rams upon each of them, and when he does that stand by the offering and wait for an answer from God.
[Numbers 23:1-5,8-10 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 3 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. 4 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. 5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 9 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. 10 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 shall not be reckoned among the nations.] This was God’s way of saying that Israel is set apart from all nations. God’s anointed are of a distinct from others, His peculiar people, separated from all other nations, as in religion and laws, therefore, Satan’s enchantments have no power to curse them. Well, Balak saw that instead of being cursed, they were blessed, he thought perhaps if they went away from the camp and only saw the one forth of them that he could offer the same offerings and then they will be cursed.
[Numbers 23:13-15,19,23-24 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. 14 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. 15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 19 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? 23 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! 24 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.]
[while I meet the LORD yonder] Notice that Balaam did not speak to God right there with Balak. Satan and God are like oil and water, they will never mix together. They can shake it up and it appear mixed, but it will always separate from one another just as God’s anointed will from the unsaved. [Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,] While God does allow Satan to tempt and even afflict us, but he cannot touch one hair on the head of those whom have accepted Him as their Saviour, [Luke 21:17-19 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake. 18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish. 19 In your patience possess ye your souls.]
Let me tell you, God deals with His people His way, and no one is going to tell Him how to handle them. Praise God! And once again Balak attempts to have Balaam curse them, he took him to another area, but this time Balaam comes to some sense, he finally realizes that enchantments were not going to work.
[Numbers 24:1-2,5,7,10-11 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. 2 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. 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 7 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. 10 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. 11 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.]
[and his king shall be higher than Agag,] Agag refers to the King of the Amalekites, we just read about Israel defeating the Amalekites. Agag was the common name of the Amalekite Kings, as Abimelech was of the Philistines, and Pharaoh of the Egyptians, and Caesar of the Romans. God will send a KING, who is higher than all kings, in fact, He is the KING of kings, and His name is not common, it is JESUS CHRIST, [Revelation 19:15-16 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.]
Jesus Christ Magnified: [Numbers 24:17 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.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for giving us the power to break the curse of death and hell, when we called on You as our Saviour You instantly broke that curse, and anoint us with Your blood. Now, no one can touch us, not even Satan, but that does not stop him from tempting us. Lord, lead us and guide us, put Your hedge of protection around us and shield us from all his evil tactics. Help us to keep our eyes on You so that we do not fall into his temptations, give us Your strength to walk away from evil, and even know when getting near it. Give us Your mercy and grace to suffice the day, and see us through. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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