Today’s word is confirmed by two witnesses. I opened my Bible and was led to read this: Numbers 23:23 in which God declares: “No curse can touch Jacob; no magic has any power against Israel.” After reading and meditating on its implication today, I looked at emails that came through during the night and found a reader’s request to comment on a book, Derek Prince’s “Blessing or Curse: You can Choose” . I found the book and when opened it showed chapter 13, and the same reference to Numbers 22, 23 and 24 (alerting me to read Numbers 23:23).
In the Old Testament around 1407 BC a famous proficient “witch doctor” called Balaam was commissioned by a powerful rich king Balak to curse the people of God, the Israelites. But God says, NO CURSE CAN TOUCH JACOB, NO MAGIC HAS ANY POWER AGAINST ISRAEL. Balaam was a man well versed in using curses and magic power. But he could not use them against the chosen people of God. God did not take it lightly. He turned the intended curses into blessings despite Balaam’s intention to curse as he commanded a high fee for his job and the terrified Moab king was willing to pay. Of course, when God intervened supernaturally, Balaam did not get his pay. He died a terrible death in the end.
Let us read some of the passages in Numbers 22, 23, 24. I deliberately quoted the blessings which still apply to God’s people today. The Christians who are the descendants of Abraham by faith. In spiritual reality, Jesus has accomplished the breaking of two major curses: the curse from the Law of Moses, and the curse from Adam’s fall. (Galatians 3:13-14) (The curses from the Law of Moses are recorded in Deuteronomy 28:15-68)
Numbers 22-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
Balak Sends for Balaam
22:1 Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 2 Balak .., the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites…“This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”
So Balak, king of Moab, 5 sent messengers to call Balaam …6 Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me…
22:1 Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. 2 Balak .., the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites…“This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”
So Balak, king of Moab, 5 sent messengers to call Balaam …6 Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me…
Balaam Blesses Israel
23:7 This was the message Balaam delivered:
8 “But how can I curse those
whom God has not cursed?
How can I condemn those
whom the Lord has not condemned?
…Let me die like the righteous;
let my life end like theirs.”
23:7 This was the message Balaam delivered:
8 “But how can I curse those
whom God has not cursed?
How can I condemn those
whom the Lord has not condemned?
…Let me die like the righteous;
let my life end like theirs.”
Balaam’s Second Message
16 And the Lord met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”
18 This was the message Balaam delivered:…
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
20 Listen, I received a command to bless;
God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!
21 No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob;
no trouble is in store for Israel.
For the Lord their God is with them;
he has been proclaimed their king.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
for them he is as strong as a wild ox.
23 No curse can touch Jacob;
no magic has any power against Israel.
For now it will be said of Jacob,
‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’
24 These people rise up like a lioness,
like a majestic lion rousing itself.
They refuse to rest
until they have feasted on prey,
drinking the blood of the slaughtered!”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”
26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the Lord tells me?”
16 And the Lord met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”
18 This was the message Balaam delivered:…
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?
20 Listen, I received a command to bless;
God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!
21 No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob;
no trouble is in store for Israel.
For the Lord their God is with them;
he has been proclaimed their king.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
for them he is as strong as a wild ox.
23 No curse can touch Jacob;
no magic has any power against Israel.
For now it will be said of Jacob,
‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’
24 These people rise up like a lioness,
like a majestic lion rousing itself.
They refuse to rest
until they have feasted on prey,
drinking the blood of the slaughtered!”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”
26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the Lord tells me?”
Balaam’s Third Message
24:2 Then the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and this is the message he delivered:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,
4 the message of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
5 How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob;
how lovely are your homes, O Israel!
6 They spread before me like palm groves,[e]
like gardens by the riverside.
They are like tall trees planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their offspring have all they need.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
for them he is as strong as a wild ox.
He devours all the nations that oppose him,
breaking their bones in pieces,
shooting them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down;
like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
24:2 Then the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and this is the message he delivered:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,
4 the message of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
5 How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob;
how lovely are your homes, O Israel!
6 They spread before me like palm groves,[e]
like gardens by the riverside.
They are like tall trees planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their offspring have all they need.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
for them he is as strong as a wild ox.
He devours all the nations that oppose him,
breaking their bones in pieces,
shooting them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down;
like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel,
and cursed is everyone who curses you.”
24:10 King Balak flew into a rage against Balaam…
Galatians 3:13-14 New Living Translation (NLT)
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[a] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[b] Holy Spirit through faith.
13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”[a] 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised[b] Holy Spirit through faith.
Footnotes:
3:13 Deut 21:23 (Greek version).
3:14 Some manuscripts read the blessing of the.
3:13 Deut 21:23 (Greek version).
3:14 Some manuscripts read the blessing of the.
FREEDOM FROM CURSES IS BASED ON ONE CONDITION
Galatians 3:22 New Living Translation (NLT)
Galatians 3:22 New Living Translation (NLT)
22 But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
