John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way. Does this statement imply there another way? Yes! In this letter we will examine is there another way contrary to God's way of spiritually interpreting His word. God's words are to conform us to His wisdom, so we can spiritually walk in His words. Leviticus 26:23 And if ye will not be reformed by these things, but will walk contrary unto me. My physical father was a very quiet man, born in Grand Junction Tennessee; neither showed much emotion or affection. He had very little interest in sports or politics, in fact he seldom ever watched television. One day when I was very young, I spotted him watching a movie on television about a talking mule. This intrigued me as I watched my dad by watching ''Francis The Talking Mule''. Years later I would find out there was a talking mule or ass in the Bible. Numbers 22:23And 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. It appears that Balaam was headed in the wrong direction, his way or his thoughts. The field in the above verse symbolize the world a bad place to be concerning God's word. Matthew 13:38The field is the world. We all love our own worldly way of interpreting the Bible. 1 John 3:1 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. Balaam do not love God's people and was paid to cure them, we spiritually we do the same thing when we make His words our wisdom. Isaiah 65:2 I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts.Number 22:22 And God's anger was kindled because he [Balaam] went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him.Now Balaam had become the Lord's adversary, what had he done so terrible? Matthew 5:25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him. God is talking to me and you when we refuse His correction of our thought. When we insist and refuse correction our hearts becomes hard and we become God's adversary. Psalms 74:10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? Are we liken unto Balaam? Sure we are when we first picked up a Bible and saw it our way, we only saw sin. 2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness. Read the above verses very slowly because there are two ways mention and what about getting paid? Wages of unrighteousness. Romans 6:23 For of wages of sin is death. But when God revealing His word to us we are receiving Spiritual wages. John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal. Balaam like millions of Church people have gone astray; we have turned to our own thoughts. Isaiah 53:6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own; and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all. What you and I have done is laid our iniquity on Jesus [ SEE OUR TEACHING ON INIQUITY] every time we put our carnal thoughts on God's word. Job 15:5For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, And thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 2 Corinthians 4:2But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,nor handling the word of God deceitfully. It has often been recorded before a great natural disaster such as: earthquakes, floods, storms, animals leave the area as if they can see or sense something bad is coming. Numbers 22:23And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way. A dumb ass could see what Balaam could not see. Number 22:31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the lord standing in the way. Is man like an ass? When he refuses God's correction because his ways are perverse.Number 22:32And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three time? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me. In man's self-righteous madness, is he like an ass?2 Peter 2:16But [Balaam] was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. My dad once rebuked me for something dumb I had done. I still remember his words: ''boy you couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the instruction written on the heel''. God calls vain man an ass when we refuse his correction. Job 11:12For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. 2/15/2016/ amended 5/12/2021/ 5/24/2022Michael Rudolph Hodges
BALAAM AND THE ASS