In furthering his
description of the false prophets that would infiltrate the church,
Peter likens them to Balaam of the Old Testament days. We see the
story of Balaam in Numbers chapters twenty-two through twenty-four,
and in chapter two and verse sixteen of Second Peter, Peter points
out one particular part of Balaam's story where a donkey spoke to him
to describe these false teachers. We read:
But was rebuked for his
iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness
of the prophet.
The
verse begins, “But was rebuked for his iniquity:” It
is one thing to be going a wrong direction in thought and behavior,
and it is quite another to be “rebuked” for
it. In the example employed by Peter, he once again uses the word
“but” to begin
this portion of discourse. We know this word “but”
means that what is about to be shared takes precedence over what has
previously been stated, and in this case the reference was to
Balaam's rebellion against the desires of God. Peter says that Balaam
was “rebuked” or
refuted for his “iniquity”
which is the Greek word “paranomia” and
means “breach of law, transgression, or wickedness”. Though
Balaam thought or excused himself for his behavior, he was rebuked
for it.
The
verse goes on to say, “the dumb ass speaking with man's
voice...”. Peter gives us a greater visual in his reference to
false prophets by sharing one of the most interesting parts to the
story of Balaam. “The dumb ass” or donkey spoke with a
“man's voice” to speak to Balaam. One of the most humorous
parts to the story of Balaam is that we do not read where this seem
to startle Balaam at all. We would think that if an animal talked
with us we might be greatly frightened or shocked, but not Balaam. In
the actual account, Balaam simply talked back to the donkey.
Finally
the verse says, “...forbad the madness of the prophet.” The
fact that a donkey spoke should have been enough to alter Balaam's
path, however it is what the donkey said that should have led Balaam
another way. The donkey “forbad” which means “to hinder,
prevent or withhold a thing from anyone”. It means “to deny or
refuse one a thing”. The donkey attempted to change the course upon
which Balaam traveled, and Balaam's path was one of “madness”
or insanity. No matter how the donkey spoke or what the donkey spoke,
Balaam was determined to continue his course.
So often
when we encounter those who are false prophets or teachers there
seems to be nothing that will alter their paths. It is almost as
though even a donkey speaking to them will not change their
direction. The question for us is whether we are seeking the will of
God through His word, or are we going in a direction that not even a
speaking animal could alter? Perhaps as we think about this verse, we
will put ourselves in the place of Balaam and allow the Lord to speak
to us concerning His will for our lives before He employs a speaking
donkey to do so.
Next
time we will see Peter tell even more about how he feels about these
false prophets, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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