God Keeps His Promises: Numbers 23:19

In chapters 22-24 of the book of Numbers we find some messages by Balaam, a well-known Syrian prophet whom King Balak of Moab hired to pronounce a curse against Israel. Balak had heard what Israel had done to other area kings and peoples and he was afraid of what they’d do to him. He believed the only way to victory over this nation who had just moved into his area of the Middle East was to curse them. Ancient peoples believed that if a person speaking for a god pronounced a curse upon someone, it would come true. Throughout these chapters, however, we learn that Balaam, who was not a prophet of the true God, was not allowed by the LORD to speak anything against Israel other than words of blessing.

On three separate occasions King Barak took Balaam, the prophet, to three different special religious places where people worshipped their gods. Each time, the LORD led Balaam to pronounce blessing upon the Hebrews. This all happened after the LORD enabled Balaam’s donkey to speak to him and enabled him to see the angel of the LORD standing in front of him when he was still bent only on going and doing whatever would earn him the most money (ch. 22).

This week’s Hammer verse is found in the midst of Balaam’s second message of blessing. It reads: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” The essence of this message is to remind King Balak that God has determined to set his love upon Israel, he has made promises to them to be their God, for them to be his people, and to bless them. As such, God will not change his mind and now go back on his word. God does not lie and he keeps his promises.

These are two important realities a joyful follower of God should never tire of remembering! They are indispensable to grabbing onto God’s promises and remembering he will not cease doing good to his people today, the Church (Jeremiah 32:40; Eph. 2:7), he will never forsake us (Ps. 94:14; Heb. 13:5-6), and he always cares for us deeply (1 Peter 5:7).