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God Makes a Donkey Speak - The Book of Numbers · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And the Lord opened the mouth of
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  Speaker 1: the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I
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  Speaker 1: done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
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  Speaker 1: Numbers 22-28 Dear Heavenly Father, when I begin to take
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  Speaker 1: territory on your behalf, Lord, I thank you in advance
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  Speaker 1: for protecting me against the plots and the plans of
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  Speaker 1: others to curse my life and to create chaos. However,
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  Speaker 1: in the midst of your protection, Lord, protect me from
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  Speaker 1: myself when I try to move on my own accord.
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  Speaker 1: Like Balaam and his donkey, I know that you can
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  Speaker 1: and will use any sign to stop me from moving
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  Speaker 1: in a direction you do not desire me to go. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: keep my mind attentive and alert to see the signs
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  Speaker 1: that you've placed around my life to protect me. Open
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  Speaker 1: my eyes and my ears so that I can hear
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  Speaker 1: your message through different vessels. I decree and declare that
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  Speaker 1: I will not allow pride to get in the way
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  Speaker 1: of my protection. You have my heart. You have my ears.
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  Speaker 1: And you have my unwavering devotion, now and forever. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for the
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: God makes a donkey speak. In the last story, we
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  Speaker 2: learned of Moses' growing anger against the people of Israel.
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  Speaker 2: Their constant complaints and groans sparked anger in Moses, and
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  Speaker 2: his rage inhibited him from being able to see the
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  Speaker 2: promised land. As Israel journeyed further, Aaron had passed away.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we learn about how Balak, the king
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  Speaker 2: of Moab, sends Balaam to go and curse Israel, and
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  Speaker 2: even his own donkey warns him against it, as inspired
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  Speaker 2: by the Book of Numbers.
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  Speaker 3: Hi, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In yesterday's episode, we learned that
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  Speaker 3: in his anger and frustration, Moses sinned against God by
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  Speaker 3: bringing glory to himself for making water flow. As a result,
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  Speaker 3: God tells him he'll never enter the promised land. They
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  Speaker 3: continue their journey, facing obstacles, opposition from other nations, and
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  Speaker 3: ongoing thirst and fatigue in the wilderness. And along the way,
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  Speaker 3: Aaron passes away and the people mourn his death. Today
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  Speaker 3: we learn of a foreign king who seeks to curse
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  Speaker 3: Israel through a Gentile soothsayer named Balaam and how God
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  Speaker 3: uses a beast to warn Balaam not to comply. Let's
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  Speaker 3: hear today's reading now.
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  Speaker 2: The grumbling yet growing people of Israel ventured forth to
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  Speaker 2: find new land to camp in. Though the people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel were only freed slaves, Their sheer numbers were vast
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  Speaker 2: and threatening to other nations. Hundreds of thousands of them
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  Speaker 2: filled miles in every direction wherever they went. The Sea
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  Speaker 2: of Israelites finally found refuge in the plains of Moab,
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  Speaker 2: beyond the Jordan at Jericho. The gentle grass was a
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  Speaker 2: refreshing break from the rocky canyon ground. Balak, the king
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  Speaker 2: of Moab, saw the density of Israel from miles away.
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  Speaker 2: Fear came over Balak, for he had heard what Israel
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  Speaker 2: had done to the Amorites. Although Israel meant Moab no harm,
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  Speaker 2: their numbers made the whole nation tremble. To them Israel
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  Speaker 2: might as well have been a horde of demons come
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  Speaker 2: to take their land. The people of Moab spoke to
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  Speaker 2: the elders in Midian and said, This Israelite horde will
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  Speaker 2: eat us alive. They will lick us up as an
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  Speaker 2: ox does the grass of the field. King Balak knew
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  Speaker 2: he could never compete with the numbers of Israel. If
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  Speaker 2: they desired, they could swallow up his kingdom and cast
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  Speaker 2: his people out into the wilderness. A homeless and desperate
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  Speaker 2: group was a dangerous group, and Balak would do anything
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  Speaker 2: to protect his kingdom. If sword and shield could not
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  Speaker 2: defeat Israel, perhaps a darker and more sinister form of
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  Speaker 2: warfare would work. Balak remembered Balaam, a mighty man known
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  Speaker 2: for his spiritual power. Balak desired for Balaam to curse
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  Speaker 2: the people of Israel, plague them, and cast them into darkness.
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  Speaker 2: Balak sent messengers to Balaam to say, The people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel cover the earth in front of me. Curse this
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  Speaker 2: people for me, since they are too mighty in number
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  Speaker 2: for me to defeat them. For I know he whom
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  Speaker 2: you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.
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  Speaker 2: Balak asked these things, ignorant of where Balaam's powers truly
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  Speaker 2: come from, the one true God of Israel. Balaam was
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  Speaker 2: not Moses, so he did not speak to God face
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  Speaker 2: to face as he would with a friend. Yet God
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  Speaker 2: did speak to him, and this time God spoke clearly
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  Speaker 2: and explicitly, saying, These people are a blessed people. I
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  Speaker 2: will not curse them, nor will you. So Balaam sent
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  Speaker 2: the messengers away, refusing Balak's request. Balak considered Balaam's refusal
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  Speaker 2: as simply a matter of price. He sent princes along
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  Speaker 2: with great treasures and promises of blessing. Balaam was enticed
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  Speaker 2: by the offer. His heart flooded when he saw the
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  Speaker 2: treasures and heard of the rewards that would await him
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  Speaker 2: if he cursed God's people. Yet even though he desired to,
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  Speaker 2: he would not curse Israel. Balak could give me an
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  Speaker 2: entire house of silver and gold, yet I cannot go
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  Speaker 2: beyond the command of God, Balaam said apprehensively. Balaam gestured
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  Speaker 2: around his home and said, Stay the night. I will
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  Speaker 2: see if God has anything.
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  Speaker 3: New for me.
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  Speaker 2: So Balaam went before God again. God met Balaam where
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  Speaker 2: he was. He spoke to Balaam, knowing the selfish desires
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  Speaker 2: of his heart, saying, If the men have come all
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  Speaker 2: this way to find you, go with them. But only
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  Speaker 2: do what I have commanded you to do. Balaam wasted
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  Speaker 2: no time. He gathered his things, packed his donkey, and
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  Speaker 2: left first thing in the morning. Treasure could quite possibly
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  Speaker 2: be awaiting him. Like small sparks to drying wood, God's
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  Speaker 2: anger ignited towards Balaam. God went before Balaam on the
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  Speaker 2: road to stand against him as an adversary. Though Balaam
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  Speaker 2: was ignorant to the presence of God on the road,
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  Speaker 2: Balaam's donkey was not. The donkey saw an angel of
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  Speaker 2: God standing in front of the path with his sword drawn.
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  Speaker 2: The donkey cried out in fear. Immediately, the donkey turned
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  Speaker 2: away from the angel and ran toward the field. Balaam
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  Speaker 2: grew frustrated and ran after the donkey. He grabbed his
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  Speaker 2: donkey by the reins and struck her to turn her
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  Speaker 2: back to the road. As they continued forward, the angel
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  Speaker 2: of the Lord appeared again between the vineyards and walls
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  Speaker 2: on either side. The donkey trembled again. and pressed Balaam's
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  Speaker 2: foot against the wall. Balaam screamed in pain and began
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  Speaker 2: hitting her again. As they continued, a third time the
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  Speaker 2: donkey saw the angel of God with sword drawn. The
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  Speaker 2: donkey heeled backwards and fell on top of Balaam. Balaam
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  Speaker 2: laid there underneath his oaf of a donkey. Groans of
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  Speaker 2: pain and annoyance could be heard from under her. Balaam
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  Speaker 2: wiggled out from underneath the donkey, took his staff in
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  Speaker 2: his hands, and began beating her. God had done miraculous
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  Speaker 2: things to speak to his people. He has sent signs
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  Speaker 2: and wonders, burned bushes, parted seas, and sent clouds to
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  Speaker 2: surround mountains. God has spoken through whispers in the wind,
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  Speaker 2: piercing words of thunder and rushing waves. Yet this time,
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  Speaker 2: to match the absurdity of Balaam's heart, God spoke through
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  Speaker 2: his donkey.' What have I done to deserve you hitting
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  Speaker 2: me three times?' the donkey yelled at Balaam. Because you
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  Speaker 2: have made a fool of me, Balaam said ironically, considering
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  Speaker 2: that he was now speaking to a donkey as if
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  Speaker 2: it wasn't totally insane. If I had a sword in
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  Speaker 2: my hand, I would kill you, Balaam said in a
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  Speaker 2: mad rage. Slowly, he was beginning to come to the
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  Speaker 2: reality of the situation. He was speaking to his donkey.
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  Speaker 2: The donkey spoke again to Balaam, saying, I have been
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  Speaker 2: your donkey for your whole life. Have I ever steered
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  Speaker 2: you wrong or treated you this way? It is hard
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  Speaker 2: to describe the amount of shame associated with being scolded
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  Speaker 2: by your own donkey. Balaam shrugged with his head down
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  Speaker 2: and replied no. Balaam lifted his head and before him
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  Speaker 2: he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the
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  Speaker 2: way with his sword drawn. As his donkey had three
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  Speaker 2: times before, Balaam trembled in fear. He bowed and fell
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  Speaker 2: on his face. The Lord spoke to Balaam with scalding rebuke, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Why have you struck your donkey? I have come out
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  Speaker 2: to oppose you because your mission is perverse. Unlike you,
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  Speaker 2: your donkey was perceptive enough to see my warnings. If
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  Speaker 2: she had not veered from the path, I very well
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  Speaker 2: may have killed you. Balaam was coming to grips with
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  Speaker 2: what his heart was truly after. Though God had given
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  Speaker 2: him permission to go, Balaam was anticipating treasures and rewards
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  Speaker 2: for cursing the people of Israel. No secret desires of
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  Speaker 2: his heart were kept hidden from God. Balaam was still
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  Speaker 2: on his face as he spoke, saying,' I have sinned. Please,
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  Speaker 2: if it is evil for me to go, I will
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  Speaker 2: turn back.' The angel of the Lord said to Balaam,'
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  Speaker 2: You may still go, but only speak what I tell
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  Speaker 2: you to say.' So Balaam departed with the princes of
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  Speaker 2: Balak to the kingdom of Moab. Balaam rode his donkey,
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  Speaker 2: still in shock from what had just occurred. His destination
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  Speaker 2: was the same, yet his desires were different. Now Balaam
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  Speaker 2: would not be flippant with God's permission to leave. Balaam
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  Speaker 2: remained silent, desiring to hear the voice of God, for
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  Speaker 2: he knew he would be tempted to do wicked things ahead.
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  Speaker 3: Today's story begins as we've become accustomed with Israel wandering
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  Speaker 3: in search of a new land. This nomadic nation without
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  Speaker 3: a home is growing in number. Their mere presence in
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  Speaker 3: the area is enough to make some kings nervous. King
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  Speaker 3: Balak of Moab feared that if the Israelites wanted to
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  Speaker 3: overthrow his kingdom, he couldn't stop them. He went to
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  Speaker 3: the elders of Midian and filled them with the same fear.
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  Speaker 3: Balak knew a military approach wouldn't save him, so he
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  Speaker 3: turns to another tactic, to a dark world that's unseen
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  Speaker 3: but very real. It's a world that's still very present today,
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  Speaker 3: a spiritual world, an invisible world with invisible battles with
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  Speaker 3: the unseen forces of good and evil. Balak intended to
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  Speaker 3: engage the evil forces of darkness for his cause. He
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  Speaker 3: sends messengers from Moab and Midian with Balaam, a soothsayer
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  Speaker 3: believed to be able to bring curses on people. They
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  Speaker 3: offer him money for his services. Balaam says he must
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  Speaker 3: seek out the Hebrew God. So God speaks to Balaam
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  Speaker 3: and tells him he must not take part in what
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  Speaker 3: Balak is asking of him. It's important to note that
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  Speaker 3: it was not Balaam who summoned God near. but God
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  Speaker 3: who drew near to Balaam. Balaam tells Balak's men he
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  Speaker 3: cannot help them, and this initial refusal only causes Balak
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  Speaker 3: to offer more money. Balaam refuses again, though he is
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  Speaker 3: tempted by the increased offer. He says he can't go
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  Speaker 3: against God, but he asks the men to stick around
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  Speaker 3: for the night. This is a move motivated by greed.
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  Speaker 3: He's hoping God might just change his mind. So God
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  Speaker 3: appears to Balaam and says he can go with these
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  Speaker 3: men only if they come looking for him in the
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  Speaker 3: morning and that he's to do only as God instructs.
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  Speaker 3: Balaam doesn't listen to God and the next morning saddles
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  Speaker 3: up his donkey to go meet the delegation. What follows
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  Speaker 3: is a very peculiar story. God sends an angel to
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  Speaker 3: block Balaam's progress on the road. Three times the donkey
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  Speaker 3: sees the angel in steps or veers from the path.
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  Speaker 3: Each time, an angry Balaam strikes the animal. Finally, God
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  Speaker 3: opens the donkey's mouth and Balaam carries on a conversation
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  Speaker 3: with this animal. Now, I have to admit, this is
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  Speaker 3: a strange and even funny picture as you imagine this exchange.
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  Speaker 3: But the topic of conversation is anything but a joke.
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  Speaker 3: The donkey skulls Balaam for his actions. Then finally, the
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  Speaker 3: angel appears to Balaam and God rebukes him. He tells
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  Speaker 3: Balaam it was God who was stopping the journey. Balaam
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  Speaker 3: is truly moved. Listen to his response in Numbers 22,
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  Speaker 3: verses 34 and 35. Balaam said to the angel of
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  Speaker 3: the Lord, I have sinned, for I did not know
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  Speaker 3: that you were standing in the way against me. Now then,
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  Speaker 3: if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.
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  Speaker 3: But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go
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  Speaker 3: with the men, but you shall speak only the word
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  Speaker 3: which I tell you. So Balaam went along with the
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  Speaker 3: leaders of Balak. This strange and supernatural story reminds us
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  Speaker 3: of the great lengths God will go in order to
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  Speaker 3: get through to us. He sent signs and wonders to Pharaoh.
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  Speaker 3: And here, a donkey, a talking donkey to Balaam. And ultimately, much,
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  Speaker 3: much more. God wants us to hear from him so
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  Speaker 3: much that he sent his son, who is the living
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  Speaker 3: word of God. And God has spoken through his son,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, perfectly and permanently. It is the relentless pursuit
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  Speaker 3: of a God who stops at nothing, even a cross,
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  Speaker 3: to bless those that he loves. Balaam goes on his
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  Speaker 3: way to meet Balak, and the next time we'll learn
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  Speaker 3: what he says. So let's pray. Dear God, thank you
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  Speaker 3: for the extraordinary lengths you go in order to reach
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  Speaker 3: us and draw us to you. Thank you for that
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  Speaker 3: reminder today. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and make Bible
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  Speaker 3: reading and prayer the priority of your life. If you
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  Speaker 3: enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love, because
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  Speaker 3: by sharing this podcast, you can make a difference, a
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  Speaker 3: big difference, an eternal difference in someone else's life. And
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  Speaker 3: if you want more resources on how to tap into
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  Speaker 3: God's power for your life, be sure to visit jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 3: God bless you.