The story of Balaam is one which has to be read in the light of all that is said about him. Including the account in the Old Testament/Jewish Bible, as well as in the New Testament. The story itself (the donkey God makes speak, one children for sure remember, true of myself as a child), including a prophecy we Christians traditionally like to remember, is an interesting one indeed. Though his story has a tragic ending.
Our walk in Jesus is to be a walk of faith and obedience. The importance of obedience to his commands has stood out to me, in my recent reading of 1 John. And we need to proceed as those who are walking with God, in a relationship with him. As Jesus teaches us, this involves both loving God and loving our neighbor.
On the one hand we must avoid being on a reckless path, true in the case of Balaam. Can we Christians be on a reckless path in our lives? I don't think I have to answer that.
We must continue on by faith. And this requires an ongoing walk, and ongoing movement in the will of God as we understand it, by the Spirit and the word. This walk will be both in general terms: God's prescribed moral will found in Scripture, and in specific direction as to what we should or should not do in relation to our daily lives and circumstances. The two though separate are interwoven.
For me this is important. Sometimes because I don't have all the answers, or I have conflicting thoughts, I'm afraid to proceed in a certain way when all in all, having weighed everything, such a move seems good. In all of this we have to recognize our fallibility always, the need for us to be open to correction (we may be deceived!) and better understanding, and how in everything we need to become more and more like Jesus.
What have you found about this in your own life? Or what thought would you like to add here?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment