Joshua 24:9-10
Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel; and he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.
Balaam was the original prophet-for-hire. When Balak saw the Israelites coming his way, he thought the best course of action was to hire a pro like Balaam to come out and curse Israel real good. That way, Balak figured, God would just have to knuckle under to the “will of the people” and do things Balak’s way. But God knuckles under to no man, not even a prophet. So when Balaam, his pockets jingling with gold, set out to read from the cue cards and curse Israel on schedule, he found…that he couldn’t. The only words that came were prophetic words of blessing. The same principle holds today. “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Even the blows of our enemies serve only to bless us in the Providence of God.
By Mark Shea
Mark P. Shea is a Catholic author, blogger, and speaker.
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