Do Not Grow Weary in Well Doing Like Balaam
“So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, ‘Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.‘ So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, ‘Balaam refuses to come with us.’ Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these” Numbers 22: 13-15.
The Wicked Prophet
The account of Balaam, a wicked prophet, occurs during the wanderings of the Israelites near the end of their 40-year trek in the wilderness. They had defeated two kings in Transjordan.
Because of this, Balak, king of Moab became alarmed and sent messengers to Balaam, to induce him to come and curse Israel. And we find his response in our passage. To read the entire passage for context, click here.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” James 4: 7. We see this truth in our passage.
When Balaam said Go to your own land (v 13), the envoys of Satan left. But that wasn’t the end of it. They left, but came back at an opportune time, just as the devil did when tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4: 13).
Do Not Grow Weary in Resisting Temptation
Now, eventually, if Balaam would’ve continued to resist, they would’ve fled for good. But the devil doesn’t flee permanently the first time we resist him. We usually have to endure many temptations over the course of time before it flees forever.
But every time we do say no, every time we resist, the temptations become less frequent and less intense. Until eventually, we are not bothered with them at all.
I used to be tempted frequently and intensely to binge. But after having said no to that temptation over the course of time, the temptations became less frequent and intense. Until now, I’m never tempted to binge. If you are interested in my battle with bulimia, click here.
Resisting Once or Twice is Rarely Enough
Balaam’s problem was that he grew weary in well doing (Galatians 6: 9). Like Adam and Eve, he was unable to resist the pleasures of sin.
Resisting temptation once or twice is rarely enough to usher us into that place of freedom and rest and blessing. We must continue to resist. And in the process build endurance in order to be made whole and complete (James 1: 2-4). And prepared for our promise land.
To read another post related to Do Not Grow Weary in Well Doing Like Balaam, see How Is the Fruit of the Spirit Produced in the Believer?