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When the Israelites came to
Heshbon, they fought with Sihon king of the Amorites. God had
commanded all the Amorites to be slain, because they were wicked idolators;
and He promised to give their possessions to His people Israel. The
people were now coming into Canaan, and they pitched near Jericho.
Very soon God would give them the land; for the forty years were almost
ended, and then they were to go and possess it:—not the rebellious and
disobedient; they would all be dead; but their children, who were now
growing up, should go, and Caleb and Joshua with them. There
was a country, near the land of the Amorites, called Moab: the
king's name was Balak. The Moabites heard what Israel had done to
the Amorites, and other idolatrous people; and they began to be very much
frightened, and thought that perhaps soon they should be destroyed
too. These people did not go to God to help them; they did not ask
the Israelites to teach them what was right, nor forsake their idols, and
their wickedness; but they thought they would try to bring evil upon God's
people; for they hated them, and wished their destruction. There
was a prophet, but a wicked prophet, who lived a long way off from Moab,
named Balaam. Balak king of Moab sent his servants to ask Balaam to
come and curse the Israelites; and the servants took money with them to
tempt Balaam to go. The messengers went to the wicked prophet, and
told him what their king said; and when Balaam saw the money, he wished to
go with them. He knew that it would be very wicked to curse God's
people, and he ought to have sent the servants away directly; but he said
to them, "Stay one night, and I will tell you what God shall say to
me." In the night, God came to Balaam, and asked, "Who are
these men?" Then the prophet told Him who they were and why
they came; but God said, "Thou shalt not go; thou shalt not curse my
people; for they are blessed." Balaam told the men, in the
morning, what God said, and they went back to their master. But soon
after, Balak sent more princes to Balaam, and promised to give him great
riches and honors if he would come and curse Israel. Balaam knew he
could do nothing without God's leave, so he told the princes that he would
ask God again. The Lord saw how rebellious and disobedient Balaam
was, and He came to him, and said, "If the man call thee, go; but
thou shalt speak only what I tell thee." Then
Balaam did not wait to be called, but rose early in the morning, and went
with the princes. Balaam wished to go, and God let him have his
wish; but God's blessing was not with him. Balaam knew he was
displeasing God; he knew it was wrong to go to the enemies of the Lord,
and curse His people; he knew God had told him at first not to go, and
that he was now disobeying Him. Was Balaam happy? No—he
could not be happy; nothing can make us truly happy without God's
blessing. When we wish for anything, or wish to go anywhere, we
ought to ask ourselves, "Will God be pleased if I do this? Is
it His will that I should do so, or that I should go there? because, if it
is not, I cannot have His blessing, and then I cannot be
happy." We should ask God to go with us, and to be with us
wherever we are, and then all will be well.
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