SUNDAY READINGS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10954, 20 July 1929, Page 10

SUNDAY READINGS.

(By Rio Rev. Jame? Ait-kbri, M.A.) $ BALAAM. L j it is evident from the allusions in: both the Old' and New Testaments* that many stories about Balaam were ciiifeht aiiiciiig tlie Hebrews. Olid of them only will engage our attention .just now.. Balaam was" a “wise man,” half magicia.u; half prophet;' who lived away eastward bn the banks of the Euphrates. There cam© u day when his aid was sought by Balnic the King of Moab;. B'alakwas alarmed by tlio arrival in id's country, of the Israelitish host which, after its many wanderings in the wilderness, was about to cross the Jordan and take possession of the promised land. He wanted to drive them back into tlio wildoniCsfi anil summoned I Ids foi'ees for that purpose. But before attacking them he desired to I have some person of* authority to I pronounce a; curse upon them, and j so ensure his success in the battle. So lie sent messengers to Balaam, offering huh rich, rewards if he would come and do him this service. Balaam, covetous of the royal gifts, was very anxious to go; but ho dared nob without consulting God. So ho kept the messengers over night while*, ho waited for the Divine* inspiration. As j it happened God forbade any cursing of Israel; and in. the morning Balaam reluctantly refused the king’s rei quest. So far good: there is nothing; Lo complain of in his conduct. I But Baluh misinterprets his refusal. Hu is not satisfied with the fee, be thinks, or perhaps Iris dignity • has not been flattered by the i>ei'soniiel of the mission. So lie .sends another embassy’, nobles of bis court this time-, and offers richer rewards, anything in laet which Balaam cares to "claim. Balaam is in an agonv of temptation. Had he the courage be would go at once. Riches and hotiI urs await him. But lie has not the courage. All the same lie keeps the envoys overnight—as be did beforeand again consults God. This time God allows him to accompany the embassy back to Aloab but enjoins him to utter only the word that shall be given him there. His character begins to show itse’i now. : Arrived at Aloab. be is met and feasted by the king. Tn the morning Balak takes him lo a height from which he can look down on the tents of Israel. lie demands seven hid-, locks and seven ranis from the king and causes seven altars to be built. The annual- ore i-tfored in sacrifice. I Then the sage retires to eouimuuo with God. He pleads the sacrifices he has presented hopiii*' that- the odour of their burning will have won God’s compliance with his own wishes. But no. The only word be is allowed to utter is a word of beno- ' diction, and be a-stunsshes tin- king

bv pronouncing not a curse but a -blessing on the JsraoliTes below. 1 Balak lead.- him to another hilltop and again to another: but v i 11 1 the same result. It is rlwavx a blessing he proclaims, never a., curse: until the king, impotent with rage, smites his hands together, and not daring to lay held on so sacred a [icrsonage dismisses him to his own country. Now this story was popular among tin- Hebrews. Tlie story teller repeated it often to the crowd m the eitv gatch and it was .always well received. Partly because the words of , Balaam's blessings celebrated the zenith of their mil-ima’. greatness, j when in the daws ot David thev tri- • iijnplied over their neighbors on all I hands including the Moabites; and I partly ljerause it expressed in vivid picturesque fashion their laith that Jehovah was flieir God and Israel

llis chosen people. But it was popular with thoughtful people; for. another reason also: because it illustrated certain fuib-cs of human nature and conveyed certain valuable moral lessons. This last lea-lure of rhe storv. which is I lie one t hat makes it interesting to ns. ci-mes

out. niainlv at two points. Ihe first, is where ihe ambassa-dors of Balak arrive- the second time to invite Balaam lo Afoul). Balaam at this .juncture know very web Wlu'l God s will was. and his own duty; ami be should have refused ot cm-*'. But lie did not. 11io.se gifts and rewards

glittered before In’s eyes and his heart: vearned alter them. So again

la; takes ihe night to consult God. hoping perhaps against hope that ■tin’s time God will bo complacent. Jn other words he sees the right hut ho wonts to do the wrong. and lie trios to square his conscience* with his wishes. It is not only an old world sa'ie that docs that sort ot thine;. Wc aih a l ] opt to do it. Vt c are meed with a very peasant temptation, -"inch we know to he a temptation. Instinctive)v we recognise that it H a wrong tiling to du. hr ought to make up our minds at unco. rot use without- hesitation. tnsivaJ we think it ever, wo 1-• "■ >: ' ' onit or view from which it. w :| i seem not wrong hut right. or at least pennissihlc. And alien once we have begun to "consider' it. :( is not- Ion"!, before we find some means oi juslil.ving uu-r yieldin'.' t-j it. t)r we arc confronted with a dirii; oj| nr distasteful duty. Wc sltou'd not. question it- for a mniuivit. but ro ami do it. However, we linger. and ‘‘consider* ’ it. and debate wi.th rurseb os about it. Imping to. lind some reason for not doing it. and wc genera ly do find, if not a. reason, an excuse. It: i>; not that we act thus consciously or -deliberate!v. Wc don't saw '*T ct ns see whether we cannot' malm wrong .-eeni right. or dispel tins sense of dutv.*’ R a liter we deceive ourselves into bcTeving that v.c ore acting wisely and cautious"-, with hocomiu.tr. circumspection, while* all the* time wc are- alb wing unworthy impulses to overcome and thwart ouv hotter iustineLs.

The second point at which the moral value of the story appears, is when Balaam offers the sacrifices -of ranis and bullocks, and then goes and cn the strength of them pleads with Clod for permission to curse Israel. He wants to do what is against God's will—what bs wrong, in fact—and lie hopes that those- sacrifices of his may be> in some way a make-weight- against his sin and reconcile God to it. We,do not ofler rains arid bullocks as a conipetisntion for our avarice- o-r greed, our fins ol" flit* flesh, olir fits ol temper, our unknulncss. .selfis'iiuciss, envy, laziness and. so fcrtK. No, hut. we sometimes offer sacrifices ol another sort. We may pin our laiflr on our religious, observances, our churchgoing, .Bibio reading, prayer, donations and tilings or that kind. Or we may roiy on our religious' beliefs _v<; never doubt the divinity.of our Lord, or His. atoning death; we hover question that the Scriptures are the- Word of God. wo would not call this-history of Balaam “an old world story,” {Jr. we maw even build bur confidence oh our good deeds, and we can make out a- pretty list- of our virtues wdion we try. And we persuade ourselves that because ot pur faithful observances or our correct beliefs'or: our many virtuous actions God wilt at least overlook, if lie will not actually indulge, our aberrations frbjm tire strict path of 'rectitude. Hero aim in we do not deliberately •argue, thus with ourselves or -consciously. try- -to. get -round- God,; But in effect it amounts to that..' We are so much more aware of our virtues than of our-failings that \yc imagine Gbcl takes the snnie view of -us as we do "ourselves. : tbit He thinks ;us as good and .worth'* as. we think, wc are.r.’ But jet- us not lie deceived-.' God is not .mocked. None of our Sacrifice*; compensates in His ovSs Mr any of ; our' disobedience. “Behold ■ to obey is fjgliter than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fut'of ranis,,” Wp owe Hilii mir whole selves, arid, our whole lives, the-consecration of bgr whole being, our- whole nature, our every word and action, our very desires and will. •• • . • *•