Can't Manipulate God!

“Although Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God, to do less or more."
Numbers 21:18

You Can't Manipulate God!
By Rev. William Dohle

Isn't it frustrating when you don't get what you want?

Frustrating doesn't describe what my 3 year old feels whenever we say "no" to him. He really doesn't like it. Tell him he can't have more cereal(after his 5th bowl) or tell him he can't take the toy in the van or tell him anything that involves NOT being able to do something he wants to do, and my boy isn't a happy camper. In fact he's got a baby temper like you wouldn't believe.

He doesn't like hearing "no!"

And honestly I can't say I blame him. I like getting what I want too. It's probably pretty human of us. When we get what we want, what we think we deserve, we rejoice. When we get more than we deserve, we're even happier. But when we get something we don't want, than we, like my son, are pretty unhappy campers.

In life...and in prayer!

No one shows this best than King Balak. The story of Balak and Balaam takes up two whole chapters in the book of Numbers. It's huge. And its like no other story told so far in scripture. The Israelites aren't the central characters in the story. It's this crazy king and his dumb prophet. And its the story of what happens when God desires something we don't really want.

In this case, Balak desires the people of Israel to be cursed. Balak wants Balaam, the prophet of God in their area, to call down curses upon Israel and stop them from entering and conquering the Promised Land.

Just one little problem with that. God doesn't want to do it. Not only is God unwilling to call down curses upon them, God is bent on blessing them instead. Israel carries with it Abraham's promise. "I will bless those who bless you and whomever curses you I will curse and all nations of the earth will be blessed because of you."

God won't be manipulated. God wishes to bless Israel, not curse them. So God says: "No!"

Of course Balak doesn't like that answer and so he gets Balaam to try again and again and again. Three times Balaam tries to curse Israel and each time the blessings get larger and larger for them. Finally, Balak says to stop talking! Stop blessing my enemies!

We, like King Balak, would like to think we can manipulate God. We'd like to think that the American myth, that those who work hardest will prosper and excel, stands. We'd like think that God will reward those who work the hardest and punish the lazy, but that's not the case. God doesn't do what we want him to do. God can't be manipulated!

No matter how many authors claim he can. No matter how many secrets they share of how God will reward you if you just pray this prayer, think this thought, do this thing, contribute to this fund, God will not be manipulated! He wasn't manipulated by King Balak! God's blessings spoken to Abraham stood about this people moving into the Promised Land stood, no matter how many sacrifices Balaam made to counter them.

Maybe we should stop a moment and listen to our own prayers. Are we trying to manipulate God? Are we assuming we know God's mind and who God blesses? Are we calling down curses ourselves on people we think are lazy or good for nothing? Are we trying to be good to win God's approval?

If we are... stop! There's no use in it! Let us stop trying to manipulate God and instead just bask in the glory of his love and in the beauty of his presence.

Holy God, we are guilty, every one of us, of thinking we can buy you out or win your approval over and against someone else. We fail to see that you are above us and beyond us and yet love us all the same. Amen.

God Takes Sides

God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” Numbers 22:12

God Takes Sides
By Rev. William Dohle

It was just a few weeks ago when prayers rose up to God on both sides of an epic battle. Two teams, the Panthers and the Broncos, fought it out over who could call themselves this year's Super Bowl Champions.

Up in heaven, the prayers rose from both sides. God probably sat back and listened as both teams met in their locker rooms and prayed that they might be the winner. Coupled with the multitude of prayers raising up to heaven from both groups of fans too, God had a difficult decision to make. Obviously, God favored the Broncos over the Panthers that day, because the Broncos won that game. Maybe next time God will switch sides...but for now we know that God was with the Broncos.

We laugh at the thought that God would take sides in a football game like that, but still we pray. We roll our eyes, imagining God would truly care which side won over the other, but still we pray. We might pray for a good game...but still we pray our team will win.

But seriously, deep down inside, do we truly believe God takes sides?

Surprising as this might seem, God does take sides in scripture. God sides with the little, the least, the lost, and the dead. In the Torah, they're called "The People of Israel."

This side-taking is shown best in the story of Balak and Balaam. Balak was king of Moab and when he saw what the rag-tag group of Israelites were doing in Canaan already, he got nervous. So he sent his servants to summon the prophet, Balaam. This is what Balak says to Balaam.

A people has come out of Egypt; they have spread over the face of the earth, and they have settled next to me.  Come now, curse this people for me, since they are stronger than I; perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land; for I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed.(Numbers 22:5-6)

Makes sense, right? When faced with an opposing team, our first reaction is to curse them. To pray that God would decrease their strengths and increase their weaknesses. "Help us defeat these enemies," we pray.

Soldiers pray this all the time. "Help us defeat the terrorists." Some Christians go so far as to pray for the bombs to do it. Praying for God to be on your side, to help you defeat "the other" isn't unheard of.

But there's one problem with Balaam's prayer. What side God is on? You see, God has already taken sides and God won't be persuaded to change his mind. In fact, God has promised that these people will be blessed period. And that those who bless them will be blessed in return. He's also promised that those who curse them will be cursed as well...so Balak better watch out.

Still Balak, like the rest of us, doesn't take "no" very well...but that's another story. For now we can see something that we didn't really realize:

God takes sides!

We'd like to think that God is beyond all of that, that God stands somehow outside the game of life looking in, but here we see God actively taking the side of his people. God stands up for God's people.

Throughout scripture we see the same is true. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Paul writes. Only, strangely for us richer Americans, the people that God sides with aren't who we'd expect. We'd like to think that God sides with the rich and powerful. Those who have wealth in our world are somehow blessed by God, but God doesn't see it that way. Instead, God consistently sides with the poor and the widow, the orphan and the stranger. God sides with the outcast.

And God shows his bias throughout scripture. When his people are among the least of these, God stands with them. When his people stand against the least of these, God stands against them.

"The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow..." God takes care of those who can't take care of themselves and calls us to join him in doing the same.

Christians would say, God shows this bias in sending Jesus, a man who is a friend of sinners and tax collectors, who is called a drunkard and a glutton by some, but who consistently is standing with the least of these. What we do for the least, we do for him, Jesus declares. God stands even with the unrighteous lost to say: "I'm here for you."

So the next time you stand against the poor, think about this. The next time you look with distain on those less fortunate than yourself, calling them lazy, good for nothing, or worse. The next time you judge the least of these, remember this: God stands on their side. Do you really want to stand against God?

God of the poor, call us to show compassion to those less fortunate than ourselves. Call us to action on behalf of the needy, not because they deserve it, but because you command it. Amen.