Be Careful Who You Curse
By Rev. William Dohle
If you can't tell...2016 is an election year! How do I know?? Well...
On every station, especially at night, we have been subject to political ads. Each ad does the exact same things. Each ad curses their rival and blesses their campaign. Without fail!
I have yet to see an ad this year that doesn't somehow compare their candidate's position with their rival candidate's, blessing theirs with wisdom, understanding, and patriotism, and cursing their rivals for their lack of the same.
And its only going to get worse.
I usually moan and groan my way through an election year and, by the end, am incredibly grateful once Thanksgiving comes around and there are Christmas commercials on television again!
But this tendency to curse your opponent and bless yourself disturbs me. For a number of reasons. One of which is found in the story of King Balak and Balaam.
You see, in typical political fashion, King Balak has watched the children of Israel come closer and closer to his own camp. He's afraid. He knows that something is different with this people. Something he can't put his finger on. He knows he's going to need help defeating them too.
And so he summons Balaam, who is the resident prophet of his area. Balaam had an interesting adventure getting to Balak, one we will speak on at a later date, but regardless of that, Balak finally arrives and tells Balak.
“Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offerings while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height.(Num. 23:1-2)
But when God speaks to Balaam, these are the words he is given.
How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? (Num. 23:8)
Balaam tries again. His second oracle, Balaam says:
See, I received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it. (Num. 23:20)
Balaam tries a third time. The same result. You cannot curse the one who God has blessed!
This rings especially true, I think, in today's toxic political climate. On more than one Facebook group, I've read pleas for no more political posts. "Let's just talk about church" as if "church" can be spoken without talking politics. Maybe in a world where we don't care what happens this side of heaven, but in a world where we do, politics will always be spoken.
Between the lines, though, I read this: "Just stop the cursing! Stop the backbiting!"
And here I would agree. Cursing another candidate does nobody any good. And if you want biblical basis for this, just look at Balak. Balak tries to curse the Israelites and it fails...why? Because God has blessed them and said that anyone who blesses them will be blessed. Anyone who curses them would be cursed.
We'd be better off talking issues and policies than people. Here there's no blessing or cursing involved. Instead, we can talk about what this kingdom of God looks like here on earth. What does it mean to love our neighbor as we love ourselves? What does it mean to treat everyone, regardless of what they believe, with respect and dignity? What does it mean to be people of faith in our world today?
These are questions we can wrestle with and argue about that don't involve blessings and curses.
We can stand up for the needy without standing against any person. We can picket and protest the policies and opinions of others without cursing them from afar. We can do it.
And as far as the rest goes, maybe we should just say what they say in basketball games: "May the best team win." For in the end, as Balak discovered:
God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? (Num. 23:19)
May God watch over our world and help us come to the place where the world is repaired, creation restored, and where even our curses are turned into blessings.
Almighty God, you listen to our prayers, even our prayers filled with curses, and turn them into blessings. Align our hearts with yours. Amen.
