Numbers 24:20-25 Bible Study | Episode 802

November 5, 2024

Hope Alive: Applying God’s Word to Your Daily Life

Numbers 24:20-25  Bible Study | Episode #802

I am Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and had been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. The purpose of studying scripture is that you might know the character of Jesus Christ, and that you might see the world from the Father's perspective. That you gain wisdom that changes your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open His word to you and allow you to see Him and to know Him. To know His will, that you might glorify Him and that you might walk in faith and power each day, especially today. In Jesus name.

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Transcript

This is Chad Harrison, and you're listening to hope alive, applying God's word to your daily life. Hi, this is Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and have been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open up his word to you and allow you to see him and to know him and to know his will, that you might glorify him and that you might walk in faith and power each and every day, especially today, in Jesus name.

Well, good morning. Welcome to Lake Community Church's morning Bible study. We are in numbers 24, and we're right at the end of the chapter, and, well, we're still dealing with Balak. And he wanted Balaam to issue these prophecies against Israel to come with oracles. Well, really to entice God to curse Israel. And it's not working. It didn't work. And they have kind of broke company. But before they broke company, Balak. I mean, Balaam issues a few meth prophecies that really do not have anything.

To do with Balak.

They don't have anything to do with what Balak has in store for him. They deal with some of the other nations that around Israel. And the truth is, it's very similar to a situation where somebody asks you for help and they mention their problem, and they talk about their problem in detail, and they go through and say, you know, this is what's happening. This is why I'm in this situation. This is what got me here. I don't really have an answer for how to get out of it. And then you start digging into it, and you realize, you know, these people got a lot more problems than that. This. The problem that they bought me was the minor problem that they don't really understand that the problem that they bought me was the tip of the iceberg. And I don't know if you know what that phrase means that that idea is. But when you see an iceberg out in the ocean, you see the top of it that's sticking out of the water. Well, the top of the iceberg sticking out of the water is much like ice in your cup. The ice that is sticking out the top of the your drink, when you get it from a restaurant or a, you know, a McDonald's or a hatties or a wendy's, is a small portion. In fact, probably somewhere in the 1010 percent range of the amount of ice that actually is beneath the surface. And so oftentimes, people who are really struggling, they're struggling because of the ice that's under the surface that they don't.

Realize really is a problem.

They don't realize that that is the thing that might really capsize their boat, might really cause their life to go in a downward trajectory. And what they see is the problem that's on the surface. And they're legitimately trying to handle that problem. They're legitimately trying to reach out and deal with that problem. But that problem is not the main problem. It's not the issue that is at hand. Well, here in this situation, we've spent three chapters dealing with, dealing with Balak and his desire to destroy Israel, his desire to wipe Israel out. Balak is a strong king, but he's not by any means the strongest king in the area. He has a strong desire to wipe Israel out and remove them as an issue for his kingdom. But the truth is that there are many other kingdoms that want to do the same. They may not just see it as big a pressing issue as Balak does. And so when Balam gets ready to end his time with Balik, he wants to let Balik know that God is handling Israel's issues, even the ones that they don't realize are a big issue, even the issues that they're nothing able to handle. And the issues that they don't even really know are issues. And I'm going to say this about God. God handles things for you and his angelic host who are ministering spirits set to minister under the saints of God. They are handling things that you have no idea about. They are in the business of protecting, holding together, pushing forward things in your life that you have no real perception, even, is a major issue for you. God is in the business of handling your issues. The issue that he has you thinking about, the issue that he has on the forefront of your mind, the issue that seems to be to you, to be the major issue of life, that issue in general, usually is the issue that he's using to change you, to grow you, to mature you, to build you up. And the reason it's on the forefront of your mind is because it's the issue that God can use best to make you into who he wants you to be. There are other issues.

Sure.

Could he use them? Sure. Could he make them something that is life changing for you? Absolutely. Are they important? Probably. But are they on the forefront of your mind? No. And the reason they're not is because God has something more important.

He's working out with you right now.

And in the, in the background, he's holding the waves of the sea off of you.

He's.

He's. He's, in fact, one of the. One of the titles of the Holy Spirit is in the New Testament, is the one that holds back. And what he's holding back is the darkness. He's holding back the enemy. He's holding back the doom that you have no idea is lurking in the shadows. God is in the business, and his holy Spirit's in the business of holding those things back, of making sure that the doom that you perceive is handled, and you and him walk through that. But the doom that is not even.

Understood or known, he's handling.

He's preparing you for a future, and he is making sure that things that.

You can't handle today, there's no way you'd be able to deal with it.

You're not even aware of it. Says, then he looked on Amalek, and he took up this oracle and said, and Amalek's a king. He said, amalek was first among the nations, but shall be last until he perishes, which means there's a major king, and Amalek is a major king in the area. He's the strongest king in the area, and Amalek is the one who, if he attacked, would really be a problem for Israel. And Balaam says, oh, by the way, Amalek was first, but he's going to be last. He says, then he looked to the Kenites, and he says, he took up this oracle and said, firm is your dwelling place and your nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless, Cain shall be burned. How long until Asher carries you away captive? And what he's saying is there's this other place that would be almost impossible to take. It'd be almost impossible for Israel to.

Remove them from the promised land.

And he's saying that just one of the tribes, just one of the groups.

From Israel is going to be able to carry them away.

Israel's not even considered them. They've not been really even mentioned. The Kenites have not come up in numbers or before. They've not been issued a decree. There's not been a. An understanding of the importance of them. And yet God says, I've got a plan to root them out, even though you don't even know they're the problem. And then he said, then he took up this oracle and said, alas, who shall live when God does this, but shall come from the coast of Cyprus, and they shall afflict Asher and afflict Eber, and so shall Amalek until he perishes. What he's saying is there are going to be waves of problems that come. These ships are going to come from Cyprus, and they're going to cause problems for some of the areas of the promised land. And then finally God's going to. Well, he's going to wipe Amalek out.

And it's not going to be a problem anymore.

These peoples are not going to be an issue. They're going to be dealt with also. The Philistines, the other Canaanites.

God's going to deal with them.

And he's. In actual actuality, he's dealing with them right now. He's dealing with those issues and those problems even at the moment that we live in today. And God is a God who does that.

But you don't know about it. You don't realize it. You can only see the ice above the surface. You don't see the great danger that's beneath the surface.

And God is handling that great danger.

God is dealing with that huge problem that you don't even realize is a problem, and so it says.

So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place.

And Balak also went on his way.

You know, we oftentimes just go through life.

We move through life, and we remember.

The big things that God did with.

Us and never even know the big things that God did without us. I praise God for the things that he does without me, without my knowledge, that I have no idea. If we really knew all that, the arrays and the forces of darkness that are set up against us, we would be terrified all the time. But the truth is we don't. We don't realize it. We don't. We don't see it. And God sends us help for the things we do see. And sometimes when somebody comes to you with a problem and you realize that their problems are way deeper than the issue that they see on the surface, just help them deal with it, start walking through it. It's not one of those things that you, you go, you lose your mind and and begin to explain to them how terrible, really, things are.

You just begin to help them with.

The issue that they see as a problem and then begin to move them toward dealing with the issues that they don't even know about. You know, we can function in the same way God does because we were made to be his hands and his feet in the world we live in. And so if God is a God who holds back or God is a God who fixes behind the scenes, you know, oftentimes we do that with each other. We. We help others with things they don't even realize they're a problem.

We people, through things that they don't.

Even know are an issue.

And we prepare them for the things.

That are to come down the road that. That maybe they can't see. And so I would say to you.

Today, you are that for many, many.

People, God's doing that for you. So you do the same for those around you.

So sometimes God's given you wisdom and.

Eyes to see things that would really help someone that they don't even know. They don't even know it would. They don't even know how that could happen. They don't even realize that they need it. And you can be in the business of making things right for people, making things good for people, even though they don't know that they. That they need your help.

And by the way, if.

If you do that, don't expect for them to understand or to see. Just realize that you're building up treasure in heaven. Cause one day they will see, and one day they'll understand, and one day, they will love you for what you've done. And so it's not about being recognized. It's not about public accolation. It's more about doing the work and the will of God in others so that he might handle your problems. See, when you're handling his people, when.

You'Re helping those that are his children.

Around you, I can promise you this.

He wants you to be doing that.

And so he is definitely going to be handling your problems for you. I pray that we will be a people that are fast to step in and help others fast and to step in and be a source of relief for those who are around us. Because. Because that is the best way to really deal with your own problems is to lay them in the hands of Jesus and then grab up the issues around you of others. Let him do it with your issues. You help others through theirs, and you'll live a life that is powerful and meaningful.

As you go today. I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you, that he'll make his face to shine upon you, and that he will give you hope and peace today. In Jesus name.