You may recognize the moment depicted in this verse. It’s when Isaac and Esau discover that Jacob has made off with the firstborn blessing. Although the occasion is a painful one for both of them, it contains an incredibly rich principle for us to glean from. As we listen in on their conversation, Holy Spirit points out emphatically to each of us how irrevocable the power of blessing is.
Unknowingly, Isaac had proffered the blessings of authority, prosperity, and preeminence on his younger son. He knew all too well that there was no way in heaven or on earth that he could now take them back and give them instead to his oldest. Jacob was now irreversibly blessed. He would carry that blessing for his entire lifespan, and no one, ever, could take it from him.
And then we have the story of Balaam and Balak. Aside from being one of the most fascinating tales in the Bible (I mean, does it amaze you, too, that Balaam actually talks back to his donkey instead of stopping to be astonished that she is speaking to him? If I were to have named this story, I would have picked a title along the lines of, “Two Donkeys and an Angel.” Not sure that does an adequate enough job, though, of expressing how foolishly Balaam acted in that scene!)
I digress. Back to the main point of the story, found in Balaam’s own words once he finally caught onto the irrevocable power of God’s blessing. Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he utters this pronouncement:
“How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.” (Num. 23:8, 20, NIV).
No amount of bribery from the Moabite king could make an ounce of difference against the overwhelming power of God’s blessing. No mountains of silver or gold could budge it. He made it clear to Balaam and Balak that He had irreversibly blessed His chosen people. Any efforts to the contrary were going to backfire in painful ways.
Instead of managing to put a dent in Israel’s blessing, Balak instead became the cursed one in the story. And the ones he was trying to harm, came out even more blessed than in the first place! All Balaam could do was to utter blessing after blessing after blessing, every time he opened his mouth in the direction of God’s chosen ones.
Truly, the pronouncement came true, that God would bless those who bless His people, and those who would try to curse them would instead end up cursed (Num. 24:9).
Let’s you and I take that to heart today. If God is for us, who can be against us? Take this into the depths of you right now:
“Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!” (Eph. 1:3, TPT).
If you are living your life in surrender to Jesus, you are irrevocably blessed in Him. Nothing in the entire universe can lift a pinky finger to change that! For the rest of your days, no one, nowhere, ever, can take away your place, smack dab in the middle of the abundant blessings of your Heavenly Father.
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I am struck by the fact that God told Balaam that His chosen children were blessed… even after they disobeyed so badly, so many times in the wilderness. They had even already lost their opportunity for that first generation out of Egypt to go into the Promised Land. And yet, God was this protective of them. What does this say to us about His grace? What does it tell us about His desire to bless us, even after we have failed Him too many times to count?
Feeding On Jesus 