{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Christ Covenant Church","title":"Journaling: Numbers 22-25","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3910,"description":"False teachers/prophets have power too (22:1-7; Deu 13:1-3; 2Th 2:9-10; e.g. Exo 7:11, 22, 8:7; Act 8:9-11).\nMany of those who end up in hell did mighty works in God’s name, claimed Him to be their Lord/God, counted themselves among the upright – even occasionally feared Him and repented of their sins (22:8-21, 31-41 and 23:1-30 and 24:1-24, w/24:25 [notice Balaam “went back to his place” versus becoming a proselyte = Refused to become a part of the covenant community yet claimed God to be “His God”] and 25:1-3 and 31:16 and Rev 2:14; Mat 7:21-23).\nYou are no different than Balaam (i.e. a person who thinks too highly of themselves) if you cannot be loyal/commit yourself to those you did not create and/or cannot control (24:25 – “his place” = ML his family [loyal to those he created] w/25:1-3 and 31:16 [loyal to those he could control; he may have lost his ability to control thru blessing/cursing, but he still yielded the power of corruption and by this would retain his power/control over people like the Midianites/Moabites. Hence his reason for still hanging around/being committed to them – despite what his own mouth had spoken in prophecy against them from God! In this light consider Heb 6:5 = People can “taste the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come” and yet still choose to follow the path of their own glory/gain; Consider also Simon in Act 8:9-24]).\nPeople doing God’s work w/wicked motives (e.g. for personal gain) remain under His wrath (22:22-33, 32 w/Jud 1:11; 2Pe 2:15).\nEven donkeys know that effective/persuasive reasoning requires: 1) never assuming you know the context or actions of another (23-29, 28-29; 1Ti 6:4) and 2) a Socratic approach (i.e. reasoning thru thought-provoking questions) (22:30; e.g. Mat 12:22-32, 36-37 = Even God on J-Day will “reason” w/us using the Socratic approach as His means of establishing justice).\nGod never lies, period (23:19a).\nGod never changes His mind: 1) simply b/c somebody wants Him to...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UXGjftzm8Yw--IISwUKe6A6-CX1YtARptisfLmFJFoI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81Zjc4/MmNmNTMxZjNmOTgw/YjA1NWRhYmMxMTNl/YmE1Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}