I think a lot of people picture Christians as kind of...wimpy. If you ever see a Christian portrayed in a movie or TV show, they usually seem to be pale, frail or just plain weird around people. That's sad.
I'm hoping that this generation will start to change some of the stereotypes because if there's one thing Christians shouldn't be, it's wimpy. It takes some real guts to choose God's side--and people with guts are usually NOT blah. They're leaders. They're straightforward. And they're interesting.
Take Balaam in today's passage, for example. Yesterday, he was the guy who heard from a donkey (definitely interesting!)...and from God, too. In today's passage, he had some major guts to stand up to a guy named Balak who asked him to curse the Israelites (God's people). I LOVE Balaam's responses to Balak. Here are a few of the cool things he said:
"...How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I damn who God has not damned?..."
"Does he (God) not speak and do what he says?
Does he promise and not come through?"
"Didn't I tell you earlier: 'All God speaks and only what he speaks, I speak'?"
"Didn't I tell you upfront when you sent your emissaries,
'Even if Balak gave me his palace stuffed with silver and gold,
I couldn't do anything on my own, whether good or bad,
that went against God's command'?"
Balaam was a guy with guts--I kind of like him, don't you? Some of the things he said put him in a tough spot with Balak, a powerful man who actually threatened him. Choosing God's side takes guts at times, but it's always the right thing to do--you always win!
Tomorrow: Numbers 26-27
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