There is this incidence in the Bible about a king of Moab named Balak and a man from Pethor named Balaam with a special gift – to curse the enemies and bring about their destruction. Now the children of Israel had just moved and camped in the plains of Moab after defeating the Amorites and so the Moabites were filled with dread of them.

Balak, the king of Moab immediately sent messengers to Balaam saying: “Look, a people has come out of Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore, please come at once and curse this people for me…” [Numbers 22: 5]

But God appeared to Balaam and said “You shall not go with them (the messengers); you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” [Numbers 22:12]

But when king Balak offered riches and honor, Balaam sought to hear “what more the LORD will say” to him. Perhaps he thought that God would change his mind, his verdict about the people of Israel – just as man does. But God became angry as Balaam saddled up his donkey to go to Balak. And then we find the very first and only instance of an animal talking plainly to a man.

The donkey saw the angel with a drawn sword and stood its ground (its eyes were opened); Balaam struck the donkey again and again. Then its mouth was opened and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these 3 times?” (The donkey knew its math too!)

Then the donkeys ears were opened and she understood every word that Balaam spoke and replied again pleading her cause that she had never done this before and he must see that there is a reason now for her to behave like this. Then God opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel with a drawn sword. The angel told Balaam that his donkey had in fact saved him three times by not crossing his path else he would have been a dead man by now [Numbers 22: 27-32].

A dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet [2 Peter 2:16]

Balaam now offers oxen and sheep as sacrifices to God in Kirjath Huzoth and Balak takes him to see the extent of the children of Israel and they go up into the high places of Baal. There again he builds seven altars and offers sacrifices of seven bulls and seven rams. When Balaam takes up his oracle he says: “How can I curse whom God has not cursed?” King Balak is indignant at what Balaam had done and says: I took you to curse my enemies and look, you have blessed them bountifully.

Then they decide to go another place and see what God would say – this time to the top of Mount Pisgah. Again the repetition: seven altars, seven bulls and seven rams is offered as sacrifice. This time the oracle is clear: God is not a man that He should lie…Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I CANNOT REVERSE IT. For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. [Numbers 23: 19, 23]

Again the indignant king confronting Balaam, but this time pleading: Neither curse them nor bless them at all.

They go up again to another mountain, this time the top of Peor. Balak says to Balaam: Perhaps it will please the God that you may curse them for me from there. Again the seven altars, seven bulls and seven rams is repeated. The oracle is completed when Balam says: Blessed is he who blesses you; and cursed is he who curses you.

Once you are blessed, you remain blessed! There are no second thoughts to God regarding gifts given. See what Balaam saw (the tabernacle at the center) and make up your mind on the blessing of Israel.

I know some of us are having Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Chemistry. We learn of reversible and irreversible chemical reactions even in school and we know what it means. For example, an explosive chemical reaction can never be reversible. Right?

What we have learnt of Balak and Balaam is still the Old Covenant stuff irreversible privileges given to the physical Israel. How much more are we blessed today because of Jesus Christ who is on our side – the spiritual Israel. Romans 11:29 says: For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

Can any curse overtake the cross? As it is said: He took the law and nailed it to the cross, as it its written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. It is at the cross, your curse and my curse is finished. The dunamis power of God is given to us – an irreversible blessing. This is the grace of God, through one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to MANY. [Romans 5: 15] It results in justification for MANY; this includes you and me. We are declared as “Righteous ones” before the throne of God.

Let’s ponder on these thoughts even through this pandemic of COVID-19. We are indeed irreversibly blessed in Christ our LORD. Amen.