Numbers 23

Blessed beyond reversal

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? ~ Numbers 23:19

Have you ever wondered if circumstances, opinions, or opposition could undo what God has already spoken over your life? In a world where voices are loud and pressure is constant, today’s scripture reading reminds us that God’s blessing cannot be canceled, twisted, or overturned by human intent.

Below are three points taken from today’s passage

1. God’s promises are unchangeable.

Balaam was hired to curse Israel, yet every time he opened his mouth, blessing came instead. What God had declared over His people could not be altered.

When doubts rise or others speak negatively about your future, return to what God has already spoken through His Word. Write down His promises and pray them out loud. Let truth replace fear when circumstances try to challenge what God has designed for your life.

2. Opposition does not mean absence of His favor.

Israel was surrounded by enemies, yet God was actively protecting them and blessing them at the same time. Pressure did not remove God’s covering.

When you face resistance at work, in relationships, or in ministry, do not assume you are off course. Instead, ask God for confidence to stay faithful and keep moving forward, trusting that His presence is with you and will breakthrough resistance.

3. God speaks blessing even when others intend harm.

Balaam acknowledged that he could only speak what God put in his mouth. What was meant to harm became a words of life.

Release control over how others treat you and trust God to defend you. Pray for those who misunderstand you and believe that God can turn difficult situations into testimonies of His goodness.

I have personally walked through seasons where words spoken by others created insecurity and doubt. There have been moments when I wondered if past mistakes or current struggles could disqualify what God had placed in my heart. Over time, the Holy Spirit showed me that His calling and promises were not based on opinions or circumstances. He continued to open doors, provide peace, and confirm His direction through every opposition. Those moments strengthened me to rest in His faithfulness rather than striving to prove myself.

Today I want to encourage you to stand confidently in what God has spoken over your life. No voice, no situation, and no opposition has the power to reverse His blessing. Trust His character, hold tightly to His promises, and walk forward knowing that what God has spoken, He will surely bring to pass.

Today’s scripture reading: Numbers 23

1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 

3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height. 

4 And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

5 Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 

6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

7 And he took up his oracle and said: “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’

8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations.

10 “Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!”

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!”

12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Prophecy

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.” 

14 So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.”

16 Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 

17 So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor!

19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21 “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.

22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.

23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. it now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’

24 Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 

28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 

29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 

30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

Journal:

• What promises has God spoken over my life that I need to trust again
• Where have I allowed opposition or negative voices to create doubt
• How can I remind myself daily of God’s unchanging faithfulness
• What would it look like to walk in confidence instead of fear this week