Numbers chapter 23. We read from the verse 14. And the scripture reads, And he brought him into the field of Dothan, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy word offering, while I meet the Lord yonder. And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say this. And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his word offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken? And he took up his parable and said, Rise up, Valak, and hear. Hearken unto me, thy son of Zippor. God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless, and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt. He hath, as it were, the strength of a unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought? Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up themselves as a young lion. He shall not lie down until eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do. And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee on to another place. Peradventure, it will please God that thou mayest curse me then from thence. And thus reads the word of the Lord. We're looking at the Oracles of Balaam and this is the second part and the subject today is God. Remember that the Oracles of Balaam are God's words placed by him in the mouth of a false and wicked man. Yet the words that God gave him and commanded him to speak he was compelled to deliver. He could not say no to God. In the first oracle, Balaam, under God's command, spoke of Israel, and Balak is annoyed at the things that he has heard. He didn't get what he wanted. Now instead of concluding, I did not get what I wanted because what I wanted was simple, and I did not get it because God was against it, Therefore, because God has stopped me, I should come to worship God. He did not do any of those things. Rather, he concluded that Balaam didn't curse Israel because Balaam was overcome by the size of Israel. And he says that in verse 13. He says, I will come to another place and you'll only see a small portion of them and then you'll not be overwhelmed by the sight. And then you can curse them. And you know there are many who have the same mentality and philosophy. They want something so bad that they will do anything to get it. Even though God puts a barrier in their first step. Instead of concluding, oh I have sinned. No, they say, oh well it's because of this and they make all kinds of excuses. They say, let's go to a different place and then I'll get what I want. What lay behind this man was blindness. It was blind on belief. He just refused stubbornly to believe that what God had said was true. He wanted something differently. He was determined to have it and so he had another plan. The Syrians are a good illustration of this in 1 Kings 20 and verse 23. And they say, well we didn't get it because of this reason, but we'll get it the next time because of a different reason. William Attersoll puts it this way, a lack of sound judgment and right understanding is the cause of all corruptions. A lack of right understanding, a lack of right judgment, sound judgment is the cause. So Balogh then, blinded by self-love, sets out on this course yet again. Come with me to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. We'll try again. And once again, God meets with Balaam and gives him words to speak. And how powerful these words are also, Notice first of all the unchangeableness of God, verse 19 and 20. The unchangeableness of God. And here we learn that God is unchangeable in two respects. He is unchangeable in his being. God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man that he should repent. Now of course there is an immediate objection. Ah, but, says one, does not the Bible say that God repents? Yet here we are told quite clearly He does not repent. How can we square the circle? How can we solve this seeming contradiction? Stephen Charnock, a Puritan, long ago made this statement. When the scripture speaks in this way of God repenting, It is God accommodating Himself to our weak capacity. God has eternally decreed what His actions will be in any situation. In one situation, God shows His kindness. In another, His wrath. And then Tarnak says, because we change, God treats us accordingly. That different carriage God shows toward us is described as God's repenting. So it is because God deals with us according to the way we deal with him, we then think God has changed. But it's not God who has changed, it is we who have changed. But the different dealings by God toward us is described in scripture as God's repenting. So says Chan, God repenting of His kindness is nothing but the inflicting of punishment which we have merited by the change in our conduct. Malachi 3.6 remember says, I am the Lord, I change not So God accommodating himself to our weak capacity describes those different dealings with us as God repenting. God, however, himself does not change in his being. He is unchangeable in his being. And then further, he is unchangeable in his decree. Verse 19 says, hath he spoken, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Whatever God has willed, whatever God has planned, whatever God has purposed, that shall come to pass. The prophet Isaiah chapter 46 Isaiah chapter 46 verse 11, we read these words, Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country, yea I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass. I have purchased it, I will also do it. What God has decreed, that is what shall occur. In scripture then, God's decree is called a mountain of brass. It is described as being mountains of brass, unchanging, undiluted in one iota. As Charnock puts it, the immutability of His decree depends upon His essence. Why will His decree not change? Because God is unchangeable. Because God is unchangeable, what He has willed, what He has planned, that shall not change. Has He not spoken it? Then it shall be done. You see we change our minds constantly. We change our minds because we don't have enough information. We have certain information at one moment in time and we say well this is what I'm going to do. But then lo and behold another piece of information comes our way and we say well I better not do that. I have to change my plan. But God already knows everything. There is nothing he doesn't know. So why does he change? He doesn't change because he knows all. Then we change because we discover that we haven't got the power to do it. We plan to do something and then we discover I'm not able. I haven't the strength. Well God is all powerful. Why would he change his plan? He doesn't change. He possesses all the power that he needs. The implication for Balaam then was this. God's word doesn't change. God commanded me to speak. I therefore must speak. He told me what to say. That's what I must say. I can't even change the very word that God has given me. I cannot change his word because God is unchanging. Behold, I have received commandment to bless, and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. You see what he's saying? God is unchanging. God has blessed. I have been told, I have been commanded to speak the word. I can't change it. So here is a wicked man who has clearly grasped the implications of God's unchangeableness. Because God cannot change, His Word cannot change. What a wonderful thing this truth is. We have the Word of God before us. This Word, friends, is unchanging. Because God is unchanging. The author of it is unchanging. And Balaam is saying this to Balaam. Balaam, he says. I must do what God commands. Because God is unchanging. He's told me what to say. His word is unchanging. I can't change it. I cannot reverse it. And Balaam is admitting this. This word from God cannot be changed by anyone simply because God himself is unchanging. You can't change it Balaam. I can't change it. Nobody can change it. And the basic fundamental truth you must get into your mind, Balak, is that God is unchanging. He's unchanging in His being. He's unchanging in His plan. And you, Balak, you can't do anything about it. You may hate them. You may want them cursed, but I have to tell you, the unchanging God does not think so, and because the unchanging God does not plan to curse them, you can't have them cursed. This is a very important truth, God's unchangeableness. And if there's one thing unbelievers dislike, it's God's unchangeableness. You see, what unbelievers want is a God who changes. And so what they say is, well God is love. And because God is love, therefore He cannot be a God of wrath. We know the Bible says He's a God of wrath. But we want to put love against wrath. We want to pretend that God changes. So that though I am bad and I'm not interested in God and I don't have time for God. I even say I don't believe in God. I pretend to be an atheist. But if I stand before God, I want a God who changes. And a God who will not damn me in hell for all eternity. That's what the ungodly want. They want a changing God. This God is unchanging. And if there's one truth that refreshes Christians and encourages Christians is that God is unchangeable. Our circumstances change. Things are going well one moment and then all our hopes are dashed. And we're crushed and disappointed. But God is unchanging. He's always the same. Our Saviour is the same. Yesterday, today and forever. He's unchanging. And we'll open up his word and we'll say the word is unchanging because the author of it is unchanging. So for Christians, the unchangeableness of God in his being and in his plan is a delight to the people of God. I have to say that Balaam had better theology than liberal Anglicans. Even though he is a wicked man, he's got better theology from his mouth than some of the characters he professed to be Christians in our age. He'd make a good archbishop, though he's unconverted. Not that that seems to make any difference for certain Anglicans. Then secondly, the people of God, verse 21, he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. Three things here in this verse about the people of God. And the first is this. God sees no sin in his people. That is absolutely astonishing. God sees no sin in his people. If only God's people could grasp that truly and fully. We would have a lot less problems in our lives. God sees no sin in his people. Now you may say, how can this be? We know something of their perverseness. We have read it in the past 22 chapters of their perverseness. And yet, God sees no sin in his people. How on earth can this be? Well, the answer is the truth of justification. In justification God pardons the sin of his chosen. On the ground of Christ's satisfactory work, his people's sins are pardoned and forgiven. It is justification that is the answer. His people's sins are punished in Christ. And thus they are forgiven, so God sees no sin in his people. The prophet Isaiah is an entire book really about justification. Let's look at some passages. Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 18. Come now and let us reason together. Said the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as will God seeing no sin in His people, because He washes them away. He pardons them. He cleanses the sinner. He forgives the sinner. He sees no sin in His people. Chapter 30 of Isaiah. Isaiah 30. And the very last clause of verse 17. For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. Now this is a wonderful little text. Behold for peace I had great bitterness. But thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. There are three clauses in this 17th verse. In the first clause. He speaks of his outward life as one of turmoil and trouble and trial and affliction. As a life of problems and difficulties. But then he speaks of his inward life. Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption. Though outwardly his life is in turmoil, inwardly he has been delivered. God has saved him and then he explains the reason for all of this. For thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. God sees no sin in his people. Chapter 44 and in the verse 22 I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions. Notice what he's saying, they had transgressions. So on the one hand he sees their sin, he knows their sin, but he's saying I've blotted it out and as a cloud thy sins return unto me for I have redeemed thee. Chapter 44 verse 22. God sees no sin in his people. Justification. What is justification? Oh, if you've learned the Catechism, you'll know automatically the answer. What is justification? It's an act of God's free grace. Rennie parties over our sins. Accepts us as righteous. He's on to explain how this can be. It's on the ground that Christ's satisfactory work. Athersaul says, here is a fundamental point of Christian faith, that our sins, original and actual, are covered by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us and apprehended by Jesus. How evangelical those words are. How sweet those words are to the believer. What is the hinge? upon which all turns. It is this truth of justification. God sees no sin in his people. You need no penances. You need no works. There is nothing for you to add to what Christ has done. We receive it by faith in Jesus Christ. And then further, God's presence with his people. The Lord his God is with him. God's presence with his people. Well here we could note a whole mountain of facts. We'll start with Genesis 28. Genesis 28 verse 15, and behold I am with thee. and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest and will bring thee again into this land for I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. Deuteronomy chapter 31 Deuteronomy 31 Verse 6, Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Joshua 1, verse 5, the last clause says, As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee. You see what's happening? The promise of God's presence constantly being repeated. Constantly being taught to his children. And you can follow that phrase right through scripture, right through to the book of Hebrews chapter 13. God with his people. This is a very comforting truth. No matter where God's people go, God is with them. No matter what circumstance they find themselves in, God is with them. God presencing himself amongst his people. And here a pagan king, Balak, is told God has presence himself in the camp of Israel. God reigns in Zion. He is present in Zion. He dwells amongst his people. And then the last thing, God's king is among them. and the shout of a king is among them. Jewish commentators understood this as a reference to the Messiah. God's work of course of bringing sinners into his kingdom is called the shout of a king. So the king reigns amongst his people. Christ is king in Zion. Isaiah 58.1 We read these words, Cry aloud, spurn not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins. We think of the Psalms, Psalm 147 verses 19 and 20. Psalm 147 verse 19 he showeth his word unto Jacob the statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation, and asked for his judgments. They have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. It is, friends in the church, that Christ is known, that Christ is worshipped, and that Christ is publicly proclaimed. The shout of a king is amongst them. The voice of God's people is the voice of a people who have a king ruling over them. Christ truly is king in Zion. So there's the second thing that Balaam speaks of, the people of God. And then thirdly, verses 22 to 4, the works of God. God brought him out of Egypt. He had, as it were, the strength of a unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought? There are three things that are said here by what God has done, is doing, and shall do. Firstly, God redeemed them, verse 22. Secondly, God protects them, verse 23. You will notice that at the end of verse 23, what have God wrought? And thirdly, God prospers them, verse 24. The flourishing of God's cause. Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion, he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the same." The prospering of God's cause. These are the works of God, says Bill. God has redeemed him, God protects him and God prospers him. And no matter what hand shall be lifted against the Lord's people and his cause, it shall not prosper. No matter what the wicked may do, though they flourish for a season, though they may spread abroad, though it may seem as if they will consume the Lord's cause and annihilate the Lord's cause, be patient. God has redeemed Zion. God protects them and God will prosper them in his good pleasure. Now these are pretty powerful words. They're the words from God in the mouth of a wicked man. And they are so evangelical these words. They are so amazingly comforting these words. And he's standing before a pagan king who's an idolater. who builds seven altars at a time and sacrifices bullocks seven at a time for his false gods. And Balaam says to Balak, let me tell you one thing further and this time it's about the works of God. I've told you about the nature of God and the character of God. I've told you something about the people of God, those whom God looks to. Now I want to tell you a little further about the works of God. This is pretty good theology, isn't it? This is the best of theology that any man could say. The tragedy is he doesn't believe a single word of it. Not a word of it. He's a pagan at the end of the day. But let me come to application of all of this. Four things, four lessons and uses. First of all, pretending a desire to hear God's Word while disliking the content of it. This we see in Balak. He says to Balaam, Balaam, what hath the Lord said? What has God spoken? And yet, the first time he asked the question, Balaam gave him the answer. And he hated the content. And he says, Balaam, I don't like it. Now let's go over to this place. Now tell me, Balaam, what has God said? And Balaam tells him. And Balaam says, or Balak says to Balaam, well this is my response to what God has said. Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. I don't want to hear those words. And he tries again in verse 27. Come I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place. Peradventure will please God, that thou mayest curse me then from thence. There are some people, and they have a pretence of wanting to hear the Word of God. But they hate the content of the Word of God. We don't like that sermon. We don't like those words. Why would we go to another preacher? And maybe he will tell us what we want to hear. And finally, they will find, obviously, somebody who will tell them what they want to hear. Well, the prophet Jeremiah had a lot to say about this. In Jeremiah chapter 6, Indeed the prophet Ezekiel had the very same, all the prophets said these things. But Jeremiah 6 and the verse 14, they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying peace, peace, when there is no peace. Jeremiah 14 and in the verse 14. Then the Lord said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name. I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither speak unto them. They prophesy unto you a false vision and divination and the thing of naught and the deceit of their heart. There are people who have a pretence of wanting to hear the word of God. But what they really want is a false preacher to tell them false sayings. That's what they want. Ah, they say, this is the kind of message we want to hear. We like a psychological message, one that gives us a little boost. We don't like the preacher. He tells us that we're sinners and we're rascals, we're rebels and we're lazy and that God wrath is upon us and that he hates us. We don't want to hear that. We want our preacher to tell us, no, you're just doing fine. Just go on the way you are and here are five steps to prosperity. Here's another little, a few steps to getting help and all the rest of it. Oh, it's wonderful to hear all that. And we leave it all. We're all so excited. It's all so wonderful. And we feel really good about ourselves after we've been there. But that other preacher, he makes us feel bad. He tells us about our sins. We don't want to hear about our sins. But that other one, he's good to us. He pleases us greatly. He entertains us. And he's a great joker. He's got wonderful stories. And he makes us laugh and rule all over the floor. It's all so wonderful. But that other one, oh we don't like him. He talks about judgment, about heaven and hell. He wants to talk about the cross work of Christ. He wants to talk about the unchangeableness of God and what God is really like. Oh they have a pretended desire to hear the word of God. But they are like Balak, they don't like the content. Then secondly, the truth of God's unchangeableness is of great use. What uses can we make of this truth? Well, that's a sermon in itself, but let me just mention three. Because God is unchangeable, it means that this God is to be preferred before any other creature. All creatures that God has made are changeable. And yet we have people who worship creation, don't they? They're really pantheists. They worship anything. They worship architecture. They worship themselves. They're full of self-love. When we are brought to know this God who is unchanging, he is to be preferred before all others, for there is none like him. And then because God is unchanging, there is a sense in which we can say that in due time God will make his people like himself. Now I want you to be very careful about this. If I turn to 1 Corinthians 15 you will understand what I mean. 1 Corinthians 15 and the verse 53 for this corruption or this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality the end shall be brought to pass the same that is written death is swallowed up in victory In order to spend eternity with God, there are certain changes that must take place in ourselves. This corruption must put on incorruption. This mortality must put on immortality. And it is this unchanging God we shall do it. And if this unchanging God is to do this for his people, Then we ought to trust Him. Why we ought to be full of joy in our hearts. This is what my God is going to do for me. And so we think of the words in Revelation. No more tears. No more sorrow. No more pain. All these things that belong to this scene of time. They will all have come to an end. They won't be in heaven. For these things are not in heaven where God dwells. And then of course one last use, that God will not leave his people. As he was with his people in the past, so he shall be with his people in the present and in the future. He will continue with them. As Christ says, Lo I am with you all the way even unto the end. This truth of God is unchangeable. That's why I say to believers, take it home with you. Relish it. Clasp it tight to your breast. Here is a great truth for you. God is unchanging. Don't let this truth go. Hold it tight. Then thirdly, a warning to the ungodly. Do not look for success in evil things. If God is not your counsellor and scripture is not your guide, your wisdom will be turned into folly. That's a warning. Here is a man, Bally. He's like all ungodly people. God is not his counsellor, scripture is not his guide, and so his wisdom is turned into folly. I say that in all sincerity to those who are not Christians. Do not you look for success in life. If success comes your way, run from it. If you're not serving Christ. Do not pride yourself in your wisdom and knowledge and skill and understanding. It will not in the end prosper you. Here's a king remember, Bala. And yet, of what profit is it to him? He's a man without knowledge of God. It is of no use to him, all that he has. And fourthly and finally, a call to reverence God's word. Look at how Balaam addresses Balak. He calls him to rise and hear. Rise up, Ballack, and hear. In Scripture, when the Word of God was read, people stood for the reading of God's Word. It was then a call to attention. When God speaks, there ought to be reverence for God's Word. Judges chapter 3, Judges 3 and in the verse 20, And Ehud came unto him, and he was sitting in a summer parlor, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. He was showing reverence for the word of God. You get the same idea in 2 Kings 23. So Balaam issues a call to Balak. Pay attention. Give ear. Be alert. The word of God has come. And that call still remains doesn't it? When the word of God is being opened and read. It is vital that all of us give heed to the Word of God. Faith, after all, cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Give ear to the Word of God. Do not treat it indifferently. Do not say, oh, well, he's just reading the Bible. My mind can wander away. Not at all. Here are two pagans. Two pagans. One of them God has given his word and this pagan says to the other pagan, now bow out, pay attention, listen, God is speaking to you. How have you listened to the word of God today? Have you paid attention, given your ear to what God has had to say? Amen and Amen.