I can't help but think as I watch television and in the news areas that what the world needs is a touch of the love of Christ. Until there is Christ's love in our hearts toward each other, conditions will exist just as they exist. And this is the great tragedy that we're facing, that this great love of the Lord Jesus is not preached in all of its power, and we're trying to legalize love while love must come from the inner heart. You never can make anybody love. It is the gift of God, but that gift is involved only with us, so we should pray much that in these days the Lord will do great things for us as a church that we might minister the gospel in all love to all tribes, all kindreds, all races, and that you as those who are part of the fellowship of Christ will minister that love to everyone. doesn't matter who they are, they're God's creatures, God's creation, and they need everyone. Our brethren all need love. The world needs the love of Christ. Will you turn with me to Numbers? I'd spoken to you last week, Numbers, well, I'll be in the 23rd to 25th chapters, but I spoke to you last week about Balaam and Balak. Similar names, you know, when you get names like that, Balaam and Balak. Almost sounds like you're making something up. But Balaam and Balak have a tremendous message to leave for us. It's amazing what God does. He takes a wicked prophet and there's something so utterly sublime about the whole thing. about the historic incident in Israel's history of how these two men met each other, that I have to hesitate at this point to bring out those truths that I think God has for us, or as much as I can. And it has a great prophetic side. God does an amazing thing with this man Balaam. Balaam is a wicked prophet, as wicked as a man can be. He's a lost soul in his final destination. Both Jude, Jude speaks of him in the portion of which we've read over in Jude, if you have your finger in numbers there, you don't have to, I can read this to you. Jude mentions him, and Jude says of Balaam, he says, woe unto them, speaking of those who've gone their way as natural brute beasts, It says, woe unto them, for they've gone the way of Cain, I spoke about that, and they have ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Corrie. I'll have something to say about him later. These are, notice, spots in your feasts of love. They come to the Lord's table when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Clouds they are without water. carried about of winds, trees whose fruit withers without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And also, of course, Peter, in his epistle, I'll read this to you so that you don't have to Turn over to it also, Peter in his epistle says this, these as natural brute beasts, he repeats it, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not know, and they will utterly perish in their corruption. having eyes full of adultery, cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls, a heart they've exercised with covetous practices. Some have cursed children which have forsaken the right way and have gone astray and have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the righteousness, the wages of unrighteousness, and was rebuked for his iniquity. The dumb ass speaking with a man's voice forbade the madness of the prophets. So God in the New Testament has quite a bit to say about this man, Balaam. There are just two men involved, really. Oh, there are the princes of Moab, who are also, 250 of them are involved in it. But actually, the whole story concerns two men, Balaam and Balak. Balak is the king of Moab. Balaam is a prophet of Israel. When Balak saw the great victories of Israel in war he became afraid So who would he look up but naturally he wouldn't look up some insignificant man But as the devil always does he looks For someone that he can really take a hold of and cause confusion in the ranks. I can imagine if what would happen if Billy Graham were involved in some deep terrible sin What a great tragedy Terrible track in this case. Here's a man who? Had a price He was like Judas Judas had a price Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver. He was one of his apostles Balaam is an Old Testament prophet but he had a price. People have prices. To some people, their price, you have to decide what your price is. I hope you don't have a price. I would pray I don't have a price. Some men seek the praise of men, that's their price. Some men, it's lust, that's their price. Some men, it's the world and all of its glamour and it's gold and that's their price. That was Balaam's price. He had a price. And in the acceptance of that price, he indicated he never did really, really believe that God would do what he said he would do. You see, that's the problem. He never believed God would said he would do what he would do. And isn't this true today? Look at the world by and large. Do they really believe God's going to do what he says he's going to do? Christ says he's coming again and judgment Christ says every Christian is going to stand before his judgment seat to answer for what he has done as part of the Church of Jesus Christ. Let me ask you, do people live as though they believe it? It's often been said, if anyone would believe like Martin Luther believed, as he had said, he crawled on his knees up the steps of St. Peter as a month that he might satisfy God. He said, if this be true, I will do everything. And as he said, if masses would take the soul into heaven, I will say masses till my eyes are so tired I can no longer say masses. So that if you look at the world today outside, You see, all of the evidences of these very things that Balaam and Balak faced, there was the reward, there's a price that men have. There's a way that seems right to man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death. Luther found that. Luther tried what he thought would be right religiously. Balaam rather amazes you. a prophet of God. God does tremendous things with Balaam here. The story is a sad story, but the amazing thing is that God uses this very thing to show forth tremendous prophecies. He uses the man, just as God has used unbelievers down through the ages. When he wants, he uses them. And he turns their corruption right upside down, just as he did with Pharaoh to show forth his power. And so with Balak and Balaam here, he shows forth great things. Now last week I spoke to you about how the dumbass, how he happened to speak, and how God has so carefully tried to stop this prophet. So much so that when Balaam came to him the first time, he says, now Balak wants me to come to him. He's offering me money. There's a large thing. He promises me fame. He promises me prestige and great power. In that nation, picture the man maybe saying, you know how the heart does sometimes, the heart is a very covetous thing. You get the money and you can almost say to God, you know, under the tongue, maybe I could do something for that nation. All the time, that's not the thing that concerns you, there's the gold. I remember Lot trying that too. Lot pitched his tent towards Sodom. and suffered for his pitching of his tent toward Sodom. And so he goes to God and he says, now God, Balak has asked me, and God says, I don't want you to go. And God makes it so clear, as I said in that 22nd chapter, 12th verse, God said to Balaam, thou shalt not go with them, thou shalt not curse the people, for they are blessed. Balak had come to Balaam and said, now you're a prophet of God, you can curse Israel for me. They're getting too powerful. I'll give you great prestige and great reward if you'll do this for me." God says, I don't want you to go. Balak comes back again to him and says, now, I'll do even more than I said the first time. And so what does Balaam do? He goes back to God. Imagine, you know, it's like a person, it's like someone here. You go to God and you pray, Lord, I want your will. You already know it. It's in the Word. Lord, I want your will in this matter. And the Lord speaks to your heart. And it isn't the way you'd like it to be. So two weeks later you go back and you think maybe God's changed his mind. I'll go again and I'll ask him the same thing. You only have to ask once to know the will of God, if the will of God is in the Word of God. And so, he comes back to God again, and he says, now, Lord, Balak's come to me again, and he's offered me more prestige and more reward. Would it be all right if I went with him? And what does God say? You go ahead. Go ahead. And the minute he starts out, what does he do? He gets on the ass, and he's going along, and the ass sees the angel of the Lord with a sword, And Balaam can't see a thing. And three times, the ass is stopped by the Lord, a dumb animal, and this man who says he's a prophet can't even see the angels. This indicates where he stood. And finally, the ass speaks to him and says, now listen, what are you doing this to me for? Have I not always been thine? And I couldn't help but think how the Lord is speaking there. 29th verse, Balaam said unto the ass, because thou hast mocked me, I would, there were a sword in my hand, and I would kill thee. And the ass said to Balaam, am I not thine? And I couldn't help but think of God here. He's just been mocked by this man, Balaam. Twice he had to come to him. When God says no once, he's not going to change his mind. May I tell you that? If God says no to your life, the way you're living it, He's not going to change His mind. Don't you try to bring God down to your level. God wants to bring you up to His level. And God's not going to come down. And God is not going to somehow allow you to do something because of the number of times you ask Him, is it all right? When the first answer was, no, it's not all right. And the ass said to Balaam, listen, think of God here, am I not thine? Upon which, and think of, let me change it just a little, have not my everlasting alms been unto thee all along? Was I ever wont to do anything wrong to thee? And he said, Nay. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, the thing the ass had seen for three times. And he bowed down his head and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord said, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, even after God did everything notice. God allowed him to go the second he said, You go ahead. Notice down there, even after he told them, in the 22nd verse it says, and God's anger was kindled because he went. And what does God do right away? He puts an angel there. He says, I'm going to see once more if I can't stop this man. Oh, how careful we have to be. How often this has happened in human lives. God has put someone before us to stop us from going on in the path we're taking. Then notice the 34th verse, and Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me. Now therefore, notice the if. I don't know how he could do it. If it displeases you. If it displeases you. How often do you have to get knocked down? Should you ever have an if here? If it displeases you. He's just told him that for three times he tried to stop me. He says, now, if it displeases you, I will get me back again. And it's almost as though the Lord says, what am I going to do? The angel of the Lord said, go with the men. You see? Go ahead. If that's all you can see, that you're going to say, if it displeases you. I tell you, it's hard to believe, isn't it? God has the ass crush his foot against the wall. He has him fall down. He has him stop and gets him tied in so that Balaam can't go forward. He does everything he can to stop the man from making a fool of himself. And yet the man goes right on. And then after he finds out that it's the angel of the Lord, imagine, he sees the angel of the Lord. Finally, he sees the angel of the Lord himself. And now he says, if it displeases you. I don't know. It's hard to believe it, if it displeases you. Then notice, if you would, if you go over to the 23rd chapter now, where I'd like to speak to you about this portion, which is very important. Now, he goes to Balak, and it's an amazing thing how this whole thing develops. I'm going to try to describe it to you of the three chapters that come because I'd have to read the whole chapters for you. Don't miss it. They're so filled with tremendous things. I'll read you the prophetic portions because they're very important. But I just want to give you the whole background. Here's Balak and Balaam. And Balak is finally won out. He says, I'm going to give you great... Can you imagine listening to a man? He's going to give you great prestige and you forsake God? As though the prestige a man can give you is worth the forsaking of the Lord? And that's exactly what this man does. He's been promised great prestige, great fame, great power, and so he goes along with him. And the amazing thing is, it's unbelievable what this false prophet does. He goes with Balak, and he prepares a sacrifice. Can you see the hypocrisy of the man? He prepares seven bullocks, you'll notice, seven bullocks. It mentions it here. in the 23rd verse, and Balaam said to Balak, build me seven altars, prepare me seven oxen, seven rams, and Balak did as Balaam spoke, and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram, the perfect sacrifice, seven. Let's make sure, before I go to God, let's make sure the sacrifices are all right. Let's make sure the ritual is great and right. And then I'll go to God, and peradventure he'll hear me, we'll see what he'll do. Imagine. And Balaam said, stand by the burnt offering, and I'll go. Peradventure the Lord will come to meet me, and whatsoever he shows me, I will tell thee. And he went to a high place, and God met Balaam, and he says to God, imagine, Lord, I've prepared seven altars, and I've offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. And the Lord put the word in Balaam's mouth and said, Now you return to Balak, and thus shall you speak. And he returned to him, and lo, he stood by the sacrifice unto all the princes of Moab." Notice, he took up the first parable, and he said, this is God speaking, Balak, the king of Moab, hath brought me from Aram out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me, Jacob. Come, curse me, Israel. And come, defy Israel. Listen, how shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? How shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied? Remember the New Testament over there in Romans 8? Who is he that condemneth us? Is it not Christ that died? Who shall charge anything to the charge of God's elect? Nobody can. Nobody can touch us. Nobody can pluck us from Jesus hands notice here what God is saying. He's going to show his great sovereignty He's gonna take this wicked prophet and say now, you know what? I'm gonna do with you I'm gonna take you and you're gonna tell that man exactly what I want you to tell him you open your mouth I'm going to speak. Here's what I want you to say How shall I curse from God I hath not cursed, how shall I defy whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him." Looking down at Israel. Lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Imagine the prophecy of God. Here's Baal, here's the false prophet. Here's him who thinks that he's going to get great gain, and God uses him as a prophet. And what does he say of Israel? He says, this nation shall not be reckoned among all the nations of the earth. They are mine. They shall dwell alone. Well, now Balak's all upset. This isn't what I asked you to do. I asked you to curse them. You haven't cursed them, you've blessed them. Notice what he says. Balak said, the 11th verse, unto Balaam, what hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And Balaam answered and said, must I not take heed to speak that which the Lord puts in my mouth? Balaak said, come on, let's go to another place, maybe we can change the situation. We'll go to another place and we'll see what we can do there. And he brought him to the field of Zophon. Into the field of Zophon to the top of Pisgah and built seven altars again, offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. And he said to Balak, stand here while I meet the Lord yonder. So he knew what God would do. And he went Behold he stood by the burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him and This is what the Lord said He took up the second parable and he said rise up Balak and hear Harken unto me thou son of Zippor God is not a man That he should lie Neither the son of man that he should repent doesn't change his mind. He can't lie. I Aren't you glad? I'm so glad God can't lie. I'm so glad God can't change his mind about me. He does not repent. What the Lord says is yea and amen. That's what the scripture says. His promises are yea and amen. You can't change them. Has he promised unto us eternal life in Jesus Christ? Does he lie? God is not a man that he can lie. nor the Son of Man that he can repent." And this is not the Son of Man in capital letters. This is just the man who would repent. No, he says, this is an absolute impossibility. God cannot lie. Oh, you know, isn't it a tragedy that Balaam didn't see that back in the beginning? If he'd only seen the first time he talked to God, and he asked God, should I go with Balak? And he says, thou shalt not go with him. Did he think God was lying? God is not a man that you should lie, nor the Son of Man that he should repent. Hath he said, and shall he not, what, do it? Listen, Christian, are you resting on this kind of a promise? Are you really? Has he not said and will he not do it? This is dynamic Christianity. This is that which saves the human soul. This is that which holds us fast to Jesus Christ, this great God who cannot lie, this Lord who cannot repent of that which he's done. In that he died, he died unto sin. In that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise, reckon yourself to be dead to sin and alive to God in Jesus Christ. Promise. Yes, amen. Why do you think I say I have never doubted my salvation from the day I've been saved? Not because of me. Because of him. When I doubt it, I do desperate to the Son of God. I do not dishonor myself. I dishonor my Savior. The minute I say His death was not sufficient for my sins, I deny the Word of God which says He tasted death for every man that He might bring us to God. He paid the penalty for man's sin. He was made sin for us and crucified and all sin was put in Him and we are risen with Him. This is His promise. God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should change his mind. People can talk about the new moralities and the new mores of the age we're living in. I assure you God has not changed. God will never change. God is immutable, the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so there can be no variableness with him. He's absolutely true. and no change can take place. Balaam had an idea that God might change, and in that belief he showed he never believed. If you believe that God can change, that today you're saved and tomorrow he'll change his mind about you, you have not understood the grace of God. For where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. We take the abounding grace of God and we bring it down to the minimal quality of the grace of a man. And the grace of a man is temporal. You may be under a man's grace for a day, or a week, or a year, but his grace will fail. But God's grace is eternal. God is not a man that he should lie, nor that he should repent. No. Notice what he says. Behold the 20th verse. Notice the end of the 19th. Hath he not spoken, and shall he not make it good? You know, when I read it, of course, my heart's bubbling. I hope your heart bubbles, because I just say, Lord, how great! You know, I've been eating, sleeping, and drinking, everything, I can bail him for two weeks. And every sentence I read just seems to glow with this great grace of God. It is though God is saying, Martin, notice what I did. I took a wicked profit. And I took a wicked king, and I'm showing you the great grace that I have toward my people Israel. And if this be so, and I am not a liar, and I will never repent nor change my mind, think of what I've done for you in my blessed Son and Savior, Jesus Christ." And you know, your heart just bubbles within you. The last part of that 20th verse, he says, and he hath blessed, and Balaam says, I cannot reverse it. Isn't that great? Can't reverse the procedure. Can't turn it around. I just read a, I didn't bring it out with me, but somebody sent me a folder, you know, it came in the mail, and it says this. It says, this man, all you got to do is get in contact with him and he can reverse everything. If your business life has been bad, Get into this organization, he'll make your business life good. He can reverse everything. If you're getting old, he can make you young. Oh boy, that'll get the crowds. But I would venture, this came in the regular mail, I'd venture he's gotten more answers, this man, this is well done. And I would venture there are crowds flocking to this man, just as there are crowds flocking to many of them throughout the country and the world today. False prophets. They're going to reverse everything. I like it here. He can't reverse God. God can't be going to reverse. Can't go backward. It's always forward. So he says, I cannot reverse it. Now notice what he says. Here's great truth. He's going to take this false prophet, and he's going to show what he's thinking about you and me as those who come to Christ. He says, I want you to notice something. Here's Israel. Israel had no consciousness of what's happening between Balak and Balaam, none at all. Israel is not living in too nice a condition. They're standing before God as perfect, but their condition is pretty miserable. Notice what God says about Israel. Here they are, a wicked nation, the way they're living. Notice what he says. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them." Now I'm sure that Balaam's thinking to himself while he's saying this, what is this? What does he mean here? Remember God says you're going to say what I want you to say. Balaam had an idea he could curse Israel, therefore he didn't know that their sins were forgiven by God. I will not regard iniquity in my people, nor will I regard perverseness in them. Here's God's tremendous grace on this nation of Israel, as wicked as they are, and may I say this, God's grace is still upon this nation. One day he will bring to pass that which he will bring to pass. Notice what the prophet continues. 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? Notice, God says, he can't see it. Balaam never could see this. Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion. and lift himself up as a young lion. In that time, notice, he said, in this day, in this day that is to come yet, he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drank of the blood of the slain. And Balak said to Balaam, don't curse them at all, don't bless them at all. You can imagine the man. He says, forget the whole thing. Everything you tell me is worse and worse. You tell me that this nation is going to dwell alone, that they'll not be reckoned with the nations, that the nations God's going to judge. Now you tell me that they're going to rise up as a lion someday and they're going to devour all the countries and the nations that are against them. You can imagine how he feels within him as the great prophet false prophet says the words of God and points out what's going to happen in the future when that day comes. Balaam said, please don't curse him, don't bless him. Balaam said to him, told not I thee saying all that the Lord speaks that I must do. Balaam said again to Balaam, come, we'll go to another place. Peradventure, please God that you can curse them there. Balaam brought Balaam unto the top of Peor. Balaam said to Balaam, build me here seven altars again. Oh, what hypocrisy. Do this again. Build seven altars. And Balaam did as Balaam said, and offered a bullock. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not as at other times to seek for enchantments. Balaam admits that he sought for enchantment against Israel, but this time he doesn't go. He's not going to go for it. But set his face toward the wilderness. Then we have the third prophetic utterance. Pittsburgh. How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel, as the valleys are they spread forth. Here's a country that's in misery. Here's Israel. reclining down in terrible conditions. Oh, they've won a few battles, but their moral nature, everything about them is perverse before God. But he says, I'll not regard iniquity in Israel. And here's what he says, thy valleys are spread forth as gardens by the riverside, as the trees of thine aloes which the Lord hath planted, And as seeded trees beside the waters, he shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt. He hath, as it were, the strength of a unicorn. He shall eat up the nations." Imagine, the false prophet. He shall eat up the nations, his enemies, and shall break their bones and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, he's speaking of Israel, and as a great lion, who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesses the Israel, and cursed is he that curseth thee. May I say this, much to our amazement, Hitler stirred up Israel. God used as he did Pharaoh. And here's Hitler. He's gonna kill all the Jews. He's gonna get rid of all Israel. And God uses Hitler to stir them up. Who's gonna stir them up? God's gonna stir them up. The stirring is coming. God's going to still him. Blessed is he that blesseth thee, cursed is he that curseth thee. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemies, and behold thou hast blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee to thy place. In the 11th verse, but lo, and listen to this, the Lord hath kept thee from honor. Balak says to Balaam, I was going to honor you, I was going to give you a high position, but the Lord has kept thee from honor. And now behold, Philem says in the 14th verse, I go to my people, come therefore and I will advertise thee, I love this, I will advertise thee what this people will do to thy people in the latter days. He took up his parable and he said, Balaam, the son of Beor, hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said, and he said, which heard the words of God and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty falling into a trance. This is talking of Balaam himself and having his eyes open. I shall see him, Messiah, but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh. There shall come, what, a star out of Jacob? There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth, and Edom shall be a possession, Sar and Dor shall be a possession for his enemies, and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city." Amazing grace. God uses a wicked prophet who's ending up in darkness. He says, now you violated my will. I'm going to tell you something. You're going to say my word, and you're going to prophesy of my coming Son. A star shall rise up and Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government, what, shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace. Out of Jacob shall come the star of Israel, and his shall the government be, and he shall destroy the nations around thee. O beloved, that day is coming soon as we wait for Christ to come back. to destroy all those who at this moment are surrounding Israel, ready to take a terrible spoil. I could not help but think in the other parable where he speaks of the beauty of Israel of Jerusalem. It was not beautiful at that time, but he's looking forward to the prophecies. Ezekiel puts it well. He says, Israel shall go back to the land, and the land shall blossom as a rose, and it shall be like the garden of the Lord. And the city shall be built, and the waste place shall be built. And you and I are living in the age when all of this is occurring. It's not a matter of prophecy to us at the moment. Israel is being rebuilt. And God said in Ezekiel 36, read it when you go home, in the latter days, I will bring my people back to their land, and they shall rebuild it, and the city shall be inhabited, and it will be as a garden of the Lord. And that is exactly what the prophecies of Balaam had to say. Wicked prophet though he was, God used him. And I want to tell you something. God has used preachers in the pulpit, believe it or not, who've been unsaved because they've used the Word of God. I've been to funeral services where I've heard words quoted from the Scripture that blessed my heart and had the whole thing undone after the man quotes the Scripture by what he has to say about life and life eternal. False prophets. Fosdick, false prophets. Posdick, in his early ministry, wrote the prophecies of God. Posdick spoke of the virgin-born Christ. Posdick spoke of the prophetic coming of Jesus Christ in his young years. False prophet! Unbeliever! Now he says, Christ? No difference, virgin-born. The blood of Jesus is a bloody religion. Has nothing to do with Christianity. False prophet. Bishop Pike. False prophet. One day when there was a young man stood in the pulpit and they say, if you read some of his message, had fire in them for God. But the fire was not from off the altar of God. The fire was from within his own breast and had nothing of the Holy Spirit. So that the man today denies the Christ. It says all religions are the same. False prophets. Men are standing and pulling. What does the Word of God say? Satan's ministers shall be gobbed as why angels of light Imagine God warned us. He says there'll be men in the pulpits who are gobbed as the angels of light remember They are Satan's emissaries. If they do not proclaim my Son as Savior and Lord, and the blood is the only cleansing power from sin, Christ came to die for you. God is not a man that he should lie, nor is he like a man that he should change his mind. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Balaam may do what he can, He may try to curse, he can't curse. Balak is amazed at what happens. He thinks this is Balaam speaking. Balaam's not speaking. It's God speaking. May I give you the conclusion of the matter as I close? I'm just holding it because I want just a conclusion. Do you know what Balaam did? He deceived Israel. In the 34th chapter, you read it in this here book. in Numbers and in Deuteronomy in the 34th chapter, he has this to say. God says this about Balaam, He says, there are those who go the way of Balaam who deceived my people Israel and had their men join themselves to the women of Moab. He couldn't win that way, so what did Balaam do? He went and he got the men of Israel and the women of Moab and he caused them to make a marriage with the world. And because of that, God slew 24,000 men in one day. All the males were killed, and Balaam was killed with them. Oh, he couldn't win by cursing them. God blessed them. So what does he do? He says, I have another method. I'll get the believers to marry the unbelievers, and I'll accomplish the same end. They'll be cursed. That's what happened. Deuteronomy 34, I believe it is. I'm not sure now if there's numbers of Deuteronomy, the numbers of Deuteronomy. It's one or the other, numbers or Deuteronomy 34, but it has to do with that. And if you read it, you'll see that this is what happened. Balaam deceived them and they married. Very, very foolish. I think it's probably Deuteronomy. May I say this, beloved, we have to be terribly careful in these last days that we make no mistakes. Young folks, may I assure you God will not curse you. He will bless you if you love Christ. May I say this, there's only one way God can really lose on this, and that's if somehow, just like Balaam of old, you get that idea, it doesn't make much difference who I marry. I want to tell you, it makes a difference. And that's why in Israel's history, Balaam couldn't accomplish what he wanted to by cursing, so he deceived the very men of Israel to marry in with the unbelievers. Got the same result, cursing. Let's make sure that we follow the way of God. Let us pray. Father, we thank Thee for Thy Word and pray Thy blessing upon us this morning, Lord. So tremendous is this. God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent. For what he saith, he saith, is yea, is yea, and is nay, is nay. Father, we pray this morning that if we know the known will of God, and we've prayed about it, and sought it, and we know it, and we know what the Word of God has to say about certain things, We don't keep trying to tug at God and get him to change his mind. He can't do it. He's made up his mind about us. He's made up his mind about his son. He's made up his mind how we shall be saved. He's made up his mind that we can never be lost. He does not regard iniquity in the church of Jesus Christ. Now, Father, touch our hearts this morning with thy word. In Christ's name, amen.