Numbers 22:12-22 “And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." … (21) So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. (22) Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.”
In this section we are discussing the foolishness of saints trying to bless those whom the Lord may have judged. In the above example given in scripture this exact scenario took place, only in reverse. If you read the full context of this account you will see that the prophet Balaam was trying to curse the children of Israel, even after the Lord had told him not to do so because the Lord had blessed them. Balaam stubbornly went ahead in trying to curse them however because of his love of money, for the people who hired him, offered him great reward if he would curse Israel for them. And so in continuing to try and curse those whom God had blessed, Balaam found himself in direct opposition to the Lord, and it almost cost him his life. For we all know the account of how Balaam’s donkey saved him from the angel’s sword and certain death. Again, this account was written for our instruction to show us that it is not wise for us to go against God in trying to curse those whom He has blessed. But in the same manner it is also not wise for us to go against God in trying to bless those whom He has judged.
2 John 1:9-11 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. (10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; (11) for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”
In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle John warns believers not to invite certain people into their homes or to even greet them. In context, the people the Holy Spirit is referring to in this passage are those who are knowingly preaching a false or a distorted gospel. And so the Lord tells us that if we go ahead and invite these people into our homes or even greet them, then we have become partakers in their evil deeds. To share in their evil deeds implies that we will incur the same judgement that our Lord has pronounced on these individuals. Therefore how much more won’t the believer be judged, who then lays their hands on people such as these to try and bless them. Very clearly we should not be naïve but rather be aware regarding the people we lay hands on.
Michael E.B. Maher
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