CANDLEGLOW LESSON:
Week 40 ~ BALAK (Numbers 22:2-25:9)
This week’s Torah Parashah is an Old Testament story many Christians have never read or heard preached in their churches. It is one of the most intriguing accounts of an occult Priest positioned against the people of God, in order to bring destruction and death to the Nation of Isra’el.
After three unsuccessful attempts to manipulate Adonai to curse the Nation of Isra’el, Balak, an occult Priest, sends soothsayer Balaam on his way. The spiritual warfare ended in utter defeat. How could he bring Isra’el to their knees another way? Ahhh yes…they encamped very near Bael Peor! Ahhh yes…they might be caught off guard in their victory celebrations of two wars just won! Ahhh yes…they might be tempted by the lust of Bael worship, thereby cursing themselves! Bael worship would certainly bring a curse from Adonai upon the Nation of Isra’el.
This is the Lesson of the Lure of the Lost. I saw a vision as I ran and prayed, of Balak casting his lure out into the sea of the occult; first out onto the high place of Ba’al, with seven altars and seven sacrifices to Adonai, in the same place sacrifice was offered to the god of the culture of the day; Ba’al. Next, after defeat at Ba’al in this dark, spiritual war, I saw Balak cast another lure out into the sea of idol worship at the high peak of Pisgah and again, the curses Balak was warring for turned into blessings for the Nation of Israel. Then, the third attempt to cast his lure and capture the lips of Adonai, at the high point of P’or, ends not only in utter failure, but in a majestic oracle of Adonai describing a Star that will rise from Ya’akov, and a Scepter ordained to arise from Isra’el, to crush the corners of Mo’av! Finally, a curse is heard out of the lips of the Lord God Almighty!
This is the Lesson of the Lure of the Lost. The story of Balak shows how insidious and unrelenting is the evil of the enemy, for failures here and there do not deter his evil from finding another route to bring God’s people to their knees! Balak turned from spiritual to physical warfare by enticing the people, one by one, with human lures of Ba’al worship. Ba’al worship was phallic worship thought to move Ba’al to bring fertility and good fortune to the worshipper and their territory. The occultic, sexually perverse practices enticed people to fall deeply, until submerged in sin, like in Sodom and Gomorrah. Ultimately this practice, called an abomination by the Lord, encouraged the sacrifice of infants, to the molten mouth of the god, Molech.
This is the Lesson of the Lure of the Lost. In His goodness, Adonai uses the sins of His nation to teach, warn and galvanize our minds and hearts in the lessons of the lure of a lost world. The enemy will use the spiritual and physical realm in tandem, to bring God’s people to their knees. May we learn, dear seeker! May we turn our faces like flint, from the culture of the day, to gaze upon His beauty. May we speak bold truth, in love! With our God, the admonition is to faithfully choose LIFE! May our desire be for His Ways, His Words, and His Blueprint! May we carry the thread of the tapestry as far as this life allows, until we stand before Adonai still grasping the golden thread used to stitch our headpiece which reads, Set Apart for Adonai!
CANDLEGLOW LESSON FOR SHABBAT:
In the dark days in which we are living, as the world turns further away from the light of God, and deeper into the darkness of the adversary, we must take every thought captive as commanded by the Lord. What does this mean? It means we are to examine our mental attitudes and belief structures, moment by moment, in light of God’s word, assessing our thoughts as TRUTH or LIE! Is this thought or belief structure going to bring light, life and love to me, and those whom I love? Will my thoughts or my belief structures bear fruit for the Kingdom of the Light? It is in intimate unity with the Light of the World, that we will clearly see which Kingdom our thoughts or beliefs have been harvested.
Yeshua told His disciples: “I have said these things to you, so that united with me you may have shalom. In the world, you have troubles. But be brave! I have conquered the world?” (John 16:33 CJB)
Dear seeker, this is to be our dwelling place in these days of the great falling away of the world from God’s truth. This is the way to unite and rest in the peace of the Lord. Jesus warned that in this broken and sin-riddled world we would have some troubles. We know this to be true. He promises we can be brave in spite of our earthly trials, not by our own might, but united with the ONE who has already won the VICTORY!
There is victory for us, because of His victory! Rest now, in the finished work of the Lamb of God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Baruch haba b’shem ADONAI! May you rest in the victory of our Lord tonight, dear treasured people of God!
Shabbat Shalom,
Sydney