And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?
Balak, the king of Moab, summoned Balaam to curse Israel in order to accomplish their destruction, leading him from one place to another in the vain hope of getting him to turn the blessing of Israel into a curse. Balaam was a corrupt and hypocritical seeker of gain whose heart longed to curse Israel for reward, and though acknowledged as a prophet of the Lord he proved unfaithful to his trust and, if permitted, would have presented God's people in a false light. He was bound, controlled and constrained by the power of God to take heed to speak only what the Lord put in his mouth, so his prophecy of blessing upon Israel could not be changed into a curse. Though he presents his words as conscientious obedience, they were forced from him by divine power, so he could not give Balak the curse he wanted and instead unwillingly blessed Israel.
The blessing he pronounced upon Israel was the richest and most sublime blessing in the most exalted strains of inspiration, proclaiming Israel as God's chosen under the protection of God's almighty power, poetry of great beauty. This displayed the goodness and mercy of God by giving Moab and Midian evidence upon evidence and clear and distinct light that the mighty Jehovah was the God they should serve, which even the Moabites could see, and it was the last ray of light shining upon a stiff-necked people who set their wills in defiance of God's will before their cup of iniquity became full. The verse illustrates that human applause and the fear of man are alike powerless against one sustained by divine power to speak God's word, as the bishop with Luther succeeded no better than the king of Moab with Balaam.
Balak, the king of Moab, summoned Balaam to curse Israel in order to accomplish their destruction, leading him from one place to another in the vain hope of getting him to turn the blessing of Israel into a curse. Balaam was a corrupt and hypocritical seeker of gain whose heart longed to curse Israel for reward, and though acknowledged as a prophet of the Lord he proved unfaithful to his trust and, if permitted, would have presented God's people in a false light. He was bound, controlled and constrained by the power of God to take heed to speak only what the Lord put in his mouth, so his prophecy of blessing upon Israel could not be changed into a curse. Though he presents his words as conscientious obedience, they were forced from him by divine power, so he could not give Balak the curse he wanted and instead unwillingly blessed Israel.
The blessing he pronounced upon Israel was the richest and most sublime blessing in the most exalted strains of inspiration, proclaiming Israel as God's chosen under the protection of God's almighty power, poetry of great beauty. This displayed the goodness and mercy of God by giving Moab and Midian evidence upon evidence and clear and distinct light that the mighty Jehovah was the God they should serve, which even the Moabites could see, and it was the last ray of light shining upon a stiff-necked people who set their wills in defiance of God's will before their cup of iniquity became full. The verse illustrates that human applause and the fear of man are alike powerless against one sustained by divine power to speak God's word, as the bishop with Luther succeeded no better than the king of Moab with Balaam.