But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?
Balaam declared that he must do all that the Lord speaks, being bound to speak and to do whatever God gave him. He was unable to speak or to act against what God commanded him. He therefore could not curse Israel when God had not cursed them, but had to leave the blessing upon them as God had placed it. Balak repeatedly tried to move him from one place to another in order to get a different result, yet none of those removals could make him turn Israel's blessing into a curse.
That unyielding course illustrates remaining faithful to God's word under pressure, as with Luther, who likewise could not be moved from his decision to stand by God's word. Repeated efforts to sway him, the lure of human applause, and the pressure of fear all proved powerless against that resolve.
Balaam declared that he must do all that the Lord speaks, being bound to speak and to do whatever God gave him. He was unable to speak or to act against what God commanded him. He therefore could not curse Israel when God had not cursed them, but had to leave the blessing upon them as God had placed it. Balak repeatedly tried to move him from one place to another in order to get a different result, yet none of those removals could make him turn Israel's blessing into a curse.
That unyielding course illustrates remaining faithful to God's word under pressure, as with Luther, who likewise could not be moved from his decision to stand by God's word. Repeated efforts to sway him, the lure of human applause, and the pressure of fear all proved powerless against that resolve.