And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,
In this verse Balaam reminds Balak that he had already warned the messengers Balak sent to him. The warning was that he could not speak freely but could speak only the words God gave him. The setting is Balak's repeated efforts to persuade Balaam to curse Israel rather than bless them. Balaam therefore had to bless Israel instead of carrying out Balak's wish to curse them.
Balaam longed to curse Israel even while he was compelled to bless them. He was disappointed because his course brought him neither the riches nor the honor he had hoped for. The failure of Balak's efforts shows that human pressure cannot overcome steadfastness sustained by divine power, the same pattern seen when repeated attempts to change Luther's decision failed.
In this verse Balaam reminds Balak that he had already warned the messengers Balak sent to him. The warning was that he could not speak freely but could speak only the words God gave him. The setting is Balak's repeated efforts to persuade Balaam to curse Israel rather than bless them. Balaam therefore had to bless Israel instead of carrying out Balak's wish to curse them.
Balaam longed to curse Israel even while he was compelled to bless them. He was disappointed because his course brought him neither the riches nor the honor he had hoped for. The failure of Balak's efforts shows that human pressure cannot overcome steadfastness sustained by divine power, the same pattern seen when repeated attempts to change Luther's decision failed.