“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
(Numbers 23:19)
One of the strangest stories in Scripture is found in Numbers 22 and 23. Balak, a pagan king, hires the false prophet Balaam to curse the people of God. Balak’s plan is calculated. Israel is numerous. They are feared by the king and must be weakened. So he summons Balaam to curse them.
And though Balaam intends harm, when he opens his mouth, he finds himself trapped by the unchangeable will of God. “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?” He confesses that no lesser power can undo what the Lord has established. What God has blessed stands firm, and what God has loved cannot be overturned by incantations, threats, or schemes.
Balaam goes further than Balak ever wanted. He does not merely refuse to curse Israel. He pronounces them happy. Happy in life. Happy in death. “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.” Even an unrighteous prophet recognizes the end of God’s people. He sees stability, favor, and hope bound up with them, not because of their strength but because of their God.
At the center of this forced prophecy stands the great truth of God’s nature. “God is not a man, that he should lie.” Human beings speak and revise. They promise and retract. They say more than they mean. They change with pressure, fear, or regret. God does none of this. He does not speak loosely. He does not repent as men repent. His word is not tentative and His purposes do not vary. When He says, He does. When He speaks, He makes it good.[1]
Balaam confesses that he has received a command to bless, and that blessing cannot be reversed. And that’s because Israel’s God is faithful. His love toward His people is unshakable. No power in the world can separate them from His blessing. Even a prophet hired to destroy them must admit defeat before divine constancy.
Contemplations:
- God’s truthfulness without shadow. I am humbled by how different God is from me. I speak too quickly. I promise too lightly. I change when it costs me something. God does not. He never adjusts His truth to fit circumstances which allows me to rest in His faithfulness and trust His promises.
- Blessing that cannot be reversed. I find deep comfort knowing that what God has blessed cannot be undone by human schemes. Even hostile voices cannot cancel His favor. This truth draws me to worship and thanksgiving.
- The God who overrules evil intent. I am struck by how God uses even corrupt instruments to proclaim His truth. Balaam’s heart was wrong, yet God’s word came out right. Evil intent does not threaten Him and resistance does not weaken Him; He remains Lord of all.
- Holiness that matches faithfulness. I cannot adore God’s faithfulness without also honoring His holiness. He does not lie, but He also does not ignore sin. I want to worship Him as the God who is both steadfast in love and unwavering in righteousness.
Prayer (Adoration)
O eternal and unchangeable God, You are not like us. You do not speak and then regret it. You do not promise and then forget. You do not adjust truth to suit the moment. What You say stands. What You declare endures.
You have shown Yourself faithful even through unwilling mouths. You forced truth from a prophet with selfish intent. You made blessing rise where cursing was intended. I worship You as the God whose purposes cannot be hijacked and whose word cannot be silenced.
You are not impressed by power, threatened by opposition, or confused by human plots. Kings may scheme. Counselors may whisper. Hearts may burn with malice. Still, Your word stands upright and unbent.
You have declared blessing over Your people, and no force in heaven or earth can reverse it. I praise You for love that does not waver and favor that does not expire. When You bless, You bless fully. When You promise, You bind Yourself to Your own truth. There is no safer place than within what You have spoken.
I adore You for being a God who does not lie nor deceive. Your holiness is clean and sharp, Your faithfulness strong and steady. You are the same in judgment and in mercy.
I worship You as the God who resists sin without abandoning covenant, who disciplines without denying Your promises, and who remains true even when Your people stumble. You do not save by being flexible with truth but by being faithful to it.
Receive my praise, Lord. And let my worship rest solely in who You are. You have spoken and You will do it. You have declared and You will make it good. And that is enough.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Numbers 23:19:
1 Sam. 15:29; Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:18; Mal. 3:6
[1] Thomas Manton, A Fourth Volume Containing One Hundred and Fifty Sermons on Several Texts of Scripture in Two Parts, (London: J. D. and are to be sold by Jonathon Robinson .., 1693), 803.
