Numbers 22:15

Numbers 22:15 says, And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.  Balak once again sent princes to Balaam to get him to do what he wanted him to do instead of what God had told him to do.  We are told that there were more of the princes this time and that they were mote honorable.  Balik appealed to Balaam's pride by sending more, higher ranking men to him, and Matthew Henry said probably with more money to offer him.  We should not be surprised if the people of the world flatter us today as followers of Christ to attempt to draw us away from doing His will, and sometimes they may even tempt us  with more money.  Verse sixteen adds, And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:  These princes said that Balak asked that Balaam not allow anything to prevent him from coming to him and doing what he wanted Balaam to do.  This would have included God, since Balaam had already told Balak that God prevented him from coming.  Once God forbids us from doing something, no amount of flattery or money should cause us to do it.  Verse seventeen continues, For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.  Balak promised Balaam very great honor and anything he wanted if he would just come and curse the people of Israel, God's chosen people, which God had already forbidden him to do.  No amount of honor or money should tempt us to do something contrary to God's will today.  Verse eighteen states, And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.  Balaam stood firm in his obedience to God at this point, saying even a house full of silver and gold would not get him to go against God's will.  We still need to stand firm in our obedience to God today, no matter how much the world may offer us to go against Him.  Verse nineteen adds, Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.  Balaam again asked the princes to stay for the night while he sought God's will, which had already been revealed to him previously.  If God has already told us what to do, we do not need to let prestige or money change our mind about it. Sometimes we say we are seeking God's will, when in reality we are just seeking His endorsement of what we plan to do.  Verse twenty continues, And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.  God this time told Balaam to go with them, but to only say what God told him to say.  He was not now being sent to do what Balak wanted him to do, but to share God's word instead.  God did not change His mind about Balaam going and cursing the people of Israel, but only told him that if he was determined to go, which his asking God once again about something that should have already been settled, then he could go, but he was still to obey God in what he said.  We may be allowed by God to find ourselves in the wrong place, but even if we are we must remain true to God's word.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.  Balaam rose up early and went with the princes.  Since he knew God had not changed His mind about what Balaam could do when he got there, there was really no need for him to go.  We need to be careful that we don't allow ourselves to be tempted to go somewhere that God has already told us not to go.