The Watchman's Diary

“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.” (Numbers 24:17, NKJV)

Greed has led to the demise of many from ages past and is even more evident today. Balaam declared his oracle as from “…the man whose eyes are open”…”and has knowledge of the Most High” yet his love of money was far more influential than his knowledge of the Most High. The corrupting influence of gain is behind almost any betrayal and is borne out in the label “sellout”!

Self interest has caused many of us to develop a level of shortsightedness that robs us of the promises of God. We focus so much on today and tomorrow that we throw prophecy out the window and explain away everything as it best suits us. It is no wonder that so many desperately seek God only when they know there time is short. But how many of us get that chance? Who among us know what lies ahead and whether tomorrow is guaranteed?

Balaam declared that his eyes were open but he was evidently seeing the prospect of making a profit more clearly than he saw God. He declared that he had knowledge of the Most High but did he only know about God? For God declared that we should “seek good and not evil.” (Amos 5:14a)

Balaam spoke the words God told him to. He inquired of God and God responded to him but that wasn’t enough to sway his greed or stop him from seeking his own interests above those of God. Similarly, there are those today who preach from the word of God but their hearts are far from him. They preach the good news but their practices are evil. They are those who the Prophet Amos wrote about saying “I know your manifold transgressions and your sins: afflicting the just and taking bribes; diverting the poor from justice at the gate.” (Amos 5:12)

Do they think that the Lord of Hosts is unaware of there treacherous deeds as they pay lip-service to the masses? I can assure you he sees all that we do and think! God warns that “Indeed, the wages of the laborers who have mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.” (James 5:4)

It seems the church has come to accept the notion that we can fix the ills of this world through legislation and court rulings. We readily sign away our voices to those who speak smoothly; those who repeat catch phrases that appeal to our self-serving desires. Even though time and again this trust in people have led us down and even darker path. Our political leaders and courts continue to make and adopt laws that defy the word of God. To this Isaiah declares, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.” (Isaiah 10:1-3)

In time past, the Christian community took up the mantra “what would Jesus do (WWJD)”. As the percentage of Christians who read the bible on a regular basis drops, so has the desire to identify ourselves with the teachings of Jesus. It is worth pointing out the Jesus’ commands are not just limited to the Gospels and the book of Revelation.  What would Jesus do? Jesus said His food is to do His Father’s will. So what is His Father’s will? The Prophet Micah tell us “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)