WHAT MEN ARE THESE WITH THEE?
“And God came unto Balaam, and said, What
men are these with thee?” (Nu 22: 9)
Balaam was a false prophet. (2
Pet 2: 15) When God’s enemies came to hire Balaam to curse God’s people, Balaam
told them to spend the night while he sought direction from God. It was during
the night that God asked Balaam this question.
God knows the company we keep in this world. (Job 34: 21; Ps 138: 6) Everything
God was doing here was for his people. God watches over his people and protects
them from evil. But God also knows the
proud and brings them down for the sake of his people. (2 Sam 22: 28) So God knew who the men were that were with
Balaam. But God will have Balaam to answer this question with his own mouth.
As we enter a new year, this is a good
question for every believer to always answer about ourselves, “What men are these with thee?” Am I in the
company of God’s chosen, redeemed, sanctified people? Or am I in the company of God’s enemies? Am I seeking the glory of my Redeemer? Or am I seeking the mammon of unrighteousness
which Balaam loved? If God took notice
of the company that was with this false prophet then God certainly knows the
company that his people keep.
Does it matter, before God, what company a
believer keeps? It certainly does. Believers are instructed throughout the
scriptures to “walk in the way of good
men, and keep the paths of the righteous.” (Pro 2: 20) From the time our Redeemer entered this earth
until he bore the sins of all God’s elect people, he suffered rejection from
God-hating sinners and self-righteous religionists. We should expect to be rejected for the same
reasons he was: one company will reject us because we refuse to condone their
sin, the other company will reject us because we refuse to condone their freewill,
self-righteous religion. But since Christ suffered for us we should no longer
keep company with such men but “live the
rest of our time in the flesh, not to the lusts of men, but to the will of
God.” (1 Pet 5: 3-5)
We have to work, go to school and live
alongside sinners. Therefore, we should
always be ready to teach sinners the gospel and receive sinners. But we should never be yoked with sinners or
approve of sinners who live in constant rebellion against God, whether they be
outside of religion or within religion.
Balaam did not flee to Christ. He chose the
wages of unrighteousness, making his company the enemies of God. But believer,
“What men are these with thee?” Our
company is Christ, the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Our company loved us with the infinite,
unchanging, unchangeable love of God.
Our company are brethren bought
with the price of Christ’s precious blood, delivered from this present evil
world, and saved by the Lord.
Ours is a company of pilgrims
on our way to heavenly Canaan who
shall pass over to a goodly land! Let us thank God as we answer the question, “what
men are these with thee?”
Therefore, throughout the New Year and beyond, in every situation, let us be like Peter and
John when they were released from prison by the enemies of God, “And being
let go, they went to their own company…” (Acts 4: 23)