“Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” Numbers 23:20 (NKJV)

This is somewhat of a familiar passage of Scripture to those of us who are avid students of the Word. This is a story, or a situation, that occurred when the children of Israel were coming out of Egypt, and they were passing through various lands.

Here they are going through Moab, and the king of Moab sees this great multitude coming out of the wilderness, coming out of Egypt. We don’t know exactly where he picks up sight of the children of Israel, but fear grips his heart.

In his mind, he thinks that he’s going to get some help from someone to put a spell on this multitude of people, that he would be able to conquer them.

We know that God is the one who is leading the children of Israel, because when He brought them out of Egypt, He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

God’s visible presence was with the children of Israel. They were covered while they were in the desert, and at night they were not vulnerable to ambushes because there was light around them.

It was known that the Almighty God was among them.

So Balak, the king of Moab, calls Balaam.

There’s debate about Balaam — whether he was a true prophet of God or a false prophet. Call him a wizard or a warlock, whatever you want to call him.

But nonetheless, Balaam is there, and God is going to speak to him. He’s going to speak some things concerning God’s plan and determination for the children of Israel.

We pick it up in verse 18. Balaam takes up his oracle and says:

“Rise, O Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.” (NKJV)

He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.

Balaam was hired to curse the children of Israel, to speak words over them that would cause them harm.

There are people who mean us no good. Sometimes Satan uses people, but we know according to God’s Word that no weapon formed against us shall prosper.

God has spoken over our lives and commanded the blessing.

Where God commands the blessing, there is nothing anyone else can do about it. If God is for us, who can be against us?

We are to speak God’s Word over our lives. Don’t always rehearse the negative report.

Find out what God’s Word says about your situation and speak what His Word says over your life. Be in agreement with God.

Sometimes people rehearse every ailment they have, but the Word of God says that by Jesus’ stripes we were healed.

Whose report will you believe?

We should be confessing and declaring God’s Word, even bringing His Word back to Him, because He said, “Put Me in remembrance.”

I remember a situation at my job where a supervisor lied about me, saying that I had cursed him out.

Thank God for witnesses. My coworkers stood up and said, “We’ve known him for years and never heard him curse anyone.”

God came to my defense through them. The situation turned out badly for the one who meant me harm.

God rises to our defense.

We need to live in such a way that God can raise character witnesses for us.

We are blessed — not arrogantly — but because God has blessed us. What God has blessed, no man can curse.

So speak life over yourself.

Father, we thank You and praise You. We thank You that no weapon formed against us shall prosper.

We thank You that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, who loves us.

We give You the praise, the glory, and the honor, in Jesus’ name. Amen.