A friend and I exchange magazines. She knows I like "The Bible Today." While cleaning her bookcase, she found a year of "The Bible Today." The year is 2001. I started reading the January/February 2001 issue. In the article, "Prophet or Magician?", by Michael S. Moore, a sentence hit me right between the eyes.
... Why do we sometimes have to deal with unexpected crises when it looks like we've finally made it out of "the wilderness?" Why do our marriages sometimes hit bottom just when we thought that everything was working out? Why do our parishes sometimes get hit with every conceivable problem (natural disaster, war, moral rebellion, sexual scandal, economic downturns, immigration problems, etc.) just when things are starting to turn around? Why do we have to go through an embarrassing presidential impeachment just when the economy is doing so well and prosperity is abundant?
2001, the president was Bill Clinton. Today the president being impeached is Donald Trump.
While the sentence is noteworthy, I hope we don't lose the lesson the article is teaching. The article is about the soothsayer King Balak hired. His name is Balaam. Balaam was hired to put a curse on the Israelites traveling across the desert. Moses and the Israelites had fled the Egyptians and in making their way across the desert were mowing down all that was in their way. King Balak was nervous that his kingdom would be next. Hence, he hired Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites.
It wasn't easy. In fact, Balaam failed. He tried twice. But Balaam is a believer. He realizes that Israel's God is the true God.
Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times. (Num 24:1) Sometimes we have to fail a few times before we realize that what we are doing isn't God's Will. Then we have to have a "tete a tete" with God. We have to discern and see what is going on, not with our own eyes but with others. Perhaps, now, as then, it's best to just move on.
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