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The Great Controversy 1888
“The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are
open unto their prayers.... And who is he that will harm you, if ye be
followers of that which is good?” [
1 Peter 3:12, 13
.] When Balaam,
allured by the promise of rich rewards, practiced enchantments against
Israel, and by sacrifices to the Lord, sought to invoke a curse upon
his people, the Spirit of God forbade the evil which he longed to
pronounce, and Balaam was forced to exclaim, “How shall I curse,
whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath
not defied?” “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last
end be like his!” When sacrifice had again been offered, the ungodly
prophet declared: “Behold, I have received commandment to bless;
and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity
in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel; the Lord his God
is with him, and the shout of a King is among them.” “Surely there is
no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against
Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What hath God wrought!” [
Numbers 23:8, 10, 20, 21, 23
;
24:9
.] Yet a
third altar was erected, and again Balaam essayed to secure a curse.
But from the unwilling lips of the prophet, the Spirit of God declared
the prosperity of his chosen, and rebuked the folly and malice of their
foes: “Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth
thee.” [
Numbers 24:9
.]
The people of Israel were at this time loyal to God; and so long
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as they continued in obedience to his law, no power in earth or hell
could prevail against them. But the curse which Balaam had not been
permitted to pronounce against God’s people, he finally succeeded in
bringing upon them by seducing them into sin. When they transgressed
God’s commandments, then they separated themselves from him, and
they were left to feel the power of the destroyer.
Satan is well aware that the weakest soul who abides in Christ is
more than a match for the hosts of darkness, and that, should he reveal
himself openly, he would be met and resisted. Therefore he seeks
to draw away the soldiers of the cross from their strong fortification,
while he lies in ambush with his forces, ready to destroy all who
venture upon his ground. Only in humble reliance upon God, and
obedience to all his commandments, can we be secure. No man is
safe for a day or an hour without prayer. Especially should we entreat
the Lord for wisdom to understand his Word. Here are revealed the