Balaam and the children of Israel in Exodus are scary stories because it is easy to see how I have the avalibility of some of their worse traits. They showed that you can get in the presence of the Lord, see his miracles, and still remain the same. Not everyone gets the message. Even Moses, the greatest of the great, didn’t pay attention all the time and failed to enter the promised land. These stories should create a powerful sense of humility in all Bible readers. All are vulnerable to ignoring the Lord from the greatest to the worst.

Balaam seemed to be a great guy at the beginning, blessing the Israelites instead of cursing them. He was under duress. The Lord was speaking to him, but clearly required him to bless instead of curse. Later, Balaam was killed by the Israelites. He betrayed them and God when he was left up to his own ambitions. He changed his behavior in the presence of God, but not his heart.

The Israelites were the same. They came to crisis, behaved terribly, were rescued, behaved well for a while, until the next crisis. They behaved when pressed and believed when convenient, but they never changed their hearts toward God. They died in the wilderness. This is terribly scary when you think about what they witnessed. Was that just them? How about now, today? What about you and me?

We are surrounded by the miraculous presence of God every day in all of life. Nature boasts of God. Every event in our world testifies to elements of truth God revealed in scripture, truth about the nature of sin and its fruits and the nature of salvation and its fruits. How is it possible to ignore the presence of the creator of life when He is constantly working to reveal Himself to us?  Do we see the lack of profit like Balaam or the hardships like the children of Israel? Is there some other reason, like if God is God then I can’t be? Why is He so visible to some and not to others? Do you have to believe to see or see to believe?

We can start with the tangible. Scripture is truth. It clearly paints a picture of God. It clearly reveals the humanity of man. It clearly reveals the sin that brings suffering into life. He clearly provided a rescue through Jesus. The picture is painted clearly. We can look in scripture and look in life and see Him. Here is the hard part. We have to choose to see or ignore. One way or the other, we choose the visible or the invisible God of creation. Jesus is alive. He rescues every day. Salvation is the start in a lifetime of rescues. We are not in this wilderness alone. He is visible to those who choose Him. Let us open our eyes together and share the Jesus we see in our midst.