Getting What's Coming to You

March 11, 2009

Today's Reading: Numbers 23-24 and Proverbs 20

Imagine if there was an interior decorator who was the classiest in the world. He could make Martha fricking Stewart want to lace herself.

Let’s say he refuses to do it no matter what price you offer him. Not even a million dollars.

Then, all of a sudden, you get a ring from the cellular phone, and the interior decorator has had some sort of odd change of heart. They sound like they would be honored to do your home.

So you invite him over, and go over color styles, and whatnot. The meeting goes great, and you feel like you really see eye-to-eye.

Then interior decorator is then ready to begin. However, instead of using the paints and colors you agreed on, he takes out ketchup and smears it all over the walls and furniture.

“What the hell!” You say.

The interior decorator then says something to the extent of: “Sorry, but I need to sort of clear the air. Now I know exactly what needs to be improved, namely everything. Let me go again.”

Since everything has to be completely redone anyway, you agree. You hope to see the interior decorator removing the wallpaper, or painting over the stains, but instead, he has made them even worse. This time, he has chosen to use mustard!

“Okay, that’s enough,” you’d say, “you’re fired. You are responsible for restoring this to its original form.”

“Fine,” he says, “I will do it myself.”

The interior decorator then gets out a rag, and it looks as if he intends to use it to wipe away the stains. Instead, without you knowing it, he pours ink onto his rag, and makes it so the stains are completely permanent. Nothing short of replacing the drywall is going to improve anything now.

“What is wrong with you!” You scream.

“What is wrong with you?” The interior decorator says back. “I told you that I wouldn’t work for you no matter what you paid me. Did you not believe me?”

This is precisely the situation Balak found himself in when he used Balaam. He paid for a blessing, but instead got a curse. Balaam had already told him that he wouldn’t work for him no matter what he offered, and so Balak got what he paid for.