Lesson 16 – “I Cannot Go Beyond the Word of the Lord”
Taught by Jeff Stone April 25, 2010

Introduction:
While preparing for this lesson, the thing that struck me the most was how Balaam went from being a righteous prophet to a tempter of Israel and ultimately lost his way. It’s a great lesson for us all to constantly keep ourselves in check.

Scriptures Covered in This Lesson:

• Numbers 22
• Numbers 23
• Numbers 24
• Numbers 31: 1 – 16

Short Historical Recap and Summary:

Man of God
Read the three scriptures below . . . what sort of man would you say this person is:

“If [the king] would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God” (Numbers 22:18).

“All that the Lord speaketh, that I must do” (Numbers 23:26).

“I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak” (Numbers 24:13).

Man of Man
Now read these three scriptures below . . . what sort of man would you say he is:

“Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” (2 Peter 15-16)

“Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude 1:11)

“But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” (Revelation 2:14)

As you likely know, both sets of scriptures are referring to the same man, Balaam.

Points To Ponder

This lesson brought up several excellent questions that I think we should each ask ourselves. It all relates back to Alma’s question about your change of heart. You felt it once, but “can you feel so now?” (Alma 5:26)

Think about these two questions . . . they could also lead to excellent Family Home Evening discussions.

1. Although Balaam refused Balak’s requests to curse Israel, he was willing to follow Balak from place to place and listen to his requests even though he knew they were wrong.) What are the dangers of listening to unrighteous suggestions (from friends or the media, for example) when we know they are wrong?
2. What Lessons can we learn from this story?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:
“What a story this is! Here is a prophet of God who is firmly committed to declare only what the Lord of heaven directs. There does not seem to be the slightest doubt in his mind about the course he should pursue. He represents the Lord, and neither a house full of gold and silver nor high honors offered by the king can sway him from his determined course . . .

“But greed for wealth and lust for honor beckon him. How marvelous it would be [for him] to be rich and powerful . . . Perhaps the Lord would let him compromise his standards and have some worldly prosperity and power . . . I wonder how often some of us get our direction from the Church and then, Balaam-like, plead for some worldly rewards . . .

“Balaam, . . . inspired and mighty as he once was, lost his soul in the end because he set his heart on the things of this world rather than the riches of eternity” (“The Story of a Prophet’s Madness,” New Era, Apr. 1972, 7).

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