Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
God Finishes What He Starts
Have you ever tried to make something happen that just wasn’t to be? Sometimes it almost seems as if the entire universe is against you. That was actually the case with a man named Balaam. He was a prophet of sorts who was hired by a king named Balak to basically be a secret weapon against Israel. Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel, and they tried to do so from a high place dedicated to Baal.
Here you have Balaam, Balak, and Baal dedicated to the purpose of cursing Israel. Well, that wasn’t going to happen because God finishes what He starts. In verse 19 Balaam, almost in spite of himself, replied to Balak, “God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” You may have tried to make something happen that just wasn’t to be, but not God. God would have been lying if He had allowed Balaam to curse Israel, the country He had said that He would bless and through which He would bless all the nations of the earth.
You are not Israel, but you belong to God if you have trusted Jesus Christ by faith. God will finish what He started in you. The Bible says, “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ,” and, “Faithful is he that that calleth you, who also will do it.”
God will finish what He starts no matter the opposition. Balaam, Balak, and Baal all wished to curse Israel, but God made a promise to Abraham. He is going to keep that promise.
God will finish what He starts no matter the time or place. In Numbers 23:13 Balak says to Balaam, “Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place.” If it didn’t work at one place maybe they could curse Israel in another. Verse 16 says, “And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak and say thus.” It didn’t matter where or when: God does not change.
God will finish what He starts no matter our imperfections. In verse 21 Balaam said, “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him.” Israel was not perfect, but God would not curse His own people whom He brought out of Egypt, took through the Red Sea, and provided with food from heaven. Verse 22 says emphatically, “God brought them out of Egypt.” God will finish what He starts.
What did God finish? Numbers 24:17 says, “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab.” This is a reference to the Messiah. God was going to send the Messiah, and nothing in heaven or earth was going to stop that.
Now we are a different people in a different day. The Messiah will not come through us, but He has come for us. If God is with you, who can be against you? God will finish what He starts. He did, He is, and He will today.