What does the Bible say about God turning curses into blessings (Deuteronomy 23:5)?

We study this grave chapter in Israel's history with deep interest because it concerns us vitally. What have we been towards our God during the days of our pilgrimage? We must all bow our heads with sadness and shame as we put this question to our hearts. But can our shortcomings affect God's counsels of grace concerning us? Will He cease to love us, erase our names from the book of life, and fling us back to where He found us? Blessed be His holy name, NO! He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; He has taken us into favour in the Beloved; He has washed, sanctified, and justified us; and has sealed and anointed us with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 1:21-22). All this must stand for ever, for God is faithful, whatever His people may be. In His righteous government He may chasten us even as He chastened Israel of old, but He will never abandon His counsels of grace. "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). Listen to Moses in Deut. 23:5: "Jehovah thy God would not hearken to Balaam, but Jehovah thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee;" similarly, all our blessings are secured in the risen Christ, and the Father loves us as He loves Him.

When Jehovah told Moses of the diabolical conspiracy against Israel he might well have said in the language of the Psalmist: "Thou hast seen it; for Thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with Thy hand. Break Thou the arm of the wicked; and as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness till Thou find none" (Ps. 10:14-15). When he told the people of the danger which had threatened them, Moses said: "They hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. Nevertheless Jehovah thy God would not hearken to Balaam; but Jehovah thy God turned the curse into a blessing to thee, because Jehovah thy God loved thee" (Deut. 23:4-5). Precious words — "because Jehovah thy God loved thee!" But how poor the response from faithless human hearts!

An earlier instance occurs to the mind also where this comes out not less clearly. When Israel, on their way from Egypt came into the region of Moab, marked hostility from that people, and also from the Ammonites and Midianites, was manifested to their approach. A form of that hostility, which they themselves had no knowledge of even, Balaam the prophet with his enchantment and divination being the agent, was being employed against them on the high places overlooking their camp. Again and again did Balak, king of Moab, seek to utilise these hostile influences against this people whom he hated as much as he feared; but God intervened on each occasion. Truly could it be said of His people "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." There was "no enchantment against Jacob, neither any divination against Israel." Jehovah their God turned the curse into a blessing unto them, and — wherefore? "Because Jehovah thy God loved thee" (Deut. 23:5). And that always is the great reason of God's intervention.

Hatred and unbelief think of circumstances, and Balak, having been frightened by the sight of Israel, seeks in the folly of unbelief to withdraw Balaam from the influence of what he dreaded himself, for unbelief never thinks of the thoughts of the Lord, from whom surely the people was not hidden. His perseverance in seeking the curse enlarged the blessing; it is always thus. He does not know God, and God could not merely repeat the blessing already given, thus it is continually developed.

The great principle of the Balaamic history is that God was the unsolicited Guardian and Blesser of His people. The machinations of enemies go on, and that unknown to Israel, who consequently seeks nothing from God, but He is active for His people from His own grace to them, and nothing escapes Him. "Who are these men that come to thee?" says God to Balaam. God began as He did with Satan in Job's case, "Hast thou considered my servant Job?" On the other hand, Balak is in entire and all-perverting darkness. First Israel was forbidden to touch Moab, next he says, "He whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed," and he was seeking to bring the curse on Israel when God had said, "Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee," so that he was just bringing it on himself.

Thus it was with Israel, in the plains of Moab. They had their ways, and God had His thoughts; and while He had, often and often, to reprove them for their ways, to speak plainly to them about their perverseness and stiff-neckedness, yet no sooner did the covetous prophet appear upon the scene, to curse Israel, than the Lord placed Himself right between His people and the enemy to turn the curse into a blessing, and pour forth the most sublime and marvellous strains of testimony on their behalf.

Having some knowledge of these terrible forces of evil, Balaam was willing to be their tool for the destruction of God's people Israel, but Jehovah, who loved the people, frustrated him at every point, and from his lips there flowed not curses but blessings!

It is profoundly interesting to witness the scene enacted on the high places of Baal, to mark the grand question at stake, to listen to the speakers, to be admitted behind the scenes on such a momentous occasion. How little did Israel know or imagine what was going on between Jehovah and the enemy. It may be they were murmuring in their tents at the very moment in the which God was setting forth their perfection by the tongue of the covetous prophet. Balak would fain have Israel cursed; but, blessed be God, He will not suffer any one to curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things; but He will not suffer another to move his tongue against them. He may have to expose them to themselves; but He will not allow a stranger to expose them.

The attack is commenced by the performance of an elaborate set of mystic rites and sacrifices on the part of the king and Balaam, who then regard the unconscious Israelites from the summit of the hills, and prepare to invoke the mysterious power and malignant craft of the devilish realms against them. But Balaam stood too near to the burnt sacrifice (Num. 23:6) to be able to effect this. (?) The savour of that which represented the work of Christ ascended to the God Who never fails to honour that sacrifice, and the curse is changed into a blessing. This benediction is four-fold and discloses to us a marvellous affluence of divine favour:

Having stated clearly what was expected, Balaam was constrained to say, "How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah has not denounced?'' (J. N. Darby prefers the word "denounce" to "defy"). This should have sufficed to break up the meeting. No success was possible and the sequel proved that the more the enemies of God's people sought to draw forth a curse against them, the more richly and fully the blessing flowed.