ESOCS Devotional 12 June 2026 – Blessed Beyond Curse
MEMORY VERSE: “And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.” Numbers 22:12
TEXT: NUMBERS 22:1-35
Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of [c]the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’ ”
12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.”
14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”
15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”
18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”
20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”
And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”
35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.t Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
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Blessing is the perfect cure for curses. Yes! Nothing humbles, humiliates, eliminates, destabilizes, or destroys curses like blessing. When blessing is on ground, curses are rendered useless, baseless, powerless, and inconsequential. The fear of the Israelites came upon the Moabites under the leadership of Balak because of their numerical strength. Interestingly, the fear of Balak is connected to the exploit and triumph of the Israelites over the Amorites.
This fear prompted Balak to send for Balaam to place a curse on the Israelites with the belief that whatever he says stands. When the messengers came to deliver the message, he consulted God first, and this is what God has to say, “…Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed”. The meaning of that is, ‘I have blessed this people too much that no curse can survive around them’. God literality barred Balaam from cursing the people on the frequency of the Blessing.
Blessing possesses the power to override curses. The powers are as follows:
Foundational power: From creation, the place of the foundation has never been disputed. No wonder the question “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). It is worth noting that Blessing is the foundation of human existence. The first thing God said to man upon creation is the Blessing: “And God blessed them…” (Gen. 1:28). This foundation has a generational relevance that cannot be changed: “… for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid…” (1 Cor. 3:11). Thus, it is not possible to lay blocks filled with curse on a foundation of Blessing. The foundational power of the Blessing is what neutralizes the curses, no matter who releases the curse.
Supernatural power: The answer to the natural is the supernatural. God cannot bless a man and then any other element dares to curse him: “…For they are blessed.” The supernatural force is by far greater than the natural. The Scripture says, “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?” (Lam. 3:37); “Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass” (Isaiah 7:7); “He that cometh from above is above all…” (John 3:31). The Blessing came from above; hence, it is beyond the earth. Let it be settled in your heart that you are blessed beyond the curse of men, the devil, and his agents.
Reflections
- Consult and hear from God before carrying out any action.
Prayer
- Lord, thank you for your blessings upon my life, and for placing me above cures.
Further Reading: Numbers 22:1-35; Deuteronomy 10:12-End; John 11:1-44; Revelation 8:1-End
ESOCS Devotional 12 June 2026
