2When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him
This man, Balaam, is an interesting character. He has a reputation of getting messages from God. He has been sought out in order to curse Israel so that Balak, Israel’s enemy might get the upper hand. But each time Balaam has asked what he should say about Israel, he gets words of blessing. He used sorcery to get his messages. The amazing thing is that the Lord spoke through the sorcery. God can use any spokesperson. He used a donkey, and now he is going to use Balaam. But this third time something different happens. Instead of his usual practices, Balaam simply opens himself up to the presence of the Lord. And then the Lord speaks. Maybe the previous utterances were nothing more than showmanship. Balaam has heard the Lord speak before. He was warned repeatedly to only speak the words the Lord gives. And yet, something different happens: God’s Spirit overtakes him. There have been times when the Lord has entered in very powerful ways. When He enters like that, it is a whole new ballgame.
The Arnold Journey 