I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. – Numbers 23:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (October 4, 2015): Numbers 23

Pope Francis was able to avoid any discussion around same sex marriage while he was on his ten-day visit to Cuba and the United States, but he apparently couldn’t avoid the question on his way home. The Roman Catholic Church (and most of Christianity) has opposed gay marriage since it was first proposed (the history of same sex marriage is an extremely short one, much has changed on this front in the past couple of decades), often simply desiring to find another word that could be used to describe a same-sex union while also protecting the rights of a gay couple.  But Pope Francis’ comment was not directed at the idea of the union itself, but at the highly publicized Kim Davis case which has caused a stir within the United States and has reached even the political campaigns that are currently being waged within the nation. According to Francis, conscientious objection is a basic human right. No should be made to do something that is against what they believe – even if that inaction violates a law of the land. "I can't have in mind all cases that can exist about conscientious objection but, yes, I can say that conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right," he said, speaking in Italian. "And if someone does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right."

It is a sentiment with which the Protestant Reformers would have found agreed. In fact, if the Pontiffs who reigned during the reformation had maintained this attitude, much of the division between the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches and the Reformation Churches would never have been given an opportunity to take root. And it is a basic right in my religious tradition – the right to do whatever God is asking me to do.

Balaam finds himself in an uncomfortable position. He has been hired by Balak to curse Israel. He has shared in a fellowship meal with Balak and he has eaten food that was Balak sacrificed to Ba’al, and yet he still retains some allegiance to this God of Israel. And as he comes out from his conversations with God to converse with Balak, essentially he begins cursing Balak and blessing Israel. And as he does this, he is essentially becoming a conscientious objector. No matter what Balak may want to pay him, he cannot violate his conscience – he must bless who God wants him to bless – and on the other side of the coin he must curse those that God wishes him to curse. This is Balaam’s right.

But Balaam probably knows something else – his words are useless if they violate God’s will. The incident on the road between God, Balaam and a talking donkey proved that. Balaam’s job is not just to curse Israel with his own meaningless words. To be a success, Balaam knows that he must envision a way to remove Israel’s blessing and thereby attract the anger of this God that Israel serves. This is the only path that will achieve all that Balak wants to achieve. And (spoiler alert) this is the task to which Balaam would soon place his efforts.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers 24