"WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT" (NUMBERS 23:23-24)

This Old Testament quotation is familiar to anyone interested in the history of technology in America since they are the first words ever transmitted in America using Morse code by telegraph. This happened on May 24, 1844, and they were used to inaugurate the opening of the Washington-Baltimore line. These four words from the King James Version signaled the dawn of the coming technological age, and they were specially chosen by Samuel Morse since in their original context (Numbers 23:23-24) they were a reference to the divine imperative for the Israelites to inherit the Holy Land. Thus, they fit in quite well with the prevailing notion among Americans at the time of the divine imperative for the United States to totally conquer and rule over the territory God had given them. And the invention of the telegraph was one of the key ways in which the whole country would come to be united.

But who said these words in the original biblical context? You may be surprised to learn that it was actually the notorious pagan prophet-for-hire Balaam. But if that is true, why should anyone like Morse be quoting his words favorably? For an answer to that question we must step back a little more in the Old Testament story.

Although Balaam had been hired originally by King Balak of the country of Moab to curse the Israelites, God allowed him to travel to Moab with the proviso that he would only speak the words that God put into his mouth. In that way we can see that Balaam is no more or less than the donkey he rode on during his journey. Both were dumb beasts only good to serve as mouthpieces for the Almighty God. Thus, when Balaam arrives and tries to fool God by cursing Israel, God turns the table on him and only words of blessing come out of his mouth, to the great discomfiture of King Balak.

So although Balaam himself may be viewed as a disreputable human being, his words ring true since they come directly from God. We should keep this in mind wen we hear the right words coming out of the mouths of known hypocrites. We need to carefully distinguish what is being said from the mouthpiece. But we should certainly not take all pronouncements made by such people in the name of God as the gospel truth while at the same time realizing that even jackasses can on occasion be correct in their statements.

The big problem for the reputation of Christianity among outsiders is of course the sad fact that they will probably reject the words of God's truth solely because they despise the ones saying them. Hypocrites have done far more to hamper the spread of Christianity than militant atheists have ever done. And we are seeing the sad fallout today, at least in America, with plummeting church attendance. But aside from that present reality, we can still wonder at the miracles that God hath wrought in the past and look forward in hope for what He has in mind for the future.