God is not Man to lie is a phrase found in the book of Numbers 23:19, which comes to describe the purity of the Lord before his creation, showing that his word is without variation.
All this was said by Balaam, who by order of Balak tried to curse the Israelites, but God forbade him and ordered him to bless them, since He had been chosen as his children.
God is not a man, that he may lie” arises at a time when Balak hired Balaam to curse the children of Israel.
And in the Bible he narrates it as follows:
“And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves and seven rams. Balak did as Balaam told him; and Balak and Balaam offered a calf and a ram on each altar.
And Balaam said to Balak: Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me, I will warn you. And he went to a bare mountain ”(Numbers 23: 1-3)
In that environment, Balaam when preparing everything to act according to Balak’s plan, God presented himself to him and indicated what he should do, since Balaam was the prophet of the Mesopotamia region, and Balak wanted to use it in his favor, who told him the following:
“And God came to meet Balaam, and he said to him: Seven altars I have ordained, and on each altar I have offered a calf and a ram. And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and say so. And they all returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, he and the princes of Moab.
And he took his parable, and said: Balak king of Moab brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east; Come, curse me Jacob, And come, curse Israel. Why should I curse the one that God did not curse? And why should I execrate the one Jehovah has not execrated?
Because from the top of the rocks I will see it, And from the hills I will look at it; It is a people who will dwell in confidence, And will not be numbered among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and my last end be like his ”(Numbers 23: 4-10)
In this way, Balak seeing that situation where God prevented his plan to curse his blessed people , he claimed the prophet, and took him to another place to be able to curse the people of Israel, before that the following happened:
“And Balak said, Please come with me to another place from which you see them; only the closest you will see, and you will not see them all; and from there you will curse them. And he brought him to the field of Zofim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on each altar.
Then Balaam said to Balak: Stay here, next to your burnt offering, that I will go there to meet God. And the Lord came out to meet Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and say so. And he came to him, and behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him; and Balak said to him, What has the Lord said? ” (Numbers 23: 13-17)
This second attempt to fulfill what Balak said to curse the people of Israel, received a response from Balaam given by God, who flatly denied that desire to destroy the people of God.
“Then he took up his parable, and said, Balak, get up and hear; Listen to my words, son of Zippor: God is not a man, so that he may lie,
nor a son of man so that he may repent. He said, and won’t he? He spoke, and will he not execute it?
Behold, I have been ordered to bless; He gave a blessing, and I won’t be able to revoke it. He has not noticed iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the joy of a king is in him. God has brought them out of Egypt; It has forces as buffalo.
For against Jacob there is no omen, nor divination against Israel. As now, it will be said of Jacob and Israel: What God has done! Behold, the people will rise up like a lion, and will stand up like a lion; He will not lie down until he devours the prey and drinks the blood of the dead ”(Numbers 23: 18-24)
Faced with this new refusal from God, Balak responds to Balaam that if he does not curse them, let him not bless them either , before that the prophet replies that he obeys what God declares, since God told him to bless the Israelites, and he He did, and there was no way to reverse the blessing.
“Then Balak said to Balaam: Since you do not curse him, do not bless him either. Balaam answered and said to Balak: Have I not told you that whatever the Lord tells me, that I have to do? And Balak said to Balaam: Please come, I will take you to another place; by chance it will seem good to God that from there you curse it to me.
And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which faces the desert. Then Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam told him; and offered a calf and a ram on each altar ”(Numbers 23: 25-30)
Before that Balak kept insisting on hurting the people of Israel, and wanted to move again, to which Balaam did not pay attention, but obeyed God and declared the word of blessing to the people of Israel.
“When Balaam saw that it seemed good to Jehovah that he bless Israel, it was not, like the first and second time, in search of omen, but rather he turned his face toward the desert;
and lifting his eyes, he saw Israel lodged by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. Then he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor said, And the man with open eyes said; Said he who heard the sayings of God, he who saw the vision of the Almighty; fallen, but open eyes:
How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your rooms, O Israel! like streams they are spread out, like gardens by the river, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars by the waters. Water will drop from his hands, and his offspring will be in many waters; their king will be exalted above Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.
God brought him out of Egypt; He has strength like a buffalo; He will devour the nations of the enemy, He will crumble their bones and pierce them with His arrows. He will bow down to lie down like a lion, and like a lioness; Who will wake it up?
Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you ”(Numbers 24: 1-9)
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At this Balak was greatly annoyed, and claimed to Balaam that he had not sought him to bless his enemies , something that this prophet did being directed by God, whom he had to obey and fulfill his word.
“Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and clapping his hands he said to him: To curse my enemies I have called you, and behold, you have already blessed them three times. Now flee to your place; I said that I would honor you, but behold, Jehovah has deprived you of honor. And Balaam answered him, Didn’t I also declare it to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying:
If Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the saying of Jehovah to do good or bad of my will, but what Jehovah speaks, will I say that? Behold, I am going now to my town; therefore, come, I will tell you what this people will do to your people in the last days.
And he took his parable, and said: Balaam the son of Beor said, Said the man with open eyes; Said he who heard the sayings of Jehovah, and he who knows the knowledge of the Most High, who has seen the vision of the Almighty; fallen, but eyes open: I will see it, but not now; I will look at it, but not closely; A STAR shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel, and smite the temples of Moab, and destroy all the children of Seth.
Edom will be taken, Seir will also be taken by their enemies, and Israel will behave manly. The ruler will come out of Jacob,
And destroy what remains of the city. And seeing Amalek, he took up his parable and said: Amalek, head of nations; but in the end it will perish forever. And seeing the ceneo, took his parable and said: Strong is your room; put your nest on the rock;
For the ash will be thrown away, when Assyria will take you captive. He took up his parable again, and said: Alas! Who will live when God does these things? Ships will come from the coast of Chitim, and will afflict Assyria, they will afflict Eber also; but he also will perish forever. Then Balaam got up and left, and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way “(Numbers 24: 10-25)
In this way, it can be seen how Balak could not change the word given by God, and had to return without his wish fulfilled, since what God affirms there is no mortal being that makes him change.
God is not a Man that he should lie
The phrase “God is not a man for him to lie” comes to teach the believer that God is faithful to his word and what he promises, He does not change or vary, but is firm before his plans and words given to his children, and that It was demonstrated by Balak’s determination to curse the people that God had already blessed.
It is also shown that the human being is known for his infidelity , for being seduced into lying and failing to give his word in any situation.
It is the demonstration of the perfection of God, who never lies and does not have the need to change his opinion, that is why it is said that God is not a man for him to lie, because his essence is holy and unalterable.
This phrase affirms what God does in the life of believers, this means that when He decides to bless His people, they will be blessed , since God will not change the opinion given. It is for this reason that the Holy Scriptures indicate that everything that God gives does not take away.
“The gifts and callings of God are without repentance” (Romans 11:29)
It is the demonstration of God’s love, holiness, fidelity to his children , it is not like these men who fall daily into lies, there is no other like him, being perfect to his sayings.
“I am Jehovah, and there is no one else; There is no God outside of me. I will gird you, even though you did not know me… Proclaim, and make them approach, and they all enter in consultation; Who made this heard from the beginning, and has said it ever since, but I the LORD? And there is no more God than me; Just God and Savior; none other than me ”(Isaiah 45: 5, 21)
Finally, it can be affirmed that God does not lie to his children, and the word written in the Bible is the truth for all humanity , therefore all those who take those words in their life believing it with their hearts will see how the Heavenly Father will manifest himself. in their lives, and they will be able to see all their promises fulfilled.