20250514 [새벽묵상] 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 길이 보입니다 | When God opens our eyes, the path becomes clear (민/Num 22:31~40)

22:31 그 때에 여호와께서 발람의 눈을 밝히시매 여호와의 사자가 손에 칼을 빼들고 길에 선 것을 그가 보고 머리를 숙이고 엎드리니

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

22:32 여호와의 사자가 그에게 이르되 너는 어찌하여 네 나귀를 이같이 세 번 때렸느냐 보라 내 앞에서 네 길이 사악하므로 내가 너를 막으려고 나왔더니

22:33 나귀가 나를 보고 이같이 세 번을 돌이켜 내 앞에서 피하였느니라 나귀가 만일 돌이켜 나를 피하지 아니하였더면 내가 벌써 너를 죽이고 나귀는 살렸으리라

32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

22:34 발람이 여호와의 사자에게 말하되 내가 범죄하였나이다 당신이 나를 막으려고 길에 서신 줄을 내가 알지 못하였나이다 당신이 이를 기뻐하지 아니하시면 나는 돌아가겠나이다

34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

22:35 여호와의 사자가 발람에게 이르되 그 사람들과 함께 가라 내가 네게 이르는 말만 말할지니라 발람이 발락의 고관들과 함께 가니라

35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

22:36 발락은 발람이 온다 함을 듣고 모압 변경의 끝 아르논 가에 있는 성읍까지 가서 그를 영접하고

22:37 발락은 발람에게 이르되 내가 특별히 사람을 보내어 그대를 부르지 아니하였느냐 그대가 어찌 내게 오지 아니하였느냐 내가 어찌 그대를 높여 존귀하게 하지 못하겠느냐

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

22:38 발람이 발락에게 이르되 내가 오기는 하였으나 무엇을 말할 능력이 있으리이까 하나님이 내 입에 주시는 말씀 그것을 말할 뿐이니이다

38 “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”

22:39 발람이 발락과 동행하여 기럇후솟에 이르러서는

22:40 발락이 소와 양을 잡아 발람과 그와 함께 한 고관들을 대접하였더라

39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 

                  제 아내는 결혼 전에 시력이 좋지 않아 라식 수술을 받았습니다. 덕분에 눈이 많이 좋아져서 안경이 없이도 일상생활이 가능하게 되었습니다. 그러나 한가지 부작용이 있었는데 그것은 빛 번짐이 심하다는 것이었습니다. 라식 수술을 받은 모든 사람이 이런 부작용을 겪는 것은 아닙니다. 하지만 제 아내의 경우는 그 부작용이 심하였습니다. 특히 밤이 문제였습니다. 미국 생활에서는 운전을 반드시 해야합니다. 그런데 밤에는 반대편 차선에서 오는 차들의 빛이 너무 번지는 것이죠. 비라도 오는 날이면 빛 번짐이 너무 심해서 차선이 보이질 않습니다. 자기가 어느 차선에 있는지 알 수 없게 되는 것이지요. 결국 비가 많이 오는 시애틀에서는 밤 운전을 포기해야 했습니다. 눈을 뜨고 보고 있지만 자기가 무슨 길을 가고 있는지 보이지가 않는 것이지요. 오늘 말씀에 발람이 그러합니다. 그는 눈을 뜨고 있었지만 자신이 무슨 길을 가고 있는지 보지 못했습니다. 그의 눈에는 재물의 길. 또 명예와 성공의 길만이 보였을 뿐입니다. 그러나 하나님께서 그의 눈을 밝히시고 나서야 그는 하나님의 사자를 볼 수 있었습니다. 그리고 하나님의 사자는 그에게 “내 앞에서 네 길이 사악하므로”라고 말하였습니다. 그렇습니다. 우리는 우리가 어떤 길을 걷고 있는지 모를 때가 있습니다. 우리 눈에 옳은 길, 성공의 길처럼 보여도 하나님 눈에는 그렇지 않을 수 있습니다. 그러나 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 길이 보입니다. 그것은 우리가 걷고 있는 길일 수도 있고 우리가 걸어야 할 길일 수도 있습니다. 오늘은 이 말씀을 함께 나누고 싶습니다. 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 길이 보입니다.

                  I want to start with a story, a story that might resonate with some of you. My wife, before we were married, had to undergo LASIK surgery because of poor eyesight. Thanks to that procedure, her vision improved greatly, and she was able to go about her daily life without glasses. However, there was a side effect: significant light distortion. Now, not everyone who has LASIK experiences this, but in her case, it was quite severe. Nighttime was particularly challenging. Here in America, driving is often a necessity. But at night, the glare from oncoming headlights would become overwhelming. On rainy days, it was even worse; the lane markings would disappear, and she’d lose all sense of where she was on the road. Eventually, in rainy Seattle, she had to give up driving at night. She was looking, but she couldn’t see the path ahead.

And this brings us to Balaam in today’s scripture. He, too, was looking, but he couldn’t see the path he was on. All he saw was the path of wealth, the path of honor and worldly success. But then, God opened his eyes, and he was able to see the angel of the Lord. And the angel said to him, as we read in Numbers 22:32: "But why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is reckless in my sight."

You see, brothers and sisters, sometimes we, too, are blind to the path we’re walking. What looks right to our eyes, what looks like the path to success, might be completely different in God’s eyes. But when God opens our eyes, the path becomes clear. It might be the path we’re already on, or it might be the path we should be on. Today, I want to share this message with you: When God opens our eyes, the path becomes clear.

                  첫째로 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 우리가 지금 걷고있는 길이 어떤 길인지 보입니다. 31절입니다. 함께 읽겠습니다. “그때에 여호와께서 발람의 눈을 밝히시매 여호와의 사자가 손에 칼을 빼들고 길에 선 것을 그가 보고 머리를 숙이고 엎드리니” 하나님께서 발람의 눈을 밝히셨습니다. 발람이 그제서야 자신의 길 앞에 여호와의 사자가 칼을 들고 서있는 것을 보았습니다. 자신을 죽이려는 사자 앞에서 그는 머리를 숙이고 엎드릴 수 밖에 없었습니다. 아마 그는 눈앞에 하나님의 사자는 보았어도 그가 왜 자신의 길을 막고 있는지는 알지 못하였던 것 같습니다. 그래서 사자가 그에게 묻습니다. 32절입니다. “너는 어찌하여 네 나귀를 이같이 세 번 때렸느냐?” 저는 이 장면이 좀 재미있습니다. 하나님의 사자가 “이 길을 가면 정녕 죽으리라” 같은 말씀을 하셔야 할 타이밍입니다. 그렇죠? 그런데 “너는 어찌하여 네 나귀를 이같이 세 번 때렸느냐?” 라고 물으십니다. 왜 일까요? 여러분 어제 말씀 기억하시나요? 하나님께서 나귀의 입을 여셨을 때에 나귀의 첫 대사가 이것이었습니다. 28절입니다.  “내가 당신에게 무엇을 하였기에 나를 이같이 세번을 때리느냐” 그때에 발람이 무어라고 대답하였는지 혹시 아시나요? 29절입니다. “네가 나를 거역하기 때문이니.” 자 그러면 하나님의 사자는 왜 발람에게 “어찌하여 나귀를 이같이 세 번 때렸느냐?” 고 질문을 했을까요? 바로 발람 자신이 하나님을 거역하고 있다는 것을 깨닫게 하기 위함입니다. 발람이 사자로부터 이 질문을 들었을 때 나귀가 자신에게 한 질문이 기억이 났을 것입니다. 말 못하는 나귀가 처음으로 한 말이니 기억이 나지 않을 수 없지요. 그리고 자신이 나귀에게 대답했던 말 또한 기억났을 것입니다. “네가 나를 거역하기 때문이니.” 아 내가 지금 하나님을 거역하고 있구나. 또 재미있는 점이 있습니다. 여러분 하나님께서 발람에게 몇 번 나타나셨습니까? 처음 발락의 귀족들이 찾아왔을 때 한 번, 그 다음 발락의 고관들이 찾아왔을 때 또 한 번, 그리고 지금 하나님의 사자를 통해 한 번, 총 세번입니다. 하나님의 사자가 길을 막았던 것도 세번, 나귀가 사자를 피했던 것도 세번입니다. 그리고 발람이 그런 나귀를 때린 것도 세번입니다. 하나님의 사자가 어찌하여 나귀를 세 번 때렸느냐고 물었을 때에 그는 자신이 세번 하나님을 거역하였고, 세 번 죽을 뻔 하였다는 것을 깨닫게되는 것입니다. 그것을 알려주시는 것이 32절과 33절의 말씀입니다. “보라 내 앞에서 네 길이 사악하므로 내가 너를 막으려고 나왔더니 나귀가 나를 보고 이같이 세 번을 돌이켜 내 앞에서 피하였느니라 나귀가 만일 돌이켜 나를 피하지 아니하였더면 내가 벌써 너를 죽이고 나귀는 살렸으리라.” 하나님께서 발람의 눈을 여시고 알려주십니다. 지금 네가 가고 있는 길이 사악하다. 나귀가 아니였더면 너는 벌써 죽었으리라. 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 우리가 지금 걷고 있는 길이 어떤 길인지 보이는 것입니다.

I. When God Opens Our Eyes, We See the Path We Are On

Let’s turn to Numbers 22:31. Let’s read it together: "Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown."

God opened Balaam's eyes. Only then did Balaam see the angel of the Lord standing before him with a drawn sword. Faced with an angel ready to strike him down, he had no choice but to bow low and fall prostrate. It's likely that even though he saw the angel, he didn’t understand why the angel was blocking his way. So, the angel asks him in Numbers 22:32: "But why have you struck your donkey these three times?"

Now, isn't that interesting? You might expect the angel to say something like, “This path leads to destruction!” But instead, he asks, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times?” Why? Remember yesterday's message? When the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, its first words were, in Numbers 22:28: "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?" Do you recall Balaam's response? Numbers 22:29: "You have made a fool of me!"

So, why does the angel ask Balaam, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times?" It's to make Balaam realize that he is the one who is rebelling against God. When Balaam heard this question from the angel, he must have remembered the donkey's question. He couldn’t have forgotten the donkey's first words, spoken miraculously by God. And he would have remembered his own reply: "You have made a fool of me!" Ah, he must have thought, I am the one rebelling against God!

And there's another fascinating detail. How many times did God appear to Balaam? First, when Balak's officials came; then, when Balak's dignitaries came; and now, through the angel of the Lord – a total of three times. The angel blocked the road three times, the donkey avoided the angel three times, and Balaam struck the donkey three times. So, when the angel asked why he had struck the donkey three times, Balaam realized that he had rebelled against God three times and had nearly died three times.

This is what we see in Numbers 22:32-33: "I have come here to oppose you because your path is reckless in my sight. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it."

God opened Balaam's eyes and revealed to him: "The path you are on is reckless. If it weren't for the donkey, you would have already perished." When God opens our eyes, we see the path we are on.

                   둘째로 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 우리가 걸어가야 할 길이 보입니다. 34절에서 하나님의 사자가 자신의 길에 대적하여 서 계신 것을 깨달은 발람은 만약 하나님께서 기뻐하지 아니하시면 자신은 돌아가겠다고 말합니다. 그의 눈이 밝아지지 않았다면 그는 자신이 해야 할 일을 깨닫지 못했을 것입니다. 그러나 이 말에는 그가 걸어가야 할 길을 보았다는 뜻도 있지만 다른 뜻도 함께 숨겨져 있습니다. 그것은 “당신이 이를 기뻐하지 아니하시면,” 즉, ‘만약’ 이라는 뜻이 포함되어 있는 것입니다. 자신이 걸어가야 할 길을 보았음에도 그는 아직도 자신의 사악한 길을 떠나기를 원치 않는 것입니다. 세 번이나 하나님이 그를 대적하셨음을 방금 들었음에도 그는 아직도 조건을 걸고 있습니다. 하나님께서 자신이 가려고 했던 길에 서 계신 것을 보았다면 여러분 같으면 뭐라고 말하겠습니까? 지금 당장 아무런 조건 없이 돌아가겠다고 말하겠지요. 그는 분명히 여호와의 사자 앞에서 “내가 범죄하였나이다” 라고 고백하였습니다. 그러나 발람은 완전히 회개한 것이 아니었습니다. 눈이 밝아져 자신이 걸어가야 할 길을 보았음에도 그는 자신이 걸어왔던 사악한 길을 떠나기 원치 않았습니다. 이렇게 악한 발람이었기에 하나님의 사자는 명령합니다. 35절입니다. “그 사람들과 함께 가라 내가 네게 이르는 말만 말할지니라” 자신의 목숨이 경각에 처한 상황에서 발람은 하나님의 말씀을 듣지 않을 수 없었을 것입니다. 이번에야말로 자칫 잘못하면 정말 죽을 수 있습니다. 그러나 이런 사정을 모르는 발락은 36절을 보니 발람이 온다는 말을 듣고 버선 발로 뛰어나옵니다. 37절에서는 다시 한번  발람에게 후한 보상을 약속합니다. 그러나 하나님께서 눈을 밝히신 발람입니다. 자신이 무엇을 해야하는지 분명한 지시를 받았습니다. 그는 결국 자신의 욕망에도 불구하고 하나님께서 명령하신 것만을 행할 수 있었습니다. 하나님께서 우리의 눈을 밝히시면 우리가 걸어가야 할 길이 보입니다. 그것은 우리가 걷던 죄의 길에서 떠나야 하는 길입니다. 하나님의 말씀에 순종하는 길입니다.

II. When God Opens Our Eyes, We See the Path We Should Take

In Numbers 22:34, after realizing that the angel of the Lord was standing against him, Balaam says that if the Lord is not pleased, he will turn back. If his eyes hadn't been opened, he wouldn’t have understood what he needed to do. But this statement reveals not only that he saw the path he should take, but also something else. It says, "if the Lord is not pleased," implying a condition. Even after seeing the path he should take, he still hesitates to turn away from his wicked path. Even after hearing three times that God was opposing him, he still sets conditions. If you were in Balaam's place, having seen the Lord standing in your way, what would you say? You would turn back immediately, without any conditions, wouldn't you?

Balaam did confess before the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned." But his repentance wasn't complete. Even though his eyes were opened, and he saw the path he should take, he was unwilling to abandon his wicked ways. Because Balaam was so wicked, the angel of the Lord commanded him in Numbers 22:35: "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." With his life hanging by a thread, Balaam had no choice but to obey God's word. At that moment, another mistake could cost him his life.

Meanwhile, Balak, unaware of this situation, was overjoyed to hear that Balaam was coming, as we see in Numbers 22:36. And in Numbers 22:37, he once again promises Balaam great rewards. But Balaam's eyes had been opened by God. He had received clear instructions on what he should do. And so, despite his own desires, he could only do what God commanded. When God opens our eyes, we see the path we should take. It's the path away from our sinful ways. It's the path of obedience to God's word.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 하나님께서 눈을 밝히시면 길이 보입니다. 오늘 하나님께서 발람의 눈을 밝히셨을 때에 발람은 자신이 걷고 있던 길이 하나님 앞에 사악한 길임을 알았습니다. 오늘 하나님께서 발람의 눈을 밝히셨을 때에 발람은 자신이 걸어가야 할 길을 알았습니다. 발람은 악한자였지만 그럼에도 불구하고 그 길을 따라야만 했습니다. 그러나 여러분은 발람이 아닌 하나님의 백성입니다. 만약 하나님께서 여러분의 눈을 밝히셨을 때에 여러분이 걷고 있는 길이 죄의 길이라면 그 즉시 돌이키시기를 기도합니다. 또한 하나님께서 여러분이 걸어가야 할 길을 보여주실 때에 온전히 순종하시고 그 길을 걸으시기를 주님의 이름으로 축원합니다. 기도하시겠습니다.

In conclusion, brothers and sisters, when God opens our eyes, the path becomes clear. Today, when God opened Balaam's eyes, Balaam realized that the path he was on was wicked in the Lord's sight. Today, when God opened Balaam's eyes, Balaam saw the path he should take. Balaam was a wicked man, but even he had to follow that path. But you, brothers and sisters, are not like Balaam. You are God's people. If God opens your eyes and shows you that you are on a path of sin, I pray that you will turn away from it immediately. And when God shows you the path you should take, I urge you, in the name of the Lord, to obey fully and walk that path.

Let us pray.