PREACHERS WHO CAN’T LEARN
By Ken Blue
“And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” Numbers 22:12 “And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.” Numbers 22:25.
They say a wasp it largest right after it has hatched, and you will discover that some pastors are most knowledgeable in the first years of their ministry. Regardless of the advice offered, they have already thought of it and cut you off in mid-sentence. Rather than listening, they are thinking of an answer that will upstage you. The reason is pride and a subconscious agenda.
Balaam was just such a preacher. His ambition was for money and fame; and the possible reward outweighed the direct command of God. In spite of the roadblocks God put before him, he was determined to do it his way. You might say of Balaam, that he went through the school of hard knocks. Those who attend this school, walk into life backward, always bumping their head. They refuse to see what you try to show them. God used a dumb ass to crush Balaam’s foot and then to speak to him, but nothing could stop him. He could not learn.
Alexander Pope is credited as saying, “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. He also said, “A little learning is a dangerous thing.” The book of Proverbs admonished the young man to listen and learn, to observe and learn, to keep silent, and learn, to be still and learn, and to obey God and learn. The question is, are you teachable, or will you continue to walk into the future backward because of pride?
As a man’s wisdom increases, he becomes honestly aware of just how little he knows. If you can learn, the first thing you discover is how much you need the help and wisdom of others, regardless of how long or how little you have been at your profession.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.