Oppose

Dorma Guice
Jan 1, 2021
5 min read

Definition: to disapprove of and attempt to prevent, especially by argument. *

Approximate Number of Occurrences in Scripture (54)

Read: Numbers chapter 22 for full context of this account

Numbers 22:32 (NIV) 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.

That Was Then

Have you ever experienced supernatural opposition – an opposing person, group or set of circumstances that completely stalled your progress? The Bible outlines many such experiences, but here is a unique example. Balaam, a prominent diviner (fortune teller) and very enigmatic character, was summoned by Balak, king of Moab to pronounce a curse on Israel. As the Israelites expanded and settled in the territory next to him, Balak was afraid that they were too numerous and powerful. But if they were a cursed nation, he would have a chance at driving them away. Strangely, this proposal didn’t raise any red flags with Balaam. When he inquired of the LORD, GOD told him plainly “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people because they are blessed.” (vs. 12) Perhaps Balaam was disappointed and reluctant to turn down such a generous offer, but instead of relaying to them verbatim what GOD said, he left the door open by telling the elders that the LORD refused to let him to go with them.

Balak, misinterpreting this rejection as a counter-offer, sweetened the pot by sending more messengers (this time princes, also implying a higher fee). Balaam, sorely tempted by this resume and bank account builder, sought the LORD again in hopes that GOD would acquiesce and agree to the selling out of His chosen people for a great reference and a fat paycheck. This time GOD told him to “go with them, but do only what I tell you” (vs. 20).

The next morning as Balaam started out to meet his new client, GOD, who was very angry, sent an angel of the LORD to oppose him (as in kill him). At three different times the angel of the LORD blocked him from moving forward, and at one point, Balaam couldn’t move to the right or the left – no matter how much he beat his donkey. Luckily for Balam his donkey yielded to the angel three times, saving his life. GOD opened the donkey’s mouth so he could talk some sense into him. Balam was so spiritually misaligned with GOD that he couldn’t even see the angel of the LORD on the road with his sword drawn. Nor did he register the slightest bit of surprise when his donkey engaged him in conversation as a man would. Scripture says that GOD had to open his eyes so he could see what was happening. Had he not fallen facedown and admitted his sin, Balam would surely have been killed in pursuit of that paycheck. Having made the necessary spiritual adjustment, GOD could now use Balaam, who pronounced three blessings on Israel instead of curses. Sometimes, our motives can hold the key to the opposition we face.

This is Now

Father Daniel J. Berrigan, Jesuit priest, anti-war activist and poet who died in 2016 at 94 years old, personified opposition. He was as known for the numerous people and entities who opposed him as he was for the many causes he opposed. Most famous for his interesting and spirited protests against the Vietnam War, it was his participation in the “Catonsville Nine” that thrusted him into the national spotlight along with his brother, Josephite priest Phillip Berrigan.

On May 17, 1968, Fathers Daniel and Phillip led seven Catholic anti-war activists into the local draft board offices located in the Knights of Columbus building in Catonsville, MD. Shocking the clerks, they confiscated 378 draft files, taking them down to the parking lot and setting fire to them using homemade napalm. The police arrived to find them all praying while peacefully awaiting their arrests. Fathers Daniel and Phillip released the following statement that went prehistoric viral in connection with this opposition: “We confront the Roman Catholic Church, other Christian bodies, and the synagogues of America with their silence and cowardice in the face of our country's crimes. We are convinced that the religious bureaucracy in this country is racist, is an accomplice in this war, and is hostile to the poor.” They even opposed their prison sentences by going underground, and at one point was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. While on the run, Father Daniel was interviewed in Lee Lockwood’s documentary The Holy Outlaw, which tipped the FBI off to his whereabouts. He was apprehended, sentenced to three years in prison and released in 1972. Before his discharge, on January 25, 1971, the cover of Time Magazine posted the following quote when asking Father Daniel about the Vietnam War: “But how shall we educate men to goodness, to a sense of one another, to a love of the truth? And more urgently, how shall we do this in a bad time?” **

War was just one of many causes Father Daniel opposed, but as the New York Times put it, his “defiant protests helped shape the tactics of opposition…” This one act of civil disobedience altered resistance to the Vietnam War, sparking nationwide protests (sit-ins, marches, publicly burning draft cards; etc.) In opposition to nuclear missiles, Fathers Daniel and Phillip led six others (the “Plowshares Eight”) into a General Electric facility where they damaged nuclear warhead nose cones and poured blood onto documents and files. Of course they were arrested and jailed. The later part of his life was dedicated mostly to AIDS and anti-abortion activism, but no one was surprised to see him in Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan supporting the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2012. There is not enough time or space to cover his 70+ years of opposition to injustice. In 2001, on his 80th birthday when asked when he’ll stop, he replied: “The day after I’m embalmed, that’s when I’ll give it up”.

Who Said That?!!!

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” – Albert Einstein***

What Do You Say?

AFFIRMATION: "When I see something that's wrong or unjust, I say something."

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