Numbers 22:38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say anything? The word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
God relented and let Balaam go, with the proviso that he speak only what God puts in his mouth. The miraculous experience of seeing the angel and hearing the donkey speak changed Balaam into a dutiful, obedient man of God. He admits he has no power of his own to prophesy what the world wants him to say. He will speak what God tells him to.
Balak paid him to curse Israel, but Balaam, the new man, blessed them instead; he spoke what God told him to say. Balaam’s response was dead on track as a faithful prophet. In spite of Balak’s insistence and the world’s temptations he remained faithful to the Lord and spoke His Word. God told him to prophesy blessing and promise, and so he did.
God has changed us through the miracle of baptism and belief. We now speak words of blessing, words that make others feel better. Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as it fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” We pray, “as we forgive…” God forgives when we speak words that curse, and creates a new heart that wants to bless.