What Hath God Wrought!

Num. 23:23NUM 23:23
R. Erisman
The words "What hath God wrought!" were spoken by Balaam, a prophet in the land of Midian. He had been offered a reward by Balak, the king of Moab, if he would curse the people of Israel. Now Balaam was quite intrigued by this proposition, for we read in 2 Peter 2:15 that he loved the wages of unrighteousness. Balaam soon discovered, however, that cursing a people who enjoyed a favored-nation status with the God of the entire universe, the only true God, was no light matter. After being thwarted on several attempts to find some basis for pronouncing a curse, he exclaims out of frustration, or perhaps with a hint of admiration, "What hath God wrought!" And with these words, he confesses to Balak that a heathen prophet is not a match when the power of almighty God is at work.
These same words were used in a dramatic way in the United States about 150 years ago. Samuel Morse was working at that time on his invention which would enable communications to be established between distant points along a single electric wire. In order to demonstrate the potential of such a device, he invited several business dignitaries and government officials to observe firsthand its operation. He stationed these men some 40 miles distant from his laboratory, and at a prearranged time he transmitted the first telegraphic message. The message Samuel Morse chose for this occasion was not the familiar typing class exercise which proclaims: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." No, Samuel Morse's message on that historic day of May 25, 1844 was, "WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT!”
By choosing this message, it would seem Samuel Morse gave evidence to his personal conviction that the Creator of the world, with all of its attendant physical laws, was worthy of more honor than someone who merely discovered one of those laws and how it could be applied for the benefit of mankind.
We do not find any other scriptural reference where the exact words of Balaam's exclamation were used, but we do find several individuals who acknowledged that the power of God had worked in a remarkable way.