Numbers 24:1-14 English Standard Version Balaam's Third Oracle 24 When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, 4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6 Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.” 10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’? 14 And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.” As mentioned at the end of yesterday's journaling, we see a shift in Balaam here (finally) where he understands that he should look for no other answer other than the answer which he has already been given--the words of that oracle were not just meant for Balak, but for Balaam as well. God is not going to change his mind. So, this time, Balaam didn't even bother with the sacrifices and inquiring what the LORD wanted him to say--he knew that the LORD wanted him to bless the people of Israel and he only needed to speak the blessings that the Lord put in his mouth. This time we see the Spirit of God coming upon him to give him the words to say which is different than what we've seen in the past. We also see Balaam refer to himself differently as he begins this oracle by talking about how his eyes have been opened. He has not only heard the words of God, but has seen the vision of the Almighty--that's new (notice he's heard multiple words, but there is a singular vision). It seems that God has actually shown Balaam what is going to happen in the future by way of a vision that the Spirit has given to him. Once again he blesses Israel/Jacob which the oracles use interchangeably. The tents of the people are blessed and are compared to palm groves, aloes, cedar trees, and many waters. All of these are signs of life, comfort and healing in a desert place. The cedars are also long-lasting and have deep roots and are strong and flexible so that they will not be topped by the wind or the storm--there is as much root beneath the ground as you see tree above the ground. So it is with Israel that there is much going on below the surface. God is doing much more behind the scenes and has a much larger plan which he has given Balaam a glimpse of. Balaam makes a prophecy that Israel will have a king (for right now God is their king) and that the king of Israel would be higher than King Agag--the most feared king in that region at the time who God had just defeated and given victory to the Israelites. This was the king whose nation fell that struck fear into the hearts of King Balak and the people of Moab (we'll see what they will do soon). The LORD says that this king of Israel would be highly exalted--I think this is a prophecy about Jesus and how He is portrayed as the rightful King of Israel as He is the Son of David and we could look at all the places where it talks about His throne and His kingdom, but let's just look at one passage that I think points to Jesus being the fulfillment of this prophecy (and there are other more obvious Messianic prophecies to come): Luke 1:31-33 English Standard Version 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” God has brought this people up out of Egypt (we've talked about how this is the story of all those who have been born again through Jesus Christ our Lord and adopted into the family of God) and has made them a nation when they were not a nation. Once again the LORD says that Israel will be like the horns of a wild ox to the nations that try to be their enemies (a wild ox will gore you). God promises great strength and military victories to Israel saying he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. (v. 8b) Then comes the question, is the "he" being referred to in this verse a reference to the entire nation of Israel as if it were a single person, or is it referring to the King of Israel who is stronger than King Agag? I think the answer is "Yes." God calls Israel His "firstborn son" and uses language of Israel that tells us when He looks on them, He sees Jesus. This is explained a little more for us in the New Testament but Jesus is the true Israel and all who are part of true Israel are in Christ. So, the LORD is going to give the people of Israel this kind of victory in the here and now, but we know ultimately these verses will be fulfilled by Christ when we see Him return as King of Kings and Lord of Lord and the Judge of the Living and the Dead in Revelation 19:11-20:15. He will have his vengeance on His enemies in the temporal and the eternal realms. Again, the LORD says that messing with the nation of Israel is like messing with a sleeping lion--and we know that's because messing with God's people is messing with God and that Jesus will fight for His people, and no one is going to be able to stop Him. By the word of His mouth all of his enemies will be defeated. Hebrews 10:30 English Standard Version 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” Just in case the message wasn't made clear to Balak, God has Balaam repeat the Abrahamic covenant to him, "Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you." "Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam" is probably a great understatement. Again, remember that Balak thought that he was in control and he could demand a particular word from the LORD and from His prophet. God is not done with His message for King Balak though (though maybe Balak is done listening at this point). Balak decides that he no longer has any more use for Balaam and he tells him to flee back to his home (a threat that Balak is making against Balaam equivalent to "I'd better never see you again after today."). Balak thinks he's heard it all and that he's got something to be upset about because not only to God not curse Israel like he wanted, but He blessed Israel three times through the mouth of His prophet Balaam. The king then says to Balaam that he could have had great honor and wealth if he just would have compromised but the LORD has kept him from that--this sounds not all the different from Jesus' temptation in the wilderness where Satan promised all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus if Jesus would only bow down and worship Satan. This shows how in line with Satan King Balak is and how little he understands about God and His servants. Balaam responds by telling Balak that he's only done what he promised he would do--speak the words that the LORD put in his mouth. He also tells Balak that there's nothing that he has to offer him that is worth anything in comparison to the LORD and I can see Balaam singing, "I'd Rather Have Jesus" right here (I've embedded a version from YouTube at the end of this article). Balaam says even if Balak could give that house of silver and gold that was offered, it would not be enough to make him say anything more, anything less or anything else than the LORD put in his mouth--no matter if that message is interpreted as "good" or "bad" by Balak. Balaam has heard what the LORD has had to say, but has Balak? Probably not, and the LORD is not done with what He has to say to Balak yet. Balak still thinks he's in charge and can just order Balaam to go away, but Balaam is going to tell Balak that he has one more oracle from the LORD before he goes home, and the king would be wise to listen to it, and Balaam even thrown in that Balak would be wise to come seek him out in the future if he wants to know what God is going to do to Balak's kingdom by way of the Israel and ultimately through Jesus. We'll talk about this final oracle next time. Numbers 23:13-30 New American Standard Bible 13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and put a curse on them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Then he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the Lord over there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” 17 So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” 18 Then he took up his discourse and said, “Arise, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 God is not a man, that He would lie, Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, I cannot revoke it. 21 He has not looked at misfortune in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; The Lord his God is with him, And the joyful shout of a king is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt, He is for them like the horns of the wild ox. 23 For there is no magic curse against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel; At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob And to Israel, what God has done! 24 Behold, a people rises like a lioness, And like a lion it raises itself; It will not lie down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of those slain.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the Lord speaks, I must do’?” 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. Balak tries again, thinking maybe they were just in the wrong place and looking at the wrong part of the camp. Once again, they built seven altars and sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. Once again, the Lord meets with Balaam and puts His words in Balaam's mouth.
God tells Balak that he should expect no other answer other than the one that he has already received, because God is not a liar and is not like man where He would change his mind. In other words, "Stop asking for a different answer than the one you've already received." Think of this today in terms of God already giving us the answer in His Word, but we keep asking Him to give a different answer or think like Balak, "Well, that was only His answer over there, but maybe if I move over here, He'll give me a different answer." God is not like that! He is immutable. His Word stands firm forever. So then, Balaam speaks and says that the Lord has already given him a command to bless Jacob and that he will not disobey the Lord's command, and that the Lord's command is irrevocable (something that a king should understand because many of the kingdoms at that time had irrevocable edicts from the king--even the king could not go back and change it later). The Lord has not seen misfortune or trouble when He looks at Jacob, because when He looks at them, He sees the joyful shouts of a king among them--that is the Messiah, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! God looks on His people and sees His Son, and just as He would want His blessings for His Son, so it is with all of His adopted children who are being conformed into the likeness of the Son of God. God has redeemed them and made them both a people and a nation when they were not. He has made them strong and a force to be reckoned with. God has said that there is no magic spell or curse or divination that will defeat His people, and, at the right time, all will be revealed to them what God has done. We are partially there as we understand much more on this side of the cross in the Church age and with the revelation that has been given to us in the New Testament, yet there are still some things that we won't understand until we get to heaven, but we have the assurance that God will make it clear to His people (and I think that includes all of us who have been adopted into the family as well) His plan from beginning to end--at least, everything that we need to know. Then Balak is given a warning by God that messing with Israel is going to be like messing with a lioness or a lion. You are going to lose that battle and best keep clear, because they will devour anyone who comes against them as the lion and lioness do not leave anything behind when they kill their pray. So it will be with Israel's enemies that there will be nothing left but the bones that have been picked clean when God is done with them. Remember the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:3, And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Balak is being told this right now--try and curse the people of God, and it is you who will be cursed. Balak is upset because once again Israel has been blessed by Balaam instead of cursed by him. Balak says it would be better then if Balaam just said nothing, neither bless nor curse them. Once again, Balaam says, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the Lord speaks, I must do’?," but Balak still thinks that God is someone who can be manipulated and is like man that His prophets can be bought with silver and gold. Balaam is finally going to get the message (even if Balak will not) and this next time, Balaam is not even going to make the sacrifices to inquire what the Lord wants him to say--he knows that the Lord wants him to bless the people of Israel. There will be two more oracles/prophecies from Balaam in chapter 24 and we have some great promises there to look forward to. Numbers 23:1-12 New American Standard Bible The Prophecies of Balaam 23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2 Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill. 4 Now God met with Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 And he took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab’s king from the mountains of the East, saying, ‘Come, declare Jacob cursed for me, And come, curse Israel!’ 8 How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the Lord has not cursed? 9 For I see him from the top of the rocks, And I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people that lives in isolation, And does not consider itself to be among the nations. 10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob, Or the number of the fourth part of Israel? May I die the death of the upright, And may my end be like his!” 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to put a curse on my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” 12 He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?” Remember the conflict here is going to be that Balak thinks that God's blessing or cursing is something that can be bought with silver or gold and that the man of God should have a price for which he would be able to decide whether the bless or curse someone--the goes back to how all the false prophets operated, but notice that Balak did not go to any of them, though they were probably much closer to him, for he knew that those prophets had no success and that the gods they cried out to had been shown to be useless and ineffective against the God of the Israelites. The only divine being that Balak knew of that just might be powerful enough to match the power of Israel's God was Balaam's God (it seems that Balak didn't understand that Balaam and Israel worshiped the same God, for if he did, why would God curse His own people that He called "my son"?).
Balaam has gone with Balak, but has only promised to say the words that the Lord (that is Christ, the angel of the LORD) shows him and tells him and the words that the LORD (that is YHWH) puts in his mouth. They start with Balaam asking Balak to build seven altar and to prepare seven bulls and seven rams for sacrifice. This sounds like Balaam knew the kinds of sacrifices that God required the priests to make, but how could he when he lived all the way over on the Euphrates River and the children of Israel just recently received the Law on Mount Sinai? And why would Balaam imagine that he should be able to make sacrifices on behalf of a pagan king? Would God be pleased with such sacrifices? Seeing a man of God who is not a priest offer sacrifices in this place and time period is not unusual as we see Job doing the same for his family probably around this period of time. I'm not going to dig too deep into this as I believe this is mostly historical narrative that is descriptive and not prescriptive as we don't see the LORD commanding this in any way, nor is it applicable today since we no longer live under such a system of sacrifices where we need to approach God by the blood of bulls and rams and goats, because we approach God by the blood of Jesus--the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (See Hebrews 10:1-18 and John 1:29-36). After Balaam made these sacrifices, the Lord told Balaam to return to Barak and speak the words here that are recorded as Balaam's First Oracle. Balaam's message from the Lord gets to the point right away--blessing and cursing comes from the Lord and not from His prophets, "How am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse? And how am I to curse him whom the Lord has not cursed?" As if his refusal to curse them what not enough, his whole oracle was actually a blessing! Notice how he says that they are too large to be numbered and although they themselves don't count themselves among the nations of the world, and they live in isolation, this is what the prophet of the Lord says about them, "May I die the death of the upright, And may my end be like his!” May the same thing be said of the Church of Christ who, like Israel is a people and a nation without a land to call our own right now. Even if we don't consider ourselves to be counted among the other nations, may it be said of us that we are upright and that we died as faithfully as we lived. Balak is upset, still thinking he is in charge of what Balaam must say, and asks Balaam why he has blessed Israel when Balaam had been hired to curse them? Balaam's only answer seems to be, "I told you that I'm only going to be able to speak the words that the Lord puts in my mouth." Balak is not going to get the message and is going to take Balaam to another area where they can see a different part of the Israelite camp thinking that perhaps it was only that little group of people that God refused to curse, but maybe things will be different if we try again from this point over here with this other group of people, and we'll see this play out with Balaam's Second, Third and Final/Fourth Oracles coming up. Again, hang in there because these are going to be some interesting words that the Lord puts in Balaam's mouth! Numbers 22:22-41 English Standard Version Balaam's Donkey and the Angel of the LORD 22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. 36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” 39 Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him. 41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people. I've taken the liberty or changing many of the references to "Lord" in the ESV here to "LORD" as it's important that we see this in this particular passage because YHWH (LORD) and Adonai (Lord) are different words in Hebrew. I've also added "of the LORD" to the end of the title of today's passage as whoever made the headings for the ESV did not know or was trying to deemphasize the significance of "the angel of the LORD" in this passage. The phrase "the angel of the LORD" that we see in this passage is not any ordinary angel--as we study the Scripture closely we'll see that this is a very specific "angel" (the word "angel" means "messenger"), and this one is referred to by the definite article "the" where as generic angels are referred to without the definite article but we insert the indefinite article "an." Why stop and make a big deal about this before we start? Because it is revealed to us in the New Testament that "the angel of the LORD" was actually the preincarnate Christ, the second person of the Trinity. This would be a passage that we would refer to as a Christophany. So, do not imagine that this is any "generic" angel saying and doing these things, it is Christ whom we know as Jesus. Balaam's donkey is about to see God the Son and respond accordingly.
We see that God's anger was kindled because Balaam went. Remember that God gave Balaam permission to go only if the men forced him to go with them, but God had not really changed His answer that Balaam was not supposed to go with these men or have anything to do with attempting to curse the Israelites, because they belonged to the LORD. Because Balaam went out of his own free will, we see that there is something wrong here with this prophet's heart that God wants to correct before he gets to Moab (and that was quite a journey as we talked about last time). So, the angel of the LORD stands in the way of Balaam, with drawn sword in hand, as his adversary because Balaam is working contrary to the LORD at this point. The donkey has eyes to see what is going on and sees the angel of the LORD standing in the way ready to kill Balaam and the donkey goes off the road into the field, but Balaam's eyes have not been opened and he does not see that the donkey is trying to save his life--he only imagines the donkey is being stubborn and he strikes the donkey to get her to turn back onto the road. Then the angel of the LORD waited for them in a narrow place between the vineyards so that there was no place for the donkey to turn off into the field as there was wall on either side, but the donkey pushed up against the wall crushing Balaam's foot in order to avoid the angel of the LORD this time. Once again, Balaam does not see what the donkey sees and strikes the donkey again to punish her. Then the angel of the LORD stands in a narrow place where there where there was no place to turn to the right or to the left. The angel of the LORD was set to kill Balaam because of his rebellion, but the donkey laid down under Balaam and refused to move so as to save his life once again. Balaam is angry and beats the donkey with his staff. Then a most amazing thing happens--the LORD opens the mouth of the donkey so that she can talk to Balaam and Balaam doesn't really seem to give it a second thought. The only other animal we've ever seen speak before was the serpent in the Garden of Eden, but this is something special as the LORD enables this to happen. God has to speak through the mouth of a beast of burden because the prophet of God is unwilling to listen to His voice. The donkey asks why she has been beaten these three times and Balaam's answer is simply that he was angry because he was embarrassed and made a fool of by the way that his donkey acted--remember that he could not see what was really going on yet. "30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”" It is at this point that the LORD opens the eyes of Balaam and allows him to see the angel of the LORD that is standing there in the pathway with sword drawn ready to kill him. Now comes an interesting part and why I found it important to make sure to clarify all this about "the angel of the LORD." Balaam falls down on his face in worship before the angel of the LORD and is not corrected for doing so. In fact, this is the normal response we see when the angel of the LORD shows up in the Old Testament, but normal angels do not accept worship because they are not God--only messengers of God. They will always tell the people they are delivering the message to to get up if they are an ordinary angel. Then the angel of the LORD (that is Christ) speaks and we hear mostly the same words that came out of the mouth of the donkey, asking why it was the Balaam struck his donkey these three times. Didn't he realize she was saving his life these three times? The angel of the LORD also adds, "I would have killed you and let her live." Also notice the reason the angel of the LORD gives for opposing Balaam, "Your way is perverse before me." Perversion of the word and the work of the LORD by his people can be enough for God to be opposed to you and stand against you--even possibly to the point where Christ personally needs to come against you and take you out so that you stop perverting the real gospel. We get some indications of this in the New Testament as well. Balaam repents both for beating the donkey because he did not know that the angel of the LORD stood against him in the road and for going to Moab when the LORD had commanded him not to go. He says that he is willing to turn back and not go to Moab, but notice that the angel of the LORD changes the command that Balaam was given. No mere angel could change the command of God--only God can do that, and notice that when the angel of the LORD tells Balaam to go, he says, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." Did you catch that? The angel said that Balaam should only speak the words that the angel gave to him--but that's not how angels usually talk, and would see contrary to God saying "only do what I tell you" in verse 20. So then, it would seem that we are getting a pretty good indication from this passage that this is no ordinary angel who simply relays messages for God, but that this is the Word of the LORD who is co-equal with God. Balak comes out of the cities and came to furthest reaches of his borders to await the arrival of Balaam--Balaam must have had some reputation to have been able to have been summoned from this far away by the king and have to king come out to meet him like this! Normally kings would send envoys to bring their guests back to the palace, but would not leave the safety or security of their palace to do so. Balak, the king of the Moabites wonders why why Balaam refused to come when first called (as if Balaam was somehow subject to his authority and had to come when the king of Moab beckoned for him). Balaam simply answers, with an approximation of "I'm here now, am I not?" and then proceeds to make sure to lead with "But I can only speak the words that the LORD puts in my mouth." We then see the pagan king leave Balaam to offer sacrifices (probably to his false gods as we don't get any indication in the Old Testament that the Moabites were God-fearing people--if they were, the king would have let the man of God make the sacrifices for him) and he then calls for Balaam and the "princes" (probably the diplomatic envoy that was with him and protecting him) to come to meet the king. The next day the king took Balaam to a place where they could see but a fraction of the nation of Israel that was encamped in the plains of Moab. We'll pick up there next time and see exactly what Balaam says. Does he follow God's instructions? How does the king respond? What happens to the Israelites? Hang in there as we'll have to get through the end of chapter 24 before we will see the conclusion of this part of the story--and an amazing Messianic prophecy will come out of the mouth of Balaam! Numbers 22:1-21 English Standard Version Balak Summons Balaam 22 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’” 18 But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. 19 So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. I'm going to guess that most of my audience is unfamiliar with this story, though you may remember the name Balaam and remember the next part of the story when we get there tomorrow (I'll try not to spoil it today). This story is going to take up several chapters in the narrative of the book of Numbers, making it one of, if not the longest narrative in this book. Because of the amount of time dedicated to this one story there is probably some indication that God has something He wants His people to pay attention to (and we will see this story referenced in other parts of Scripture as well as a warning to the people of God to watch out for what happens here).
Israel is coming off of some major victories, and now they face a major people called the Moabites. As you might recall, they have already asked for permission to pass through Moab and were denied. Do you remember where the nation of Moab came from? It's one of the nations that came out of Abraham's nephew Lot (the nephew that was never supposed to come with him on his journey to the Promised Land). We'll see that God ultimately will make something good come out of this evil nation (and we'll see the same with the Canaanites too) as both Rahab the Canaanite and Ruth the Moabite would be in the genealogy of Jesus. Balak, the king of Moab sees what has happened to King Sihon and King Og and fears that he and his kingdom are next. He decides that he needs to consult with a renown seer (a name sometimes used for a prophet and sometimes for one who practiced divination). We'll see that Balak's intent is to get the gods on his side as he knows that this is not a battle that he will simply need to fight in the physical realm, but will need to have fought for him in the spiritual realm as well. Note here that Balaam will call God his Lord and his God even though he is not a Jew. However, we will later see Balaam's heart is divided and as Jesus would warn his disciples of later, "You cannot serve both God and materialism." Balak calls on Balaam to curse the children of Israel so that he may defeat them in battle and promises Balaam a large sum of money for doing so. Apparently Balaam has some history of success with his blessings and curses, most likely because we will see that he appears to be a God-fearing Gentile (maybe not that different from say Job). We again should not assume that God is only speaking to and through Jewish people. We'll see that God can speak to and through anyone or anything He wants to here shortly. God comes to Balaam and warns him that he should not go with these men and stay out of this situation--it doesn't concern him. Notice that Balaam recognizes the voice of the Lord and that he heeds the Lord's command (for now). The messengers return to Balak the king of Moab with the message "Balaam refuses to come with us." The king's assumption is that clearly he had sent the wrong message that Balaam's accompanying his envoys was optional, so Balak sends even more diplomats (called princes here) who are more powerful than the first group and this time tells Balaam to name his price--that nothing should keep him from coming along with these men. If power and intimidation could not persuade this prophet, then perhaps a bribe would work--again, this sounds like what we would expect to see from a pagan king who would think that everyone would want to do his bidding and if they would not then they threaten them or bribe them--whatever it takes. Balaam again refuses and says that there is not enough silver or gold to make him disobey the command that the Lord has given--even a house full of silver and gold would not change his mind. He would be able to do no more or no less than what God tells him to do. So far, Balaam seems to be like someone that maybe should be listed in Hebrews 11. He's not of Jewish descent and still believes in and serves the LORD, he's refusing to take a bribe, and he's saying that blessings and curses belong to the LORD and that he will not say any words which the LORD does not put in his mouth and will not go where the Lord does not command him to go, but now we see a problem. Balaam should have again sent these men away, for the Lord had already spoken to him and told him to have nothing to do with them. The command of the Lord is not going to change simply because the king has sent more powerful princes and told you to name your price (assuming that you have one, which should have been offensive to any prophet of God). But Balaam invites these men to spend the night with him so that he could once again inquire of the Lord to see if he might possibly get a different answer this time. I think this is probably because he was afraid of these men, and he probably genuinely desired to show them some hospitality. Interestingly enough, it seems that God understands Balaam's fears and tells them that it's okay to go with them, but to only promise them that he will speak the words that the Lord puts in his mouth. So Balaam rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey and headed out from his home on the Euphrates River for the plains of Moab where the nation of Israel was encamped. It's possible this journey could have taken several weeks as this is quite some distance from Moab. Again, so far, everything seems okay--other than he probably should have just sent them away a second time, but we know there is much more to this story and we'll continue as we study it over the next several days. Numbers 21:31-35 English Standard Version King Og Defeated 31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land. King Og is the king of Bashan. This one battle is about as much as we know about this king and his kingdom. The geographic location of this kingdom is used as one the boundaries for the tribes that chose to have their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River, so this land, like that of the Amorites became part of the eternal covenant land that belonged to Israel. All the people who lived in this land were defeated, but I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Moses sends spies to spy out Jazer, one of the Amorite towns from the kingdom that the Israelites had just defeated. Notice that as they went along they captured villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there because they were claiming the land by the right of being victorious in war. As they continue to go along, they reach an area that is more fertile and lush (for that is what the name Bashan means), most likely part of the river valley that was good for growing wheat and other crops and with many oak trees. (See https://bibleatlas.org/bashan.htm). This land is ruled by a different king--King Og. King Og will raise up his army against Israel to try to keep them from taking this land. As King Og comes against the Israelites in battle, Moses goes back to God to ask Him if it is the LORD's will that they also fight King Og (remember that God had told them to turn around and not fight the Edomites, but had told them it was okay to go to war with the Amorites and to defeat King Sihon and take the land of the Amorites as their own). So, we do not see the Israelites having blanket authority to go in and kill anyone and everyone that they want to--in fact, when they go to war when God has not told them to, they are usually roundly defeated, even if they had the superior numbers. But we'll see throughout the Old Testament that when God tells them to go to war with a nation that even when the odds don't appear to be in their favor, the victory is certain since the LORD is on their side (or as we'll see in the book of Joshua, it is more correct to say the victory is secure when they are on the LORD's side). The LORD tells the Israelites not to fear King Og or his people and to do to them what they have done to King Sihon and his people as the LORD had given the king, the people, and the land into the hands of His people the people of Israel. God as the Creator of heaven and earth and the owner of all that is in them is the one with the right to set and change boundaries, to establish kings and kingdoms, and to take away a kingdom and give it to someone else. We know for sure though that God has made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob regarding this land (and much more land than this), though it may not be exactly clear what those boundaries are yet (we'll see them most clearly given in Ezekiel 47:13-23). Since we won't be getting there for a while, I'll provide this map now as I want to show that God is leading them through land that has been promised to them and the land they are dispossessing and taking as their own was already deeded to them by the one who owns it all...the Creator of Heaven and Earth. There is much more land here that belongs to the nation of Israel then we imagine as we look at the land that was apportioned to the Twelve Tribes at the end of the book of Joshua and think that is all that belongs to Israel. However, God has promised MUCH, MUCH more to them. While the land that was promised to each of the Twelve Tribes was an eternal inheritance for each of them that would never leave their families or clans, the nation of Israel was meant to extend its people and its influence all the way to the borders outlined in the map below--imagine if all the people of God were to settle in one place, would this be enough land to contain them? Perhaps God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and that He made space for a kingdom of both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles back when He set up His covenant. Let's finish up today's passage by saying that once again, the LORD gave them total victory. They defeated the king and all of his inhabitants and possessed the land as their own. We know this land will later belong to the tribes that settled on the East side of the Jordan River. We will see many references throughout the Old Testament and even some in the New Testament about these battles with King Sihon and King Og.
The next king and kingdom standing in the way of Israel will be Balek, the king of Moab. As I mentioned last time, he wages a different kind of war, and his nation is not destroyed at this time, for God has a plan for a Moabite woman named Ruth (the Ruth that the book of Ruth is named after) to be the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of King David, who is the one through whom the line of the kings, including the King of Kings, was promised. Moab will be punished and defeated, but not before God has used Ruth to show His people about their need for a Kinsman Redeemer (one of the things Jesus did for us). We'll get there soon enough as it is one of the books of History that we'll be studying in short order as soon as we finish getting through The Law. Numbers 21:21-30 English Standard Version King Sihon Defeated 21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the ballad singers say, “Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. 28 For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon. 30 So we overthrew them; Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished; and we laid waste as far as Nophah; fire spread as far as Medeba.” The message given to King Sihon sounds identical to that given to Edom and the response of King Sihon is identical to that of the king of Edom, so then why is it that Israel was told to turn back and leave Edom alone but this time the Israelites fought King Sihon and the Amorites and defeated them in battle? We aren't really told here, but we know that God used His people to judge the nations when they had become so wicked and corrupt that none of them were going to repent and believe and they would only try to cause Israel to delve into idolatry and all kind of pagan practices (child sacrifice, beastiality, witchcraft, etc).
The Israelites defeated the Amorites and took all of their land and towns and villages and settled in the land of the Amorites. Once again, the events here are backed up with historical data that was meant for people to fact-check with names of kings and previous battles and land that had been taken away from the Moabites by the Amorites, and there were songs that had been written about it that were quoted here. Moab is going to see this victory and be scared because this is the kingdom that had just defeated them in battle, but they are not going to give way to the children of Israel and they will be some of the next on the list, though they will not only try to attack with their armies, but also through trying to bet Balaam to curse them (which won't go well). They do figure out though that the only way they will get God to turn against His people is if they can make them sin in open rebellion (specifically sexual sin and idolatry). That will be a major part of the narrative coming up soon. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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