(Again, this will be a long study but there will be several long narrative readings without much comment.)
Numbers 22:1-41
1 Then the Israelites travelled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan opposite Jericho.
Israel had no quarrel with Moab, they were quite happy to act amicably toward them if they were left alone.
The Moabites were friendly with the Midianites who were a were a loose grouping of nomadic people who generally occupied land on the east shore of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. (Midian was a son of Abraham and Keturah).
Here it seems that midianites had freely intermingled with the Moabites, and their elders were able to not only give advice to the king of Moab, but also were prepared to act as his emissaries (v7).
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, ‘This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.’
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River Euphrates, in his native land. (Syria/Iraq)
Balaam was a well-known person who it was believed could influence the gods. He was a renowned seer, a prophet – but not of God. His services were available for hire (v7) and he was generally described as wicked (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14).
Balak said:
‘A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.’
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
Balaam was a believer, but which gods he believed is open to question. He obviously knew of the Lord and was able to hear his voice.
8 ‘Spend the night here,’ Balaam said to them, ‘and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.’ So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, ‘Who are these men with you?’
10 Balaam said to God, ‘Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 “A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.”’
12 But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.’
That wasn’t a problem for Baalam, he had been paid for his services, he had spoken with God, and God had told him he could not go.
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, ‘Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.’
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, ‘Balaam refused to come with us.’
Was that a complete answer?
Probably good enough, heathen people don’t distinguish between gods. For whatever reason, he wasn’t coming.
15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
‘This is what Balak son of Zippor says: do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’
18 But Balaam answered them, ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.’
Balaam started out well, but the lure of more money meant he really wanted to go, so he would ask God again.
When we get the ‘wrong’ answer from God, do we accept it, or do we try to change God’s mind?
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, ‘Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.’
Ok, said God, do what you want – but I haven’t changed my mind.
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
The fact that God said he could go didn’t alter the fact that he was going against God’s will. He needed to be taught a lesson.
23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?’
29 Balaam answered the donkey, ‘You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you here and now.’
30 The donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?’
‘No,’ he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell face down.
32 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. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.’
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned. I did not realise you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.’
Fascinating: a donkey easily sees the angel of the Lord and then speaks to his master. Balaam doesn’t think that a talking donkey is anything unusual so answers it back!
At last he acknowledges his sin (but he doesn’t seem to repent).
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.’ So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, ‘Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?’
38 ‘Well, I have come to you now,’ Balaam replied. ‘But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.’
Balaam sulked, ‘Well, I have come to you now,’ and was probably unhappy in his restricted role – he couldn’t see any profit in that.
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.
Numbers 23:1-30
1 Balaam said, ‘Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.’ Then he went off to a barren height.
Well, at least Baalam knew how to put on a good show – so far so good; but now he couldn’t escape – he had to speak to God.
4 God met with him, and Balaam said, ‘I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.’
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, ‘Go back to Balak and give him this word.’
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7 Then Balaam spoke his message:
‘Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
“Come,” he said, “curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.”
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and may my final end be like theirs!’
Balaam didn’t try to mince his words, actually he couldn’t: God put these words in his mouth (v5) and he had no control over what he said.
11 Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!’
12 He answered, ‘Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?’
Balaam was as upset as Balak, he may well have been ‘taken over’ by evil spirits before, but to be controlled by almighty God was something else.
13 Then Balak said to him, ‘Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.’ 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.’
Balaam Was still prepared to be led by Balak, but he knew God wanted to give him another message; v15 ‘while I meet with him’.
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, ‘Go back to Balak and give him this word.’
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials. Balak asked him, ‘What did the Lord say?’
18 Then he spoke his message:
‘Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfil?
20 I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 ‘No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
the shout of the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
23 There is no divination against Jacob,
no evil omens against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, “See what God has done!”
24 The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till it devours its prey
and drinks the blood of its victims.’
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!’
26 Balaam answered, ‘Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?’
Balak is beginning to see sense, but like Balaam he still wants to get God to change his mind. He was a desperate man.
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.’ 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, ‘Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Numbers 24:1-25
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face towards the wilderness.
This was an important change. We don’t know what ‘black arts’ Balaam was able to employ for his prophecies, but now he accepted he was in the presence of a supreme power that needed no ‘mumbo jumbo’.
2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 3 and he spoke his message:
‘The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 ‘How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwelling-places, Israel!
6 ‘Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
‘Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 ‘God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness – who dares to rouse them?
‘May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!’
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.’
Balak at last seems to have accepted the truth, and that the Lord has answered (end of v11), but he is not happy!
12 Balaam answered Balak, ‘Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13 “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord – and I must say only what the Lord says”? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.’
15 Then he spoke his message:
‘The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 ‘I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a sceptre will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the people of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.’
Look again at verses 15 and 16 ‘ the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,’
Baalam is now transported by the Spirit of God and is no longer hesitant to speak the word of the Lord. Look at the well-known prophecy starting in verse 17:
‘I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a sceptre will rise out of Israel. . . .’
Balaam is in full voice and can’t be stopped now
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:
‘Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.’
21 Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:
‘Your dwelling-place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur takes you captive.’
23 Then he spoke his message:
‘Alas! Who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
but they too will come to ruin.’
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
But that’s not the end of the story – more in the next study.
