Balak's anger

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 24:10–14, “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, if Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.”

Balak was extremely angry and with good cause. He sent Balaam messengers because it wasn’t appropriate for a king to visit someone of lesser status. Balaam refused the first time but eventually came after the second invitation. Balaam may have said that he could not go beyond the commandment of the Lord but his actions indicated otherwise. We know that actions speak louder than words. Balak was entitled to make certain assumptions from the fact that Balaam came with his princes in spite of the fact that he said he couldn’t go beyond the commandment of the Lord. We have already seen that Balaam was greedy and was hoping to get the money even though he tried to protect himself by referring back to his statement. Now that Balaam had been found out he tried to exonerate himself by being sanctimonious. He pretended that he came with honourable motives but he was really covetous, seeking wealth and honour (see 2 Pet 2:15, “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”) Finally Balaam’s conscience got the better of him when he discovered that he wouldn’t get the money he longed for and he told Balak the truth, as he should have done at first.

It pleased the LORD to bless Israel

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 24:1–9, “And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.”

Balaam decided that it was time to go ahead and do what he thought was right. The Lord had told him not to curse Israel so he went ahead and blessed them as the Lord had told him before. He claimed to be using words from God, which was correct as he had waited for the Lord to give him a message before. We know that “God is not a man that he should lie” (Num 23: 19). He refused to allow Balaam to curse Israel before so Balaam knew that the Lord would not allow him to curse Israel this time. This was a significant blessing for Israel and was based on the fact that the Lord had already delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt and the Lord had promised Abraham that He would bless those who blessed Abraham’s descendants and curse anyone who cursed Abraham’s descendants (Gen 12:1–3, “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” We know that Agag was a king of the Amalekites during the time when Saul was king of Israel (1 Sam 15:8, “And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.”) Agag was a name for the kings of the Amalekites in the same way that Pharaoh and Caesar were the names for the kings of the Egyptians and the Romans, respectively. Balaam knew that Israel would defeat the Amalekites and neither he nor Balak could do anything to stop this from happening because it was the Lord’s will.

Another place

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Numbers 23:13–30, “And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.”

Balaam still wanted his money even though he knew that he could not speak against the Lord’s instructions. He went through the entire process of offering sacrifices forgetting that unholy sacrifices could easily lead to a premature death (compare Num 3:4, “And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the sight of Aaron their father.” and 1 Sam 15:22–23, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”) He continued with his charade but had to bless Israel anyway. Balak became desperate and gave Balaam one more chance to curse Israel so Balaam went ahead without even consulting the Lord this time.

Build me here seven altars

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 23:1–12, “And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?”

Balaam might have been greedy but he wasn’t stupid. Even though he knew that the Lord didn’t want him to go and do Balak’s bidding, he was interested in the money and did everything that he possibly could to earn the money without actually cursing Israel. He did what every spiritual man would have done and had seven altars built then offered a bullock and a ram on each altar. Seven is the number that represents completion so this looked even more impressive. Surely Balak was beginning to be impressed. Balaam them went to the Lord, partly for show and partly to see if he could just get approval to earn the money.  Every prophet or spiritual man would say something that sounded wise so Balaam began with a pompous beginning to his pronouncement. However, Balaam would not curse Israel because the Lord had blessed Israel and would curse anyone who cursed Israel. In fact, Balaam gave Israel a blessing. Balak was livid with anger. He was offering to pay Balaam great riches to curse Israel but Balaam did exactly the opposite. However, Balaam tried to reconcile with Balak by reminding Balak that he had earlier said that he could only say what the Lord gave him to say.

The utmost part of the people

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 22:36–41, “And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.”

Balak was very glad when he heard that Balaam had arrived. He was concerned about Israel and determined to do anything that he could to stop them before they could destroy his own kingdom and take his position and wealth away from him. However, Balak was a king and wasn’t used to people saying “No!” to him so he reprimanded Balaam for taking his time before coming. Perhaps Balak thought that Balaam was only trying to get more money out of him. After this they go down to business and Balak started by offering sacrifices of sheep and oxen. After that they came to the critical issue and Balak took Balaam to the top of hill so that he could see part of the Israeli nation. He was careful not to let him see the whole nation because Balaam might suggest that this was too great a task for him to perform. At that stage there were 601,730 men of fighting age in Israel (Num 26:51, “These were the numbered of the children of Israel, six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty.”) If we include women and children then there would be at least 1.5 million people and they has stock with them as well. Cursing a group of people this large would be major task, even for a man of Balaam’s reputation. 

God’s anger was kindled

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Numbers 22:22–35, “And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.”

Even though Balaam had a vision from the Lord, he was still following his own way. The Lord told him no to go with Balak’s men but he told them to wait and see if the Lord would change. The Lord didn’t change but allowed Balaam to go anyway (compare Psalm 106:15, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”). Even though Balaam was determined to get his own way, the Lord gave him a further chance to change his mind. Balaam rode his donkey as he went to Balak’s place. At first the donkey left the pathway and went into a field, then the donkey tried to leave the path but there were walls on both sides and Balaam crushed his foot against one of the walls. The donkey saw the Lord’s angel standing in the way with a sword trying to stop Balaam from going with Balak’s men but Balaam was so busy thinking about the money that he didn’t see the angel. Eventually the donkey spoke to Balaam when he began to curse the donkey and beat it for crushing his foot. Balaam was greedy that he didn’t even think it was strange that the donkey spoke to him but he did see the Lord’s angel in the way. The angel gave Balaam one last stern warning and let him go with Balak’s men because he was so eager to get his money.

More honourable than they

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Sinking Sand

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Numbers 22:15–21, “And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.”

We learn from the New Testament that Balaam was greedy for riches (see 2 Pet 2: 15, “Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”) He also taught Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and commit fornication (Rev 2:14, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.”) However, at this stage these problems were yet to be revealed. He was a man with a reputation for knowing the Lord. Balak was determined to call Balaam to curse Israel so he sent more princes to meet Balaam. Balak flattered Balaam by sending some of the highest order of prices he could find. Balaam knew that he was not meant to go but he continued to hope for riches and glory. He even told Balak that he would not go for riches, this was really just a suggestion as to what he was hoping to gain. He waited, hoping that the Lord would let him go and get the riches. The Lord knew that Balaam had made up his mind so he met Balaam in the night and told him he could go but he would be restricted to the words that the Lord gave him.