In Numbers 23, Balaam began delivering his messages from God. These oracles praise God and bless Israel. Preceding each message, Balaam and Balak build seven altars and sacrifice a bull and a ram on each one. After building the altars and making the sacrifices, Balaam instructs Balak to stay by the sacrifices while Balaam goes aside to seek the word of the Lord. First, Balaam goes to a barren height and God meets him there and gives him words to take back to Balak.
This first message just tells that Balaam cannot curse God’s people. Then it goes on to talk about how numerous Israel was and that their end would be good. Balak is not pleased by this blessing; he exclaims, “What have you done to me?” (Numbers 23:11) He is very concerned about the threat this people group is to his nation and Balaam is not helping. Balaam has told him all along that he can only say what God tells him.
Would that we had that type of conviction. If only we sought the Lord for our every word. The closer we are to God, the more our words will flow from a life filled with His spirit and wisdom.
Have you ever had someone be incredibly blessed by something you said to them and you knew that God spoke through you? Did you give God the glory when the person thanked you, or even if they didn’t? I smoked for a few years off and on in my past. When I became a Christian, I quit smoking. God changed my desire for the many sinful vices I relied upon. My oldest sister shared that she was struggling to quit and I apparently shared some words that inspired her. Well, I didn’t remember what I said, but the next time I saw her, she gave me credit for encouraging her to quit smoking. I told her that was totally God, because truly it just sounded like a Nike commercial the way she told it.
Take time right now to review a most recent incident of God speaking through or to you and thank God for the encounter. Pray for an opportunity today to share the story with someone, giving God the glory.
Even though his words were from God, as we learned last week, other Scripture makes it clear that this was just a brief opportunity for Balaam to hear from God and be used by him. Balaam is given as a negative example elsewhere in Scripture. In Joshua 13:22, we learned that Balaam dies in a battle and that he practiced divination (witchcraft). Peter tells us that Balaam loved the wages of wickedness. (2 Peter 2:15). Finally, in the last book of the Bible, we learn that Balaam “taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)
After the first oracle was spoken, Balak then took Balaam to another vantage point to see a larger part of the nation of Israel. He again built seven altars and sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one. In this second oracle, God tells Balak that He does not lie nor change His mind. He will bless His people. They have no misfortune or misery; the Lord their God is with them, they are strong. God has taken control of Balaam. He can only speak good of Israel. Notice that God only spoke good of these people that have vexed him for years and nearly brought themselves to extinction by His hand a number of times.
“The imperfections of the Israelites were between them and God. While he disciplined them within their corporate boundaries, he did not air their ‘dirty laundry’ in front of people from other nations, such as Balaam and Balak. To non-Israelites he showed only monolithic support for those he protected as his special possession. To attack them was to assault God. By setting out to curse them, Balak and Balaam were on their way to bringing a curse on themselves…” (NIV Application p. 705) Just like family. When I was growing up, my sisters and I could really fight, argue, and harass each other. But if there was any threat from the outside the family, we were a united front and stood up for each other.
God called Abraham as the first Hebrew. He was the beginning of this nation who became Israel. God gave a promise to His people. God would curse those who curse Abraham and his descendants. (Genesis 12:3) Christians are also freed from “the curse of the law” according to Galatians 3:13. Jesus became a curse for us, paying our debts on the cross of Calvary. Take a moment to thank Him for His incredible sacrifice and gift. Jesus redeemed us to give the Abrahamic blessing to Gentiles (non-Jewish people), according to what Paul wrote in Galatians 3:14 by the power of the Holy Spirit. “The promise includes salvation, a future home, and adoption into a multitude of literal and spiritual descendants of Abraham…” (NIV Application Commentary, p. 705)
Apparently, the king of Moab is not aware that he could end up cursed for trying to curse God’s people. No matter, though, God is stopping the false prophet from cursing His people. Balak would rather Balaam stay silent, but he started this whole process and he was not going to give up. Next, he takes Balaam to yet a third venue. “It is remarkable that Balaam plays along with the futile charade, directing Balak to waste fourteen more valuable animals (23:29-30). Having no vested interest in either Israel or Moab, Balaam is clinging to hope for a reward no matter what the outcome.” (NIV Application Commentary, page 703)
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