- Who is Balak?
- King of the Moabites
- He withheld from attacking until after the Amorites were destroyed (review course on map)
- Who is Balaam?
- Apparently a believer in the one true God. He knows God to some degree and God speaks to him in some way
- He is an unknowledgeable believer, because he uses divination to access God
- Faith is more important than doctrine, but bad doctrine can lead you astray
- What is the plan?
- Balak will pay Balaam to curse the Israelites (poor doctrine on both parts)
- How does Balaam respond?
- He goes to God first suggesting he is unaware of Israel
- He refuses the king and his money (good start)
- What does God specifically say to Balaam? "Do not go with them"
- What is Balak's new strategy?
- More pomp
- More money
- What is Balaam's answer? No, but … let me check with God first
- Why does Balaam return to God?
- Second thoughts
- Possibly a desire for the money
- Why is God angry with him even though God gave him permission to go?
- It would appear Balaam's motives were not right. He was going to figure out a way to curse Israel and get the gold from Balak
- The donkey can see the spiritual world, but Balaam can not
- Why is Balaam so angry?
- Because it made him look foolish in front of the distinguished visitors
- His desires are clearly from a worldly perspective
- Why does God say he opposed Balaam?
- He calls Balaam's path reckless (vs 32)
- God gives credit to the donkey for saving Balaam
- How does Balaam respond to God?
- He admits to sin (vs 34)
- His willingness to go back suggest that part of the sin was going with them. Clearly the temptation to wealth is still the issue
- 2 Peter 2:15-16 (NIV) They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
- Surprisingly, God lets him continue -- but it does not appear as if Balaam lets go of the gold completely as we shall see later
- Of course Balak is very angry, because the curse is not a curse but closer to a blessing
- Balaam rightly says that he can only says what God tells him to say
- Why doesn't this stop right here and now? Why do the next verses suggest that Balak still though Balaam could be useful?
- I'm not sure Balaam was completely convincing
- In fact, Balaam himself may have led him on … but the text is not clear
- Balak makes it very clear that he would prefer neither cursing or blessing if there is any blessing at all
- And yet, again Balak travels to still another spot
- Again same story. Why are they even bothering?
- What is Balaam's role in all of this?
- Balak is very angry. In not one of the three places did he get anything resembling a curse
- Balak tells him that he will go home empty although he might have been rewarded
- Balaam has one more prophecy, and then Balaam and Balak split, …, or do they?
- This is a very serious situation. It primarily occurs along Israel's southern side among the tribe of Simeon
- What was the man who in broad daylight flaunts his sin? (See vs 14-15)
- Both were essentially a prince and princess of their country
- This marriage is the start of a diplomatic / political tie between Israel and Moab
- Another plague results, and we will see next week, that this plague appears to have mainly hit Simeon
- But there is more to the story:
- Num 31:15-16 (NIV) "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. 16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord's people.
- 2 Peter 2:17-18 (NIV) These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
- Rev 2:14 (NIV) Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
- It appears Balaam never stopped in his desire to get the gold. He can't curse Israel, but he suggests and even better solution to destroy a nation, what is that?
- Worship of a different God
- Blatant sexual immorality
- APPLICATION: Sexual immorality is destroying families across the United States. It is a terrible sin that leaves a deep stain upon the moral fabric of our lives. It is so important that we consider what it means to be holy , while we are single, and before we are ready for marriage
Num
22:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 (NIV) Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab
and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
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.
. . .
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.
8
"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring
you back the answer the Lord gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed
with him.
. . .
12 But
God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on
those people, because they are blessed."
13 The
next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your
own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."
Num
22:14-22 (NIV) So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam
refused to come with us."
15
Then Balak sent other princes, 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 his palace filled with
silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the
command of the Lord my God. 19 Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I
will find out what else the Lord will tell me."
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."
21
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of
Moab. 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.
Num
22:23-35 (NIV) When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road
with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam
beat her to get her back on the road.
24
Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with
walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed
close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her 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, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry
and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and
she 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 I had a sword
in my hand, I would kill you right 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 facedown.
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 she had not turned away, I would
certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."
34
Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize
you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will
go back."
35 The
angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I
tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Num
23:3-12 (NIV) 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.
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 message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give
him this message."
6 So
he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the
princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle:
"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
a people who live apart
and do
not consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who
can count the dust of Jacob
or
number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me
die the death of the righteous,
and
may my end be like theirs!"
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?"
Num
23:13-17, 25-26 (NIV) Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another
place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them.
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."
16 The
Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to
Balak and give him this message."
17 So
he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of
Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"
. . .
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?"
Num
23:27-24:2 (NIV) 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.
24 Now
when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to
sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. 2 When
Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God
came upon him
Num
24:10-11, 25 (NIV) 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."
. . .
25
Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.
Num
24:25-25:9 (NIV) Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own
way.
25
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual
immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their
gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel joined in
worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them.
4 The
Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and
expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger
may turn away from Israel."
5 So
Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of
your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."
6 Then
an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes
of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of
Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8
and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of
them — through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague
against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague
numbered 24,000.
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