Today In The Word / Moody Bible Institute Balaam: Blessing Israel Read Numbers 24 When Balaam looked out, . . . the Spirit of God came on him. Numbers 24:2 Astrology and palm-reading are actively practiced around the world. A Chinese couple might go to a fortuneteller to pick a “lucky day” for their wedding. Many Thai women choose to have C-sections scheduled on a particular day for the same reason. Americans consult astrology for everything from lottery numbers to business deals. Similarly, Balak had hired Balaam to do pagan divination. He wanted an oracle spoken against the Israelites. Balaam apparently occasionally received true oracles from God, or at least he knew when God spoke to him (Num. 22:8). Though the Lord’s instructions were clear, Balaam wasn’t happy. He wanted the generous fee Balak had offered him to curse the Israelites! God had to intervene directly to stop him from doing so in the famous episode of the talking donkey (Num. 22:21–35). After that, Balaam obeyed God and spoke blessings rather than curses over the Israelites (vv. 1–9). This enraged Balak, who after giving him several chances, was forced to conclude that, surprisingly, Balaam was not following the money. In one of the great comic episodes in Scripture, Balaam kept doing the opposite of what they wanted (see Numbers 23–24). This wasn’t because Balaam was willingly obedient but rather because God blocked his intended curses. God loved His people and transformed Balaam’s desire to curse for profit into blessings (Deut. 23:3–5). The Spirit of God even extended the words of blessing beyond that time, alluding back to the covenant with Abraham (v. 9; Gen. 12:3) and forward to the throne of David and the Messiah (v. 17). Unfortunately for Balaam and for Israel, this powerful lesson didn’t stick. Balaam later advised Israel’s enemies to ensnare God’s people in idolatry and immorality, and indeed they succumbed to these temptations to sin (Num. 25:1–9; 31:8, 16). Balaam became a biblical emblem of false teaching. Peter described false teachers as those who follow “the way of Balaam” and love material gain, “the wages of wickedness” (2 Peter 2:15). Christ criticized the church at Pergamum for holding to the teaching of Balaam: they were tempted off the straight path into worldliness and sin (Rev. 2:14).
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:08:44 +0000
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