Numbers 22

the Promised Land. On the first day of the fifth month of that fortieth year (33:38), Moses, Aaron, and Eleazar went somewhere on Mount Hor because it was now time for Aaron to die. Moses would say good-bye to a beloved brother and Eleazar to a revered father. Aaron was 123 years old (33:38–39).

However, Aaron’s death didn’t interrupt the ministry of the priesthood, for Eleazar took his place. As John Wesley used to say, “God buries His workmen but His work goes on.” In fulfillment of the law (Ex. 29:29–30), Moses took the holy garments from his brother, Aaron, and put them on Eleazar. He probably anointed him as well for the new office. When Moses and Eleazar returned to the camp without Aaron, and the people saw Eleazar dressed in the robes of the high priest, they knew that Aaron’s life had ended. They mourned for Aaron for thirty days, which takes us now into the sixth month.

Eleazar was the third son of Aaron (Num. 3:2); the first two, Nadab and Abihu, were slain by the Lord for defiling the tabernacle with false fire (Lev. 10). Before becoming high priest, he was the chief leader of the Levites for caring for the tabernacle (Num. 3:32; 4:16). He would assist Moses in taking the census of the new generation (26:1–3) as well as in commissioning Joshua to succeed Moses (27:18–23). When Israel had conquered the land, Eleazar helped Joshua assign each tribe its inheritance (34:17; Josh. 14:1; 19:15).

Moses has experienced two family funerals, two confrontations with critics in the camp, and a personal failure at Kadesh, yet he picks up his rod and goes right back to work. Victorious Christian service, like the victorious Christian life, is a series of new beginnings. No matter what mistakes we’ve made, it’s always too soon to quit.

On Passover night, the people of Israel marched out of Egypt like conquering soldiers, and God buried the pursuing Egyptian army under the waters of the Red Sea. Except for the Canaanites that Israel rashly attacked out of the will of God (14:39–45), every enemy Israel encountered, they defeated: Amalek (Ex. 17:8–16), the king of Arad (Num. 21:1–3), the Amorites (vv. 21–25) and the forces of Og, king of Bashan (vv. 33–35).

But when Israel arrived on the plains of Moab, they faced a different kind of enemy, one who was hidden in the mountain heights and able to call upon the forces of the evil one to assist him. Camping peacefully in the valley, the Israelites had no idea that Balaam was trying to curse them so that the Moabites and Midianites could defeat them. This scenario reminds us of Paul’s warning in Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world [age], against spiritual wickedness in high [heavenly] places.”

Satan often comes as a lion who devours (1 Peter 5:8), but if that fails, he will attack again as a serpent who deceives (2 Cor. 11:3). The church today battles against a strong enemy who has an organized army of evil spirits, dedicated to opposing God’s people and God’s work (Eph. 6:10–20). It was this attack of the “principalities and powers” from which the Lord protected Israel as they camped on the plains of Moab.

In this study, we will consider two of the four aspects of this evil man’s life and conduct and see how they relate to God and the people of Israel.

The key performer in this drama is a mysterious soothsayer named Balaam, a Gentile who lived at a place called Pethor near the Euphrates River (v. 5; Deut. 23:4). He had a reputation for success in divination (receiving hidden knowledge, especially about the future) and incantation (the use of occult power to grant blessing or cursing), and he was willing to sell his services to all who could pay his fee.

The king’s request (vv. 1–21). The Moabites and Midianites became very frightened when they saw the magnitude of the camp of Israel (“they cover the face of the earth,” v. 5) and heard the reports of Israel’s military victories over the neighboring nations (“as an ox licks up the grass of the fields,” v. 4 nkjv). Balak, king of Moab, didn’t realize that God had told Israel not to attack Moab (Deut. 2:9) because the Moabites were relatives of the Jews, being descendants of Abraham’s nephew Lot (Gen. 19:26–37).

Conventional warfare was out of the question. Moab and Midian needed the help of the devil, and Balaam was in touch with the devil. This confrontation would be another episode in what Donald Grey Barnhouse called “the invisible war,” the conflict between the Lord and Satan that began when God cursed the serpent in the garden (3:13–15; see Rev. 12). Balaam must have had a wide reputation as a successful practitioner of occult arts, otherwise Balak wouldn’t have ignored both distance and price when he sent for him.

Balak depended on two things to influence Balaam to come and help him: the impressive delegation of important elders from both Midian and Moab, and the wealth they carried to pay his fee. Balaam was definitely a hireling who was interested primarily in money (2 Peter 2:15). Though twice he refused to accept Balak’s summons, Balaam deceptively maneuvered around God’s declared will so that he could go to Moab and receive his fee.

In those days, people believed that each nation had its own god, and Balaam knew that Jehovah was the God of the Israelites. Therefore, he went to seek the Lord’s will about the summons from Balak. It was God who came to Balaam, not Balaam who brought God to himself, and the Lord wouldn’t allow him to accept the invitation. God made His will very clear: “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed” (Num. 22: niv). Balaam knew that without the God of Israel on his side, he would fail in his assignment, so he told the delegation he wouldn’t go with them. However, he didn’t tell them the reason: Israel couldn’t be cursed because God had blessed them. If he had told this to the delegation, that would have put an end to the negotiations and the princes would never have returned to Pethor.

Undaunted in his pursuit of victory over Israel, Balak sent Balaam a larger and even more impressive delegation of princes with the promise of paying any fee Balaam asked, plus bestowing royal honors on him. Knowing God’s will in the matter, Balaam should have refused even to consider this second offer, but the hireling soothsayer was still hoping to find some way to circumvent God’s will. In light of the fact that Balaam even considered the new offer, his speech in verse 18 is just so much pious talk. With his lips, he professed to obey the Lord, but in his heart he coveted the money and hoped God would change His mind.

God came to Balaam and instructed him to go with the princes only if they came to call him the next morning (v. 20). The Lord cautioned Balaam, “Do only what I tell you.” But the next morning, Balaam didn’t wait for the men to come to him; he saddled his donkey and went to the place where the delegation was camped, determined to do his own will. This determination, along with the covetousness in Balaam’s heart, made the Lord angry. Balaam was acting like the horse and the mule (Ps. 32:9): he was impetuously running ahead of the Lord and at the same time stubbornly refusing to obey God’s clear directions. He knew that Israel was blessed, but he hoped he could curse the Jewish nation and earn the wealth and honors the king had promised him. He was a hypocrite and a double-minded man.

The donkey’s resistance (vv. 22–30). God was angry at Balaam for defying His will and allowing the love of money to control him. We sometimes use the phrase “dumb animals,” but in this case the animal was smarter than her master and his two servants! She saw the angel of the Lord holding a sword and blocking the way, and by turning aside, she saved Balaam’s life. Three times she changed the route and three times her master beat her. Balaam was beside himself with anger, and had he been armed, he would have killed his faithful beast. Peter called it “the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:16).

Why wasn’t Balaam shocked when his beast spoke to him “with a man’s voice” (v. 16 niv)? This certainly wasn’t an everyday occurrence even for a professional soothsayer. Satan spoke through a serpent when he deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1ff.; 2 Cor. 11:3), and it’s possible that in the past Satan’s demons had spoken to Balaam through animals. A person has reached a very low level in life if God has to use brute beasts to communicate His mind.

The angel’s revelation (vv. 31–35). The same God who opened the donkey’s mouth and eyes also opened Balaam’s eyes so he could see the awesome angel standing in the road, his sword in hand. Balaam finally did something right and fell on his face before the angel who told him that his beast had saved his life. The angel warned Balaam that he was rushing headlong and recklessly on a wrong path that could only lead to ruin, and Balaam offered to return home.

His words, “I have sinned,” were not evidence of sincere repentance. Pharaoh (Ex. 9:27), King Saul (1 Sam. 15:24, 30; 26:21), and Judas Iscariot (Matt. 27:4) all uttered these words but didn’t turn to God for mercy. What good is it to say pious words if your heart goes right on sinning? Listen to David (2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 54:4; 2 Sam. 24:10, 17; 1 Chron. 21:8, 17) or the Prodigal Son if you want to hear real confession.

In His permissive will, God allowed Balaam to continue on his journey, but He cautioned him to speak only the messages that God gave him. For the first time, Balaam realized that there was more involved in this adventure than cursing a nation and making some money. As the Lord used the donkey to rebuke her master, God would use Balaam to reveal great truths about Israel and Israel’s promised Messiah.

1. The first oracle—22:26—23: a separated people 2. The second oracle—23:13–26 a conquering people 3. The third oracle—23:27—24: a prosperous people 4. The fourth oracle—24:15–19 a royal people 5. Three concluding oracles—24:20—25 1. The sin of Israel—25:1–9 2. The courage of Phinehas—25:10–15 3. The judgment of Midian—25:16–18 1. The way of Balaam—2 Peter 2: 2. The error of Balaam—Jude 11 3. The doctrine of Balaam—Rev. 2:

Before studying the details, you may want to read Numbers 22—25 at one sitting in order to get the overall picture. Note also the three important New Testament references in Part 4 of the outline, as well as the following Old Testament references: Numbers 31:8; Deuteronomy 4:3–4; 23:3–6; Joshua 13:22; 24:9–10; Nehemiah 13:1–3.

For the king to hasten out to meet the commoner shows how anxious Balak was to get started in his attack against Israel. Why had Balaam delayed his coming? Wasn’t Balak’s offer generous enough? Didn’t the prophet realize the seriousness of the situation? Balaam didn’t defend himself or explain his actions, but he did state clearly that all he could do was declare the words God gave him. The king offered sacrifices to his god Baal and probably gave Balaam some of the inner parts of the animals to use for divination.

The first oracle (22:39—23:12). The next morning, Balak took Balaam to Bamoth Baal (“the high places of Baal”) where they could see the camp of Israel and offer more sacrifices to Baal. Balaam used these sacrifices as part of his sorcery and soothsaying (24:1) and didn’t simply wait for God’s promised message. In His grace and goodness, God used this evil man and endured his duplicity because He had a special message to declare about His people Israel.

The message God gave to Balaam emphasized several basic truths about the people of Israel. First, God had especially blessed the people of Israel and they could not be cursed (23:7–8). This was part of God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3) and it has been fulfilled throughout their history. God has judged every ruler and nation that has caused His people to suffer, including Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, and Nazi Germany.

No nation has been blessed of God like Israel, not only with material blessings and divine protection, but primarily with spiritual blessings to share with the whole world. Paul lists some of them in Romans 9:1–5. Israel gave the world the knowledge of the true and living God, the written Word of God, and Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.

Balaam’s second basic truth was that the Jews were chosen by God and therefore were a nation set apart from the other nations (Num. 23:9). The Lord had declared this to Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:5–6), and the laws that He gave them at Sinai made it possible for them to live like a special people. In his farewell message to Israel, Moses also emphasizes the uniqueness of Israel as the people of God (Deut. 4:20; 14:2, 21; 26:18–19; 32:8–9; 33:3, 28–29) and reminded them that God chose them because He loved them (Num. 7:6–8). See also Leviticus 20:26; 1 Kings 8:52–53; Amos 3:2; and Isaiah 43:21.

Israel’s great temptation was in wanting to be like the other nations, and this is what led to their downfall and captivity. Instead of rejoicing in their uniqueness as the people of the true and living God, they imitated their neighbors in their worship and conduct, and God had to discipline them. Instead of letting God rule as their King, they asked for a king “like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5), and this brought the nation into all kinds of trouble.

Unfortunately, many people in the church today have the mistaken idea that being like the world is the way to reach the world. They forget that the church is the people of God, a very special people, saved by His grace. Instead of maintaining separation (2 Cor. 6:14—7:1) they promote imitation (1 John 2:15–17; Rom. 12:2), so that it’s becoming more and more difficult to distinguish the people of God from the people of the world. And yet, as Campbell Morgan reminded us, “The church did the most for the world when the church was the least like the world.”

Balaam’s third emphasis was on the vastness of Israel’s camp, even though he was seeing only a small part of it (Num. 22:41). His use of the word “dust” reminds us of God’s promises to Abraham and his descendants that they would multiply and become as numerous as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:16; 28:14). Nations come and go, but in spite of their many trials, the people of Israel have never been destroyed. Instead, they have multiplied and today are found all over the world.

Balaam was sent to curse Israel, yet he ended his oracle by declaring that he wanted to be like Israel! “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his” (Num. 23:10). But you don’t die the death of the righteous unless you live the life of the righteous, and that was something Balaam wasn’t prepared to do. His love of money so controlled his life that he would do anything to get wealth. Balaam died with the wicked when Israel defeated the Midianites (31:8), and his end was eternal judgment.

When Balak complained about the oracle, Balaam had only one reply: the words came from God and that’s what he had to speak. Balaam could have invented a curse and fooled Balak, but the Lord wouldn’t allow him to do it, for these oracles would one day be part of God’s Holy Word.

The second oracle (vv. 13–26). To encourage Balaam to do what he was hired to do—curse Israel— Balak asked his hired prophet to get a different perspective. He took him to the top of Mount Pisgah where again they offered sacrifices to their gods (vv. 13–14; see Deut. 34:1–4). The fact that Balaam participated in these pagan occult rituals shows the wickedness of his heart. He spoke the Word of God and longed for a righteous death, yet he thought nothing of using enchantments and consorting with Satan (Num. 24:1). He was a double-minded man whose chief desire was to make as much money as possible by marketing his skills.

The first oracle pictured Israel as a chosen people because of the love of God, and the second oracle presents them as a conquering people because of the faithfulness of God. God doesn’t lie, so all His promises and covenants are sure; He doesn’t change, so His character remains the same. He isn’t weak but is able to fulfill what He promises; nobody can manipulate Him or control Him. God was with the people of Israel and reigned as their King.

It was God who gave Israel their victories, beginning with their exodus from Egypt. The nation was like an ox in its strength and like a lioness and a lion in its determination to catch its prey and kill it. Therefore, no sorcery could succeed against God’s people because God was at work in them and through them. “Oh, what God has done!” (23: nkjv).

When God looked upon Israel, He didn’t behold iniquity or wickedness and therefore have reason to judge them. They were “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (19:6), even though He had to chasten them for their unbelief and disobedience. Believers today are God’s chosen people (Eph. 1:4), hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3), clothed in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:17, 21) and seated with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:4–6). Because we are “in Christ,” God sees us as His own special people (1 Peter 2:5, 9–10), and He deals with us accordingly.

Once again, God turned the curse into a blessing!

The battles God’s people fight today are not with flesh and blood on earth but with Satan’s hosts in the heavenlies (Eph. 6:10ff.), and we can’t win the victory in our own strength. We must first of all see ourselves as the people of God, purchased by the blood of Christ, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and “more than conquerors” through Christ (Rom. 8:37). Our protection is the “whole armor of God,” and our chief weapons are the Word of God and prayer (Eph. 6:13–20; Acts 6:4).

As long as Israel walked with God and obeyed His will, they were an undefeated people and God did great wonders for them. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5: nkjv).