Numbers 22-24 Balaam and His Donkey

Thoughts

I’m so glad I got these three on the same day

Numbers 22

Here we meet Balaam: a prophet from Pethor who is tasked to curse Israel by Balak, King of Moab, so that Moab can defeat them. Balaam was very famous in the area and had prophetic texts about him.

He charged a fee to speak to God for people – and he actually talked to God!

God tells Balaam to not associate with these people and to know that Israel is blessed. Balaam tells the elders God won’t allow him to go with them, but he seems to be fishing for more money.

Balaam asks God again and this time God says to go with the men. But when he does go, God’s anger is kindled. God was probably angry because Balaam went with greedy and rebellious intentions, ignoring the spirit of God’s command even if he followed the letter of it.

The Hebrew word used for the donkey is אָתוֹן (aton), which refers to a female donkey . 

For some reason Balaam responds to the donkey as if it always spoke.

The Angel of the Lord says “Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me” meaning the sin was against Him specifically.

2 Peter 2:15-16 talks of Balaam: 15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the [son] of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

So does Jude 1:11: Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Numbers 23

Balaam tries to please God with using seven altars with seven sacrifices

Guzik says “spiritual giftedness does not equal spiritual maturity or holiness of life” (https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/numbers-23/) just look at Balaam and his donkey

Balaam starts at Bamoth-baal (“High places of Baal”)

Oracle 1: Israel will not be cursed

Interesting that Balaam spoke the truth God told him instead of faking it for Balak

Balak takes Balaam to a second place The field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah

Oracle 2: God is unshakable

Balak takes Balaam to a THIRD place- the tpp of Peor (that looks toward the desert)

King James Version says “unicorn” instead of “ox” in verse 22!

Numbers 24

“When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness” implies that during the first two oracles he used some kind of ‘sorcery’

Oracle 3: Israel is blessed

Oracle 4: The Messiah

A Messianic prophecy (the first prophecy of the Messiah by a non-Israelite prophet): “A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

Oracle 5: the fall of Amalek

Oracle 6: Kenites captive

Oracle (final) 7: God’s power

Questions

Why did God talk to Balaam if he was charging a fee? Was it the first time God spoke to him?

Why did God tell Balaam not to go, then to go, then send Angel of Lord to possibly kill him, then tell him to go?

Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord at first but his donkey did – are there other times animals can see spiritual things that we can’t? (far stretch with this one lol but I wonder!)

Why does Balaam just respond to the donkey????

Application

We can apply a lot from the story of Balaam. He clearly has some kind of spiritual gift, but his heart is still wicked. This reminds us that just because someone can speak about God or appear to operate in spiritual gifts doesn’t necessarily mean they truly belong to God or love Him. Outward gifting is not the same as inward obedience. Also, in these three chapters, Israel has no idea what’s happening, yet God is actively protecting them.. How often does God work behind the scenes in our own lives, shielding us from harm we never even knew was there? We must not forget the unseen battles around us