Numbers, chapter 22, comments: Balaam is commissioned by the king of Moab

 

Numbers 22:1 ¶  And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. 2  And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3  And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4  And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5  He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6  Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 7  And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8  And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9  And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? 10  And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11  Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12  And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 14  And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.

 

God had said not to harass the Moabites or provoke them to war for the sake of Abraham’s relationship to Lot, it appears.

 

Deuteronomy 2:9  And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

 

But the Moabites, seeing what Israel had done to the Amorites, were terrified. So the king of Moab tries to commission one Balaam, who must have been known to have considerable spiritual authority, to curse the Hebrews. But God tells Balaam not to go and not to curse the Israelites because they are blessed. Interestingly, as God spoke to a heathen king in Genesis he speaks here to a heathen spiritual leader whom Peter will acknowledge was a prophet, used by God. We shall see.

 

Numbers 22:15 ¶  And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16  And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17  For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18  And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19  Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. 20  And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21  And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

 

Matthew Henry noted that with this second embassy from Balak to Balaam that Christians would do well to be at least as persistent as the enemies of Christ are in their hatred. Here Balak sends high level princes, worthy of more respect, to try to entice Balaam to come with them to curse the Hebrews. They had a lot more to promise this time. But, Balaam, who calls the LORD his God insists that no amount of money could get him to go against God. We know this is not a genuine profession of faith as he will do just that in his actions against the Hebrews in the future before his death.

 

But Balaam waits on God and God either appears to him in a vision or comes to him in a dream and tells him to go with the men. Clearly, God has a plan to force this heathen prophet to speak God’s own words to frustrate the king.

 

Numbers 22:22 ¶  And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23  And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24  But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26  And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27  And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29  And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30  And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31  Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. 32  And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33  And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34  And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35  And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

 

To reinforce God’s intent and His demand to be obeyed by this heathen prophet who acknowledges the LORD God among many gods, God will do something to show Balaam He means business. In this episode we have a hint that animals have intelligent thoughts and memories but are held back from speech likes ours. The animal wasn’t prepared like Jonah’s huge fish, altered to suit a specific purpose in time. This animal’s tongue was loosed, whatever held it back from speaking was removed as the LORD opened the mouth of the ass. Perhaps it is a stretch but it does make one think considering this verse.

 

Exodus 4:11  And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

 

One cannot help but wonder if the organs of speech are not the only thing needed for this to take place but for God’s will in the speaker, part of His direction of all reality.

 

2Peter 2:16  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb [inability to speak] ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

 

Just by reading this it is pretty clear that Balaam has gotten the message reinforced that He better do as he is told.

 

Numbers 22:36 ¶  And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37  And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? 38  And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 39  And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 40  And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

 

King Balak is miffed that Balaam was so hard to entice to come do his bidding. In spite of Balaam’s protestation that he can only say what God has given him Balak apparently thinks he will still curse the Hebrews.