So, Balaam is considered an enemy of Israel. So he feels confident that, if he will only bid high enough, Balaam's services will be secured. In v. 6, the power of a spoken word, whether in blessing or cursing, is confirmed.”[3]   While Balaam is not identified in the text, he apparently develops a reputation as a prophet or seer. Then, you remember some of the things on the other side—that this man, that so-called "prophet" who led Israel into a very bad sin, and by the time everything is over, 24,000 Israelites were dead. [2] R. Dennis Cole. Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. And he thought he could win! There are a lot of people in this world like this. They would pass by. Beor means "Burning." It appears that Balak wants not only to honor Balaam, but to clear the air of any misgivings and then use his influence to move the process along to a speedy completion. “Balaam’s next words, however, betray a certain ambivalence. The same event is not the same to one man, and to another. And God had said not to worry about them. How do we use our words to glorify God? He wants the honor! A lot was going to happen in these final months while camped next to Moab. 'But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. "Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. Then, when Balaam goes to God, he leaves out some of what the princes said. Yes: but, like all moral paradoxes in the Bible, instinct with the deepest meaning. Yet was not his yielding to the later temptation the only too obvious consequence of his tampering with the earlier? But, there are these principles—huge principles—that people totally pass over. His sense of right and wrong is blunted by such trifling. If you don’t think I should go, I’ll return right now.”. They believed God would look over this. Balaam’s Ass, or a Problem in New Testament Hermeneutics, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 20 no. The magnitude of the opportunity is measured, not by the magnitude of the actual occurrence, but by the magnitude of the inward capacity. So the whole East Bank of the Jordan River became Israelite territory. You will not find more learned people than Protestant Theologians. God inspired Balaam by His Spirit, and He entrusted Balaam with prophecies about His children, Israel, some of the surrounding nations, and (by the time we get to chapter 24 of Numbers near the end of his oracles) he is prophesying about the Messiah. We have names like Satan; now that's a bad one! A man cannot do this without moral deterioration. But, this was a ploy to get the people interested and drag them along. That would certainly be a correct characterization. “The custom of cursing an enemy before battle was widespread in the ancient world, and Balaam seems to have gained a reputation as an effective operative who could be relied upon, on the payment of an appropriate fee (v. 7), to give satisfaction.”[4]   Balak either hears or sees first-hand that whoever Balaam blesses was blessed and whoever he curses was cursed. She certainly knew what was going on. Balak sends more people, more money, more everything to lure Balaam to Moab to curse the Israelites. 14 “And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.” 15 He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, 16 The oracle of him who hears the words of God, And knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered. O there is a much more profound and subtle lesson underlying such frailties than this! They passed it down, and gave their sons names that went along with that like "Burning," and "Devourer.". Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. His perfect plan for orchestrating His glory throughout history has, and will continue, to include us. The actual details of such a meeting would have entailed the standard hospitality process of formal greetings, the sharing of preliminary gifts, the sharing of a meal, and probably an extended discussion of the events precipitating this visit, and then the formal presentation of the letter.”[6]   Again, time is condensed in the story but suffice it to say, Balaam seems to know what was being asked of him. but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. “Nowhere in these chapters did the elders of Moab and Midian or Balak refer to God. Who is this man Balaam? King Balak had heard about all the things that God had done for Israel. but many scholars Jewish and Christian see here a reference to David, the model king of Israel who spoke just like Balaam, “David the son of Jesse declares, the man who was raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, the Spirit of the LORD spoke by me” (2 Sam 23.1-2) It could be David.But for 2000 years the Christian Church has seen that this is a proleptic prophecy that it does indeed refer to Moses’ successor AND to David and others but ultimately to the One born under a star in Bethlehem…and like Balaam the pagan, who was given an eye-opening and announces 7 blessings to Israel so the pagan astrologers from the East came to that star and brought gifts to the King of kings who was weak and helpless… God become weak for us…, But for 2000 years the Christian Church has seen that this is a proleptic prophecy that it does indeed refer to Moses’ successor AND to David and others but ultimately to the One born under a star in Bethlehem…and like Balaam the pagan, who was given an eye-opening and announces 7 blessings to Israel so the pagan astrologers from the East came to that star and brought gifts to the King of kings who was weak and helpless… God become weak for us…, Ultimately He, Jesus Christ will be revealed as the Once and Future King…He says in the last book of the Bible, The Apocalypse (which means “the reveal”) “I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22.16). Romans 9:11 gives us confidence that God’s elect will carry out His will, not because of what man does, but because of God who calls them to carry out His plan so that His purpose will stand. That would have been quite honorable for Balaam to have entertained the next king of Moab in his home. Absolute permission. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. But, there might be tons of verses that say that you shouldn't do that because of this, that, or something else. What is so important about this particular character? Israel was defeated there. He probably kept an ear to the ground for all kinds of unusual things that would happen, and have reports sent to him. Their object was to quiet and to reassure Balaam's own conscience, when he felt that his footsteps were tottering. He didn't believe God. He knew what was going on. [15] Glen Martin. Balaam means "Devourer." (2) Balaam had convinced himself that God permitted him to go. “In the Old Testament Balaam is clearly a figure who belongs exclusively to traditions about Transjordan; it is noteworthy, then, that our texts, in which he plays a central role, likewise come from a Transjordanian holy place. It is God who came to Balaam and His question is not to gain knowledge, but to teach. He was willing to negotiate with Him], to walk in all His ways [He didn't want to obey God] and to love Him [certainly his actions didn't show that he loved God at all], to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul [Balaam was in it for himself—his heart and soul were not with God], "and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good? He, Balaam probably manufactured most of these things. We also learn from this text that we should pray for others. He pays all outward respect to its representatives. God also allows us to go our own way and follow our will, but He will thwart our plan or correct us at the right time and in a way which shows His will for our lives. 1. When Balaam tells the elders that the Lord has refused to let him go with them, the elders returned with the news that Balaam refuses to come with us – they did not mention anything about God.”[10]   Balak knows only that his invitation was refused. The Israelites came to the edge of the promised land. But, they reacted to their fear, and really made a mess of things. The man of the Spirit has fallen lower, incomparably lower, than the man of the world. However, God speaks to Balaam and forbids him from cooperating with Balak. But, they were always marching inexorably toward the Promised Land—Canaan. This is interesting. That is, until we see no other sources of strength and salvation other than God. He hastens from height to height, hiding some features in the scene here and revealing others there; and, having thus altered the relative position of the objects, he fondly hopes that a curse may after all be pronounced on some part at least of this duty which is so imperative and yet so hateful to him. That's what we've been reading.

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