Scripture Reading - Numbers 23-24

Today, we'll be reading both Numbers 23 and 24, where Balak the

Moabite king and Balaam the prophet attempted to influence God to curse Israel, but instead, through Balaam, God speaks a blessing over them with four oracles.

You'll find this on page 131 in the Pew Bibles. Some of you may be wondering what an oracle is, simply a divine utterance through a medium or the uninterpreted words from God.

So, throughout Numbers, Israel and its leaders have been unfaithful. General Israel through the

Bronze Serpent, the Levites through the Korah Rebellion, Miriam and Aaron when they opposed Moses, and Moses himself when he struck the rock in anger.

However, they have managed through the Lord's providence to continue moving through the desert towards Canaan. Balak the

Moabite king has seen this and calls for Balaam the prophet to curse them, even though they have never been commanded to attack him.

So the situation we enter into right now is these two evil men at the top of the mount in the act of looking to curry favor with the one true

God. So in this passage, they set up 21 different altars, sacrifice 42 different animals in three different places.

Balaam has been called as a prophet to curse Israel, but he cannot. God in his mercy towards these wicked men does not destroy them, but condescends and speaks through Balaam and makes it clear to all that Israel will be blessed.

Balak's frustrated, but the word of God prevails. In his first three articles, Balaam speaks the word of the

Lord regarding Israel, refusing to curse what God has already blessed. And his last oracle is a prophecy proclaiming that Israel will crush and have dominion over all the nations, which points to David and eventually the

Messiah. So what are we learning? The worship of God first and foremost comes from his prescription and not anything else.

God has sent exclusive places where he is to be worshipped at the altars and sacrifices are to be given.

Deuteronomy 12, 5, but you shall seek the place that the Lord, your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there.

There shall you go. So the act of Balaam and Balak setting up their own altars in their own wisdom on their own mans is particularly heinous.

And this is also seen throughout the Old Testament. Multiple altars are a sign of particularly heinous sin and rebellion, specifically sin of Jeroboam, where he set up the high places in Israel and that was basically continued throughout the

Old Testament as one of the premier sins of the people during the time. Samuel said in 1

Samuel 15, 22, has the Lord great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the

Lord, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and listen than the fat of rams.

Number two, God is not swayed outside of his will. For who has known the mind of the

Lord and who has been his counselor? One of the reasons that Balak is so heinous is that he directly works against the state of will of God.

In the second oracle, God is actually saying, God is not man that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind.

Has he said it and still will he not do it? And yet, Balak goes on to build another altar and ask for God's, the opposite of what

God has stated in his will, yeah. So the last point, it's more about Israel, is

God's promise does not stem from or depend on our obedience. Israel at every level has been terrible to the

Lord God and yet he refuses to curse them and this also goes for us as well.

They've all fallen away. Together, they've become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. In our world as well, no one is worthy of God.

So God's reason for blessing Israel, simply I have said it, it is my good pleasure.

He reminds us that until, that Israel is a nation dwelling apart, showing us that he's the one who set us aside and he is the one who set them aside as well.

This is not an encouragement of antinomianism but is a sharp rebuke against self -righteousness.

The glory of God is in his sovereign will and his choice to bless us so that we cannot boast in everything but him.

Another great thing that point towards the gospel that this does is, there are picture in this passage of how

God sees us as a redeemed people. Numbers 23, 19, he has not held misfortune in Jacob nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

He doesn't see us in our iniquity. In fact, he lavishes his blessings on us.

As you can see, beautiful tense and talks about an exalted king in the passage. He carries us through our trials with overwhelming victory.

Do not continue to think that God sees you as something ugly and defiled after you have been saved.

He views you as precious and pure through the blood of Christ. His judgment is final.

He cannot change his mind and so we can be secure that if he saves us, he will save us for good.

And lastly, the passages are directly pointing to the Messiah. A star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

Obviously the star is one of the prophecies that points to the star of Bethlehem when Jesus was born and the scepter is symbolic of a king.

Though through the evil actions of men in Israel, through the evil actions of Balak and Balaam, and also through Ahaz, God in his mercy has blessed people with the signs of the

Messiah. Just confirming that God does not work on the basis of our own righteousness, but in spite of our faithlessness, he's blessing us.

And Balaam said to Balak, build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.

Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

And Balaam said to Balak, stand behind your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the

Lord will come to meet me and whatever he shows me I will tell you. And he went to a bare height and God met

Balaam. And Balaam said to him, I've arranged the seven altars and I've offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

And the word of the Lord put in Balaam's mouth and said, return to Balak and thus you shall speak.

And he returned to him and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing behind his burnt offering.

And Balaam took up his discourse and said, from Aram, Balak had brought me the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.

Come, curse Jacob for me and come denounce Israel. How can I curse what

God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? For from the tops of the crags

I see him. From the hills I behold him. Behold, a people dwelling alone and not counting itself among the nations.

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright and let my end be like his.

And Balak said to Balaam, what have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies and behold, you've done nothing but bless them.

And he answered and said, must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?

And Balak said to him, please come with me to another place from which you may see them.

You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.

And he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah and bought seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam said to Balak, stand here besides your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.

And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, return to Balak and thus shall you speak.

And he came to him and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him.

And Balak said to him, what has the Lord spoken? And Balaam took up his discourse and said, rise,

Balak, and hear. Give ear to me, O son of Zippor. God is not man that he should lie or a son of man that he should change his mind.

Has he said it and will he not do it or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless.

He has blessed and I cannot revoke it. He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

The Lord their God is with them and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel. And now it shall be said of Jacob in Israel, what has

God wrought? Behold, a people. As a lion it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself.

It does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain. And Balaam said to Balaam, do not curse them at all and do not bless them at all.

But Balaam answered Balaam, did I not tell you all that the Lord says that I must do?

And Balaam said to Balaam, come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please

God that you may curse them for me from there. So Balaam took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.

And Balaam said to Balak, build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.

And Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. When Balaam saw that it pleased the

Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as it other times to look for omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the spirit of God came upon him and he took up his discourse and said, the oracle of Balaam, the son of Peor, the oracle of the man whose eye is open, the oracle of him who hears the word of the

Lord. He sees the vision of the Almighty falling down with his eyes uncovered.

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel, like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the

Lord has planted, like cedar trees besides the water. Water shall flow from his buckets and his seed shall be in many waters.

His king shall be higher than Agag and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox.

He shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows.

He crouched. He lay down like a lion and like a lioness. Who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies and behold, you have blessed them these three times.

Therefore, now flee to your own place. I said, I will certainly honor you.

But the Lord has held you back from honor. And Balaam said to Balak, did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me?

If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go but on the word of the

Lord to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak.

And now behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.

And he took up his discourse and said, the Oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor, the

Oracle of the man whose eye is open, the Oracle of him who hears the word of God and knows the knowledge of the

Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty falling down with his eyes uncovered.

I see him now, but not now. I behold him now, but not near. A star shall come out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.

It shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed.

Sire also his enemies shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities.

Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction.

And he looked on the Kenite and took up his discourse and said, Enduring is your dwelling place and your nest is set in the rock.

Nevertheless, Cain shall be burned when Asher comes to take away you captive. And he took up his discourse and said,

Alas, who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict

Asher and Eber, and he too shall come to utter destruction. Then Balaam rose and went back to his place, and Balak also went his way.