Baalam and Balak

You ready? All right. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every weekday morning you and I, we get together. We have a little bit of. I got coffee. What type of tea did you grab this morning? Ginger tea. And we'll have a little bit of coffee.
We'll get into God's word and we'll grow in our love for the Lord together in this year, 2024. Lord willing, we'll make it through the books of numbers. Deuteronomy and Hebrews and Olivia. Deborah has been waiting and waiting and waiting for this passage. She's been so excited to read it. So we're going to read through all of it together. So I saved this one just for Deborah because she was asking for it.
So let's have some coffee or tea. We'll pray. We'll get in the God's Word. Alright, don't burn yourself. Good job. Now, I do want to warn you before we pray and get into this is going to be a longer one because we have multiple chapters to read, but it's one whole complete story. And so we'll kind of talk about it as we read through it. OK, but it's going to be longer. So if you don't have time right now, go ahead, pause it, come back later and follow along with Deborah and I later as we get into coffee and devotion.
Here we go. Let's pray. God, we thank you for your word and we pray that you would please help us to understand it. Lord, we pray that it would be meaningful to us and that we would trust in you. Help us, Holy Spirit, apply these things to our hearts in Jesus's name. Amen.
All right. So we're beginning at Numbers chapter 22. So this is the story of Balaam. So Numbers chapter 22. Deborah, you just read until you're tired and then I'll read until I'm tired and we'll just switch back and forth and I'll kind of interrupt us to talk. OK.
Then the children of Israel moved and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. The son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. Okay, so Balak is the son of Zippor. So they're on the plains of Moab, across from Jericho. So who is this Balak guy? A Moabite? Okay, we'll see. Go ahead and keep reading. Verse 3.
And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because there were many. And Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, now this company will lick up everything around us as an ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of the Moabites at the time.
Okay, so who is Balak? King of them. All right, and what's going on with Moab? What's her what's going on in their hearts? That's right good good. All right first five Then he sent messengers to Balaam, Balaam, the sons, the son of Beor at Pithor, which is near the river in the land of the sons of his people. OK, so the river they're talking about, there's Euphrates, right? So it's gone from a long way away to come. Good. to call him, saying, Look, a people has come from Egypt.
See, they cover the face of the earth and are settling next to me. Therefore, please come at once and curse this people for their for me. For they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed. Alright, so what's Baelic's idea? Well, if I get this Baelum guy over here, then maybe Well, he could curse the children of Israel and then they can't get my land. Good. Good. That's right. You want to keep reading?
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner's fee in their hand. They came to Balaam and spoke to him in the words of Balak. And he said to them, watch here tonight, and I will bring back word to you as the Lord speaks to me. So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Now, this is interesting. Notice how verse eight is spelled. Lodge here tonight and we'll bring back word to you as who speaks to me. The Lord. Now, how is Lord spelled? Well, it's capital. Yeah, it's all capital. That's in Hebrew. It's Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh. It's the God whom Israel serves. So he was like. It was like a prophet of the Lord. Well, somehow he's he's going to go talk to the Lord, to Jehovah himself. Right, so he's not going to go to some other God, he's going to go to the the Israelites, God himself, like himself. Right, so this is interesting that that's.
Instead of going to Chumash or going to Molech or something like that, he's going to go somehow prophesy and speak to the covenant God of the Israelites. to try to get the covenant God of the Israelites to turn his back on his people and his promises. Interesting, right?
Then God came to Balaam and said, Who are these men with you? So Balaam said to God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me saying, Look, a people has come out of Egypt and they covered the face of the earth. Come now and curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out. And God said to Balaam, you shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people for they are blessed. OK, so God says, who are these guys? Balak sent those guys with me. And then what's Balaam say to God that he wants them to do? Curse. And what's God say in verse 12? These are my people, do not curse them. Yeah, they're blessed. Good. You want to keep reading or you want me to read? I'll keep reading. OK. Verse 13.
So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you. And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, Balaam refuses to come with us. Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable were they. And they came to Balaam and said to him, Thus says Balak of Zippor, Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore, please come and curse these people for me. Okay. So, Balaam says, go home. Yehovah's not going to let me do this. And what, how does Balaam take that? Well, send him more. Right. Yeah. All right.
In the verse 18, Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God to do less or more. Now, therefore, please, you also stay here tonight that I may know what more the Lord will say to me. Now, interestingly, right. What is in verse 18? What does he say about the Lord? Oh, my Lord. Yeah. So, Jehovah, my God, you would have a my God.
He says I serve that one. I'm not gonna go beyond his word, but yet Seems like he may be getting enticed by this silver and gold even though he says right the baila give me all the give me his house full of silver and gold and Yet, why does he go back? Why do you think in verse 19? He he said you go ahead and stay here tonight. I'll go talk to the Lord. See what else he says to me He's like, hmm. I wonder if the Lord will change his mind Hmm. Yeah. All right. Go ahead and read first.
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, if the men come to call you, rise and go with them, but only. The word which I speak to you that you shall do so, Balaam rose in the morning and settled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. All right. So God comes to Balaam at night.
And what's he say to him? Fine, go ahead. But but only say what I tell you to say. What do you think Balaam's hoping? I'm hoping that he tells me. Yeah. Oh, that's right. That's right. OK. Do you want to keep reading or do you want me to pick up? OK.
Then God's anger was aroused because he went and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. And as he was riding his donkey and his two servants were with him, now the donkey saw an angel of the Lord standing in the highway, in the way with his drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. The Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back on the road.
Well, hold on. Didn't God say, go ahead and go do it. So why is he, why is he mad if he said, yeah, go ahead and go. I wonder if the Lord knows that Balaam is going to probably disobey him and say what Bala wants him to say. Oh, maybe that's going to happen. Hmm. Sometimes does God let us do things even though he doesn't necessarily condone it? Yeah, right. Did he make us people with wills and minds that we can do things freely? Yeah.
So just because he gives him permission doesn't mean that he allowed this. He's necessarily happy about this. He's going to display his glory, but he knows what's going on in Balaam's heart. So we'll pick up more on that as we go. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. Verse 25. Ouch.
So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she laid down under Balaam. So Balaam's anger was aroused and he struck the donkey with his staff.
All right. So what's happening? He's. He's mad because the donkey keeps seeing an angel which Balaam can't see. The donkey is stopping because he knows that if I get close to the angel, the angel is going to kill both of us. That's right. Very good. And can I read? Yeah, sure. You can read.
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times? And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have abused me, I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you. So the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden ever since I have became yours? To this day, was I ever disposed to do this to you?
And he said, No. OK, hold on here. What just happened? The donkey's talking. Does it like Shrek? Yeah. OK, but this is just a made up story, though. Just like Shrek, it's just made up. How does a donkey start talking and reasoning? God? Hmm. God can make a donkey talk. He can make us talk. Yeah, but I've never heard a donkey talk. I've never heard our dog talk. I've never heard our cat talk. That's why it's a miracle. Oh, you believe in miracles? OK, don't give me a stink eye, girl. OK, you want me to read verse 31 or you want to keep going? Um.
Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your ways perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely I would also have killed you by now and let her live.
Okay, so what happens? that Balaam can now see the angel and he realizes that the angel is saying like the same thing that the donkey just said. Yeah. Yeah. Right. He was so mad at that donkey because he wanted to go. But he doesn't realize that what he's doing is sinful. Right. And the donkey is actually saving his life somehow. OK, so verse 34.
And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have sinned, for I did not know you stood in the way against me. Now, therefore, if it displeases you, I will turn back. And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Bilad. Okay, so he's only allowed to say what the messenger or the angel of the Lord is allowing him to say. Good. Now when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him in the city of Moab, which is on the border of Aran, the boundary of the territory.
Then Balak said to Balaam, Did I not earnestly send you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you? And Balaam said to Balak, look, I have come to you. Now do I have power to say any at all, to say anything? The Lord, the word that the Lord puts in my mouth that I must speak.
So Balaam went with Balak and they came to Kerejeth Harzuth. and Balak offered oxen and sheep and he sent some to Balaam and the princes that were with him. Okay. So what's going on? He's trying, um, Balaam comes to the border and Balak's like, see, I told you I could honor you. I knew that you would come. And, and, um, Balaam's like, I can't really say anything because I can only say what the Lord tells me to say. And Balak is trying to like entice him out of his promise that he made to the Lord. Okay. Okay. So it was the next day that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of U. up to the high places of what? Bale. Bale. And from there, he that he might observe the extent of the people.
Then Balaam said to Balak, build seven altars for me here and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams. So Balaam did just as Balak did, just as Balaam had spoken. And Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me, I will tell you. So he went to a desolate height, and God met with Balaam, and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and have offered on each altar a bull and a ram. Now, why do you think Balaam is offering these bulls and rams? Because the Lord told him to? Nope, the Lord didn't tell him to do this.
In the ancient Near East, people thought if they offered sacrifices that maybe they could win the favor of the gods. Almost like if you want daddy to buy you a new bike, maybe you should cook me a cake first. Right? So something like that, right? He's trying to, like, bribe him off. That's how people almost thought about sacrifices with gods. Verse five.
Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, Return to Balak and thus you shall speak. So he returned to him. And there he was standing by his burnt offering and all the princes of Moab. Then he took up his oracle and said. You want to read it or you want me to? Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. Come, curse Jacob for me, and come denounce Israel. Okay, so far would Balak be like, yeah, yeah, that's good, that's good. All right, so verse 8.
And then he's like, How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? For the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. There are people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die in the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his.
Then Balak said to his son, What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies and look, you bless them bountifully. So he answered and said, must I not take heed to speak what Jehovah has put in my mouth? Right, so how does Balak respond to Balaam's first words?
He's like, well, I mean the first part was good, but couldn't you have just kept going on? Yeah, because now you've like basically like given up my city and my realm. That's right. Good. You want to read 13 or you want me to read? I think it's time for you.
Okay, then Balak said to him please come with one come with me to another place from which you may see them You shall see only the outer part of them and shall not see them all curse them for me from there So he brought him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar Then he said to Balak Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet with the Lord over there.
Then the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, Go to Balak and thus you shall speak. So he came to him and there he was standing by his burnt offering. And the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, What has Jehovah spoken? And he took up this oracle and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, son of Zippor.
God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, O what God has done! Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lift itself up like a lion.
It shall not lie down until it devours the prey, and it drinks the blood of the slain. Then Balaam said to Balaam, I have not cursed them at all, nor blessed them at all. But Balaam answered and said to Balaam, Did I not tell you, saying all that Jehovah speaks, that must I do? So what's this prophecy like? Especially like verse 19 and 20. Israel is going to be like a lion and God can't be like, ooh, I made a mistake, Balaam. You were supposed to curse them.
Yeah, is God a liar? Nope. Is God like people that he has to change his mind and repent? Nope. Is God going to speak a good word and then turn it on its head and make it bad? Nope. Is God going to command someone to bless it and then turn around and say, no, go ahead and curse him? Nope.
No, he's not like shifting shadows, right? When he makes a covenant, he's going to keep his covenant. And then he has not observed iniquity in Jacob, but weren't there evil people in Israel? Mm hmm. But he got rid of them. Nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. Oh, hold on. Aren't there wicked people? Isn't Moses wicked? Didn't he beat the rock? Didn't he murder someone?
Yeah. Yeah, but he chooses. He chooses still. Right. Does do you have sin? Do I have sin? And yet does he look upon our iniquity? No, he looks upon his son. Right. The Lord, his God is with him. The shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. If God redeems his people. He's going to love him. OK, you want to read verse 27? Then Balak said to Balaam, You said twenty-seven. Yeah, verse twenty-seven. Well, we didn't read twenty-five down. Yeah, you did. Oh, we did?
Then Balak said to Balaam, Please come, I will take you to another place. Perhaps there it will please God that you may curse them for me. Then so Balaam, so Balaak took Balaam. All the buh-buh-buhs. to the top of Peor that overlooks the wasteland. And Balaam said to Balak, build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams. And Balak did everything that Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on every altar. Okay, so same amount of altars, same amount of rams, same amount of lambs, but a different place. Maybe a third time's a charm. And maybe the fourth time he prophesies, he'll curse them.
Now, when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek to use sorcery. But he set his face towards the wilderness and Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes. And the spirit of God came upon him. Then he took up his oracle and said, The utterance of Balaam, the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, the utterance of him who hears the word of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falls down with eyes wide open.
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel, like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by Jehovah, like cedars beside the waters. He shall pour water 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.
He has strength like a wild ox. He shall consume the nations his enemies. He shall break their bones and pierce them with his arrows. His bows down, he bows down, he lies down as a lion. And as a lion, who shall rouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.
Sounds like a love letter, doesn't it? And he's also saying, like. Yeah, I have a feeling it's going to go bad with me if I. Well, yeah, but it's a spirit. This is the spirit of God, right? These are the words. This is how God feels about his people.
Baylis afraid of them. He hates them. He wants to curse them. He wants them to die. Right. But. God loves his people. This is how God feels about them. And so when Balaam has a spirit of God come upon him, it's like, oh, oh, maybe someone's going to change. I wonder how Balak's going to respond to that. I'm going to read verse 10. Then Balak's angler was aroused at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I have called you to curse my enemies.
And look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times. Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor. Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on. Balak says God's kept him back from honor? So now he's attacking him and his character. He said, I'm going to honor you, but forget it. The Lord's kept you from honor. You think Balaam's got any concern for the Lord? Nope. Nope. Okay. Verse 12.
So Balaam said to Balak, did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent me, saying, if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord to do any good or bad of my own will. But the Lord says that I must speak. And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come. and I will advise you to do what this people will do to your people in latter days."
And so he took up this oracle and said, The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, and the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened, the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and has the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down with eyes wide open. I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near.
A star shall come out of Jacob, a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of Ptolemaic, and Edom shall be his possession. Seer also his enemy shall be his possession, while Israel does valiantly. Out of Jacob one shall have dominion and destroy the remains of the city."
He then looked on Amalek, and he took up this oracle and said, Amalek was first among the nations, but shall be last until he perishes. Then he took up the looked upon the Canites and he took up this his oracle and said, Burm is your dwelling place and your nest is set in the rock. Nevertheless, Cain shall be burned. How long until Asher carries you away captive? Then he took up this his oracle and said, Alas, Who shall live when God does this? But ships shall come from the coast of Cyprus, and they shall afflict Asher and afflict Eber, and so shall Amalek until he perishes. So Balaam rose and departed and returned to his place. And Balaam also went his own way, pouting like a little three year old.
I don't think that's on the text. OK, OK. So we've talked about we've got we've read through lots of chapters. Now you tell me, how would you explain this to mom or grandma? What's this about? That. Balaam learned that riches aren't as good as God's providence and God's word and he can't go against God's word or it will go Okay, so he can't go against God's Word because it's gonna go bad for him, right We actually don't know yet what happens to Balaam other than he goes home Right. Well, maybe we'll pick up the next part next and we'll talk about that.
But hey, it's as far as right now all we know Is that it's got gonna curse his people Is God going to curse his own people? Nope. Is God going to turn back on his promises? Nope. Is the Lord going to abandon his covenant? Nope. That's I think what Balaam learned. Can God be bought over with money? Can he be forced to change his mind by having sacrifices or something? Nope. No. But he was going to raise up one who would have complete victory. Who do you think ultimately that is? God. Yeah, I think it's specifically Jesus.
But notice verse 19. Out of Jacob, one shall have dominion and destroy the remains of the city. Again and again, it's it seems like there's a star shall come out of Jacob. Verse 17, a scepter shall rise out of Israel. So I think there's a near fulfillment of this in the destruction of Moab, but also the far fulfillment of this in Jesus being that star, being that lion.
I'm guessing the Moabites didn't know that, and so they were shaking in their boots when Saul became king. Well, they're shaking in their boots in a little while, but we're going to get to that. All right. Well, let's go ahead. We're going to skip over best verse because that's a lot in here. But let's go ahead and talk about what would you say you are called to do? How does this affect your life? That we should.
Bless those who God blesses. Okay, good what what does it call you to do relating to God himself You listen to him do what he tells you to do, you know what I take away from this I can take a lot of comfort Because if God has blessed me and anybody make him change his mind Did God love me because I first loved him No, right? Whom God decides, Hey, I'm going to love. God's going to love them forever.
Is God going to say, you know, Hey, Debra, I loved you yesterday, but not today. I decided I don't love you anymore. Actually, I'm going to, this guy gave me some, some sheep. He burned them. They smell really good. It was a nice barbecue. So instead I'm going to let them kill you. Is that how God treats us? No, right? That's a huge blessing to know that God is not fickle. God can't be bought off. Whom God loves. He loves eternally. That's what I'm taking from this. Yeah. You ready to be done? Yeah. OK, let's pray.
God, we thank you so much. That you are our eternal covenant king. Lord, we thank you that you are not a man that you should repent or a son of man that you should lie. But Lord, what you have said, you will do. And father, we thank you that no sorcerer or trickery or bribing would get you from turning away from your covenant or your people.
Thank you that you look upon your people and you see them as beautiful. I pray that we would have trust and confidence in you. In Jesus's name, Amen. Well, may God bless you. May you know that if you are his people. You have no need to fear. Or he will always love you. I'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.
Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith and your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue. Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.