Numbers 22:5–41

The King of Moab and his people saw Jehovah's travelling host camped on their border. In the camp of Israel there were 601,730 men able to carry arms. With women and children there were probably at least three million people. Balak was alarmed. He was all the more alarmed because Israel had just destroyed three military powers that dared to oppose their march: the King of Arad, Sihon King of Heshbon, and Og King of Bashan. Sihon had earlier fought a successful war with Moab and taken some of her land. How then could Balak hope to stand against a nation which had destroyed his powerful neighbour? When men are in trouble, the proper thing is to turn to God in prayer. He cares about the affairs of nations as much as He cares about the troubles and sorrows of individual men and women. But Balak knew nothing of God.

He was not satisfied that military power would be enough to withstand the conquerors of Sihon and Og. So he sent messengers to a well-known soothsayer — Balaam the son of Beor, who lived in Mesopotamia. Outsiders were already crediting Israel's victories to divine power... In sending for Balaam, Balak sought to oppose the supernatural by the supernatural. People said this Mesopotamian prophet had influence with the invisible world.

"Balak" seems to mean "waster." The name looks like a deliberate contrast with his family line, since he is only ben-Zippor, "son of a sparrow." What grand titles men take to cover how small they are! Balaam the son of Beor matches this Balak in every way. He is a "devourer of the people," son of the "consumer." Men sought him out for his skill in cursing, and he was ready to take a bribe and destroy a whole nation. No doubt he claims loyalty to Jehovah, but he has no real knowledge of Him, as his actions show. In his efforts to destroy the people of God, you cannot even say he hates them. He would destroy them in cold blood, for money.

He knew that the people had come out of Egypt. He was very afraid. The fate of the Egyptians and Amorites seemed to foretell his own. So fear and hatred fill his heart, and he wanted to oppose and curse Israel. It is nothing less than the history of anti-Semitism in a nutshell. Nations that call themselves Christian still hate and fear this people, whom no Pharaoh and no soothsayer could overcome — a people disobedient, judged and suffering, yet always conquering.

If Balaam's heart had been right with God, he would have dealt with Balak's message at once. It would not have cost him a moment's thought to send a reply. But Balaam's heart was all wrong... His heart was set on going, because it was set on the silver and gold. But at the same time he made some reference to God — an appearance of religion put on as a cloak to cover his greed. He longed for the money; but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way.

The people of Jehovah were now in grave danger. They had been ungrateful and disobedient all through their wilderness journey. They did not know about the danger, so they did not pray to God about it. But Jehovah Himself took the matter up, and there we are reminded of His unchanging favour. He loved the people, despite all that they were, and He would not allow the enemy to harm them.

There was no need for Moab to fear Israel. God was not giving Israel the inheritance of the children of Esau or that of the children of Lot (Deut. 2:5, 9, 19). The hostility toward God's people was not because of anything Israel had done, or threatened to do, to Moab. Balak does not seem to have expected any attack from Israel. He said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field" (Num. 22:4). Moab did not like the thought of having God's people as their neighbours, and they wanted to get rid of them.

We see the hostility of the world against the people of God brought out, and especially against the power of the people of God. God's power was with His people, and this drew out the hostility of Satan. … When that happens, Satan seeks to force others into open opposition to the people of God. Their presence becomes unbearable to their enemies.

He was not satisfied that military power would be enough to withstand the conquerors of Sihon and Og. So he sent messengers to a well-known soothsayer — Balaam the son of Beor, who lived in Mesopotamia. Outsiders were already crediting Israel's victories to divine power… In sending for Balaam, Balak sought to oppose the supernatural by the supernatural. People believed the Mesopotamian prophet had influence with the invisible world.

Balak is in complete and all-distorting darkness. First Israel was forbidden to touch Moab. Next he says, "He whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." He was seeking to bring the curse on Israel when God had said, "Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you." So he was simply bringing it on himself.

Balaam clearly had a great name among men. Balak had said, "I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." But before God he was perverse, self-willed, covetous, and an enemy of His people. There was great religious pretence — the claim to be a servant of the true God — but he was a wicked and foolish man… The same features are not hard to see in some people today. They appear great in the eyes of men, yet they are still perverse, rebellious and foolish.

Balak sends for Balaam. The great question in this moving scene is this: "Can Satan succeed in cursing the people of God, so as to stop their entrance into the land of promise?" It is not merely a question of redemption and of the joy of redemption at the beginning of their course. The question comes at the end, when all their unfaithfulness has come out — their unfaithfulness even after the Lord has brought them to Himself. Can Satan succeed then? No.

Moses told the people about the danger that had threatened them. He said: "They hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you" (Deut. 23:4-5). Precious words — "because the LORD your God loved you!"

Balak imagined that he could enlist the aid of Balaam, an agent of Satan, to overcome them. He did not realise that poor Israel could never have been delivered out of Egypt, or brought through their forty years in the wilderness, without their God. It is clear that Balak knew he was sending his princes to one who was in touch with the forces of evil, for they had "the rewards of divination in their hand".

Ever since man was driven out of Eden, he has been restless. He is never more restless than when he is in trouble, or when he thinks he sees trouble approaching. He searches north, south, east, and west for help, or for a way of escape. So Balak took alarm when the people of Israel came close to his borders. He sent messengers to neighbouring kingdoms seeking alliances. He also sent messengers to Mesopotamia to bring the famous diviner Balaam. He would have done better to get down before God, who never turns aside the requests of those who feel their need of Him.

In Numbers 22:7 we read of the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian, so the term was not confined to Israel. The word is saqen, which implies "aged man"; they were no doubt also men of repute.

Balaam no doubt was a Midianite, and there was an intimate connection between the Moabites and the Midianites. At the first Balak consulted the elders of Midian, and the elders of both Moab and Midian went together to seek the aid of Balaam and his sorceries.

Balak's messengers went to Mesopotamia "with the rewards of divination in their hands". Balak knew that the false prophet "loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15), so he sought to make sure of him by sending "cash in advance!" But the treacherous deceiver brought Jehovah's name into it. He lodged the messengers for the night, pretending to seek the mind of God.

If Balaam's heart had been right with God, he would have made very short work of Balak's message. A reply would not have cost him a moment's thought. But Balaam's heart was all wrong, and we see him in chapter 22 in the sad condition of a man pulled by conflicting feelings. His heart was bent on going, because it was bent on the silver and gold. Yet at the same time he still made some reference to God. It was an appearance of religion put on as a cloak to cover his greedy practices. He longed for the money, but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way.

Balaam, who used enchantments, had to confess, "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel." Balak sent the elders of Moab and Midian to him "with the rewards of divination in their hand". And when Balaam claimed to go and meet Jehovah, he went "to seek for enchantments" (Num. 24:1). No natural power could overcome the people of God. No power of Satan could prevail against them either.

They have followed the way of Balaam. There is nothing original about their performances. They follow a well-beaten track first trodden by Balaam of infamous memory, who sold his prophetic gifts for money. He was not the first person to prophesy for money; that has always been a custom in religions that worship idols. But he appears to have been the first to offer to prophesy for money in the name of the Lord. With Balaam the supreme question was "Will it pay?"

But Balaam claimed to be a servant of the LORD. He said to Balak's messengers, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me." This false claim made Balaam's position even more serious, as it does with every false servant of the Lord. It is a very serious matter to pretend to be the servant of God while really being an instrument of Satan.

He sought for Balaam, who had a great reputation as a man who wielded "enchantments." This we see if we turn to Numbers 24:1. If we glance at verses 8 and 18 of Numbers 22, we discover that this man managed to cover his enchantments, which were of course of the devil, with the appearance of reverencing Jehovah as his God. Balak hoped to bring a curse on the people of God by enlisting the help of this professed prophet of God, who was really a servant of Satan.

Balak knew that the false prophet loved the wages of unrighteousness (2 Peter 2:15), so he made sure of him by sending cash in advance. But the treacherous deceiver brought the LORD's name into the matter, and lodged the messengers for the night while pretending to seek the mind of God. The business in hand was hugely important, for he was asked to ruin a whole nation. Did he then spend the night in prayer to God? Nothing was further from Balaam's thoughts. He just went to bed. God was watching every move with the deepest interest, and He came to Balaam with the challenge, "Who are these men with you?"

He could use the Lord's name like this, even though he had no intention of seeking the Lord's guidance. He wanted an answer from the occult power he was used to. Chapter 24:1 tells us this: he was looking for enchantments as a sorcerer.

"Lodge here tonight," said Balaam to the men who brought the reward of divination in their hand. Giving a bed to men who came to curse the people of the Lord showed the wicked leaning of his heart. Only God's direct action holds him back.

The people of the LORD were now in great danger. They had been ungrateful and disobedient all through their journey in the wilderness. They did not know about the danger, so they did not pray to God. But the LORD Himself took the matter up, and that reminds us of His unchanging favour. He loved the people, in spite of all that they were, and He would not let the enemy harm them.

Balaam talks about consulting the LORD in his hypocritical way. This has always been so. Those who have least to do with God often talk about Him most lightly… Balaam was not alarmed, because he was used to an evil spirit. For all he knew, the power that came to him was the same familiar spirit as always. God caught the crafty man in his own net.

The LORD had already stated His mind. There was nothing left to consult Him about. But Balaam was set on going, and he knew enough of God not to want open conflict with Him… Let us take care never to come before God with our minds already made up. It is a serious insult to God's majesty!

Sometimes we seek God's will about how to act in a situation where His only will is that we should not be there at all. If our conscience were truly awake, its first effect would be to make us leave. Our own will put us there, and still we would like the comfort of God guiding us in a path we chose ourselves.

But God did not leave this a matter of demons and deceptions. Balak dared to bring in a power higher than man to ruin the future of God's people. That at once brought out the true God. Balaam in his hypocritical way talks about consulting Jehovah. This has always happened. Those who have least to do with God often speak of Him in the most casual way. It was so then, and it is so now. "God," it is written, "came to Balaam and said, Who are these men with you?" He was not alarmed, because he was used to an evil spirit. For all he knew, the power that came to him was the old spirit he was used to. God caught the crafty in his own net.

Balak's messengers went to Mesopotamia "with the fees for divination in their hand" (Num. 22:7). Balak knew that the false prophet "loved gain from wrongdoing" (2 Peter 2:15), so he made sure of him by sending cash in advance. But the treacherous deceiver brought Jehovah's name into the matter. He put the messengers up for the night, pretending to seek the mind of God. The business in hand was hugely important. He was asked to bring about the ruin of a whole nation. Did he then spend the night in prayer to God? Nothing was further from Balaam's thoughts. He just went to bed. God was watching every move with the deepest interest, and He came to Balaam with the challenge: "Who are these men with you?"

The great principle of the Balaam story is that God guarded and blessed His people without being asked. He is active for them out of His own grace, and nothing escapes Him. "Who are these men with you?" says God to Balaam. God began as He did with Satan in Job's case, "Have you considered my servant Job?"

Balaam did not get in touch with the spirit he usually consulted. Instead he met the God of Israel, who "came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men with you?'" Balaam knew exactly why Balak had sent his princes to him. He knew he stood in the presence of God, so he hid nothing of what Balak had told him. You might well wonder why he pretended to serve Jehovah when he had no link with Him at all. No doubt he had heard of all that Jehovah had done for His people, and he sought his own advancement by attaching the Name of Israel's God to his evil work.

The people of Jehovah had been ungrateful and disobedient all through their desert journey. Now they were in grave danger. They were not aware of it and therefore did not make supplication to God. But Jehovah Himself took the matter up. That reminds us of His unchanging favour. He loved the people, despite all that they were, and He would not allow the enemy to harm them. Oh, the comfort of this thought for ourselves!

The first time Balaam asked the Lord, "Shall I go?", God answered a clear No. He made the reason for the refusal just as clear. It seems He gave this answer for one of two reasons. Perhaps the fortune-teller was asking Him for advice for the first time. Or perhaps he was not sure it would be wrong to accept Balak's invitation. But once the Lord had told him he must not go, and that Israel was blessed, Balaam's position was no longer the same. He now knew the will of God. Without the possibility of a doubt, it would be evil to go into Moab.

The great principle of the Balaam history is that God guarded and blessed His people without being asked. The plots of enemies go on, and Israel knows nothing about them. So Israel asks nothing from God. But He is active for His people out of His own grace to them, and nothing escapes Him. "Who are these men that come to you?" says God to Balaam.

Balaam in his hypocritical way talks about consulting the LORD. This has always been so. Those who have least to do with God often talk about Him most lightly... He was not alarmed, because he was used to an evil spirit. For all he knew, the power that came to him was the spirit he always dealt with. God caught the crafty man in his own net. This is just where the mighty power of God shows what He is against every enemy who dares to oppose His people.

Neither Balak nor Balaam used the people's name "Israel," because they were probably afraid of that name, which means "a prince with God."

When Balak's delegation came to Balaam, God had said to him, "You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." What God told him there in secret he must now speak in public... How many have tried to curse Jacob and denounce Israel? They have never succeeded. Isaiah's vision has come true in every generation: "No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment." No magic, no voice, no power, no tongue can undo the decree of God.

Balaam could have no doubt about God's thoughts of His people, or about what God expected from him. Yet he does not tell the princes of Balak what God's word to him meant. His own words imply that the only reason he did not go with them was, "The LORD has refused to let me go with you." He would have been glad to go and carry out the evil mission Balak wanted. But having just come from God's presence, he knew he could not.

Had Balaam given Balak's princes the word he received from God, it is not likely that he would have been tempted again. He could have told Balak that these were the people of the living God. He could have repeated God's words to him: "You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." That would have settled the matter as far as Balaam was concerned.

Verses 12 and 13 show that God had first of all forbidden Balaam to go. Balaam clearly wanted Balak's reward, despite his high talk in verse 18. It was wrong of Balaam to ask again. Yet when he did, God used his going as a witness of divine grace to Israel, and of Balaam's own perverseness.

The blessing of the people never comes into his mind. He is a complete stranger to the generosity of grace. The thought that they were blessed of God does not move him, and he finds no delight in His blessing on His people.

His words to his visitors next morning carry a trace of disappointment: "The LORD has refused to let me go with you." His heart was not in communion with God about His people. He would gladly have brought them to ruin for the sake of reward; but he was conscious of divine restraint.

Balak's first delegation fails: the LORD refuses, as he tells the messengers, to give him leave to go. He makes no secret that he himself is willing enough. But he hides what God has shown him — that the people are blessed.

Balaam did say that the LORD refused to give him leave to go with the princes. But the Name of the LORD made no impression on them. When they went back to their master, they only said, "Balaam refuses to come with us." There was no word of the command of God, no word that he was not to curse, and that the people were blessed.

Had Balaam given Balak's princes the word he received from God, it is not likely that he would have been tempted again. Suppose he had told Balak two things: that the people Balak wanted cursed were the people of the living God, and that God had met him with the words, "You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." That would have settled the matter as far as Balaam's part in it went.

When Balaam asked the LORD the first time, "Shall I go?" God replied clearly No; and just as clearly pointed out the ground of the refusal. It seems He gave this answer for one of two reasons. The fortune-teller may have been asking Him for the first time. Or he may not have been sure that accepting Balak's invitation was wrong. But once the LORD had told him he must not go, and that Israel was blessed, Balaam's position was no longer the same. He now knew the will of God. Beyond any possible doubt, going into Moab would now be evil.

His heart was bent on going, because it was bent on the silver and gold; but at the same time there was a sort of reference to God — an appearance of religiousness put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money; but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way.

As we go on we shall see how wonderful God's way was. He turned Satan's own effort against him. He made this most wicked man Balaam work against all his own interests without meaning to. Held in the mighty hand of God, Balaam became the instrument for sealing God's blessing on His people, as far as a man could do it!

Balaam did say that the LORD refused to let him go with the princes. But the name of the LORD made no impression on them. When they returned to their master they only said, "Balaam refuses to come with us." There was no word of the command of God, no word that he was not to curse, and that the people were blessed.

If Balaam had given Balak's princes the word he received from God, the temptation would most likely never have come back. Suppose he had told Balak the truth. The people he wanted cursed were the people of the living God, and God had met him with the words, "You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." That would have settled the matter, as far as Balaam's part in it went.

Balak's first group of messengers fails: the LORD refuses, as Balaam tells them, to let him go. He makes no secret that his own will is good enough, while he hides what God has shown him — that the people are blessed. Balak has reason to think that more pressure will bring him. Everyone knew that the gods of the nations could be made to give in. So he sends more and more honourable representatives: Balaam must let nothing stop him from coming, for Balak will raise him to very great honour.

His words to his visitors the next morning have a hint of disappointment in them: "The LORD has refused to let me go with you." His heart was not in fellowship with God about His people. For the sake of reward he would have been glad to bring ruin on them. But he knew God was holding him back.

As the story goes on, we shall see how wonderful God's way was. He turned Satan's own effort against him, and made this most wicked man Balaam work, without meaning to, against all his interests. Balaam was held in the mighty hand of God, and became the instrument for sealing God's blessing on His people, as far as that could be done by a man.

How little Israel knew or imagined what was going on between the LORD and the enemy! They may have been complaining in their tents at the very moment when God was setting out their perfection through the tongue of this greedy prophet. Balak would have been glad to have Israel cursed; but, blessed be God, He will not let anyone curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things; but He will not let another move his tongue against them. He may have to expose them to themselves; but He will not allow a stranger to expose them.

Balak's first embassy is unsuccessful: the Lord refuses, as Balaam tells the messengers, to give him leave to go. He makes no secret that his own will is willing enough, while he hides the fact that God has shown him the people are blessed. Balak has reason to suppose that with more pressure Balaam will come, for it was well known that the gods of the nations could be made to give way. He sends more and more honourable representatives.

Had Balaam given Balak's princes the word he received from God, it is not likely that he would have been tempted again.

Balaam did say truly that the Lord refused to give him leave to go with the princes. But the Name of the Lord made no impression on them. On returning to their master they said only, "Balaam refuses to come with us." There was no word of the command of God, no word that he was not to curse, and that the people were blessed.

Balak sent a second group of messengers, princes of higher rank than the elders who went the first time. The king offered more tempting bait: he would raise Balaam to high honour, and he would do whatever Balaam asked.

His heart was set on going, because it was set on the silver and gold. At the same time there was some reference to God — an appearance of religion put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money, but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way. Miserable man!

The answer of God was in three short sentences. (1) "You shall not go with them." This should have been enough to close the matter completely. A man who really knew God would never raise the question again. (2) "You shall not curse the people." So however much his covetous heart might want Balak's silver and gold, he must not try to do what Balak wanted. (3) "They are blessed." A man who knew God would be sure that God would never go back on this.

Balaam protests that he is strictly bound by the Lord's will. Yet he wants his own way, and God leaves him to it, only making him understand that in the end he must speak His word alone. And Balaam goes.

Whenever God has made His will known to us, we are not to allow any later influence to call it into question. That holds even if the influence takes the form of the word of God. If we were closer to the Lord in heart, we would feel that the only true and right position is to follow what He told us at first.

How little Balaam knew what the consequences would be of not bowing to God's first word to him! Suppose God has expressed His will, and we still want our own way. God may well allow us to have our way, so that we may learn by experience the folly of our own self-will.

The people of the Lord, who had been ungrateful and disobedient all through their wilderness journey, were now in grave danger. They were not aware of it and so did not pray about it. But the Lord Himself took the matter up, and there we are reminded of His unchanging favour. He loved the people, despite all that they were, and He would not allow the enemy to harm them.

Balak sent a second group of princes, of higher rank than the elders who went the first time. The king offered more tempting baits. He would promote Balaam to high honour, and he would do whatever he asked.

Balak judges by the thing every man knows best — his own heart and experience. So he sends princes more honourable than the ones who came to Balaam the first time.

It was clear that he loved money — a love that is all too common in our own day too. Balak's gold and silver proved a very tempting bait to the wretched man — a bait he could not resist. Satan knew his man, and the price he could be bought for.

Balaam did say that Jehovah refused to let him go with the princes. But the name of Jehovah made no impression on them. When they went back to their master they only said, "Balaam refuses to come with us." There was no word of the command of God, no word that he was not to curse, and that the people were blessed.

Balak had one desire: the cursing of the people of God. And Balaam had already received God's command, "You shall not curse … for they are blessed." So there was no room for discussion or evasion. Balaam should have given the second group of princes the same answer he should have given the first. If he had told them the whole message God had given him, he would have spared himself and Balak a great deal of trouble and sorrow.

Balaam did not simply refuse to go and tell them that God had forbidden it. Instead he says, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more." Does this not show what lay in Balaam's heart — the desire for silver and gold in abundance?

In Balak we see how completely people had lost the knowledge of God. The world by its wisdom did not know Him. Balak's ignorance was no darker than the world's wisdom… His words to Balaam make clear what he thought God was like. He thought God was altogether like himself, or like what he imagined his own god to be.

Balak has reason to think that more pressure will bring him; for everyone knew that the gods of the nations could be made to give way.

Balak would gladly have had Israel cursed; but, blessed be God, He will not allow anyone to curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things. But He will not let anyone else speak against them. He may have to expose them to themselves; but He will not allow a stranger to expose them.

Balak has reason to think that more pressure will bring him, for everyone knew that the gods of the nations would give way to pressure. He sends still more honourable messengers: Balaam must let nothing stop him from coming, for Balak will promote him to very great honour.

Balak judges by what every man knows so well: his own heart and his own experience. So he sends princes more honourable than the first ones who came to Balaam.

There is something especially dreadful about the case of Balaam. He clearly loved money — sadly, a common enough love in our own day. Balak's gold and silver were a very tempting bait to the wretched man — a bait he could not resist. Satan knew his man, and he knew the price that would buy him.

He was a greedy religious man (Numbers 22-24). His error was that he used his knowledge of the truth of God to advance the work of Satan, if he could, and to collect a reward for it. The false teachers Jude writes about rushed greedily after the same wrong.

Balak had one desire: the cursing of the people of God. And Balaam had already received God's command, "You shall not curse… for they are blessed." So there was no room for discussion, and none for dodging the question. Balaam should have given the princes who came the second time the same answer he should have given the first ones. A plain statement of the whole message God had given him would have spared himself and Balak a great deal of trouble and sorrow.

This sounds well; but he added, "Stay here tonight as well, so that I may know what more the LORD will say to me." Such an attitude was sheer wickedness. The LORD had already made His mind plain, so there was nothing more to ask Him about. But Balaam was set on going. He knew enough of God not to want open conflict with Him. If he could, he would bend the LORD to his own will.

The intended curse had become a threefold blessing. Unhappy Balaam would gladly have secured the wages of unrighteousness and the honour of this world. Now he receives Balak's cutting taunt, as the king tells him to run off home: "The LORD has held you back from honour."

Later we shall see how wonderful God's way was. He turned the enemy's own effort against him. He made Balaam, a thoroughly wicked man, work against all the enemy's interests without meaning to. Held in the mighty hand of God, Balaam became the instrument that sealed, as far as a man could, the blessing of God upon His people.

The history of Balaam is very solemn. While it brings out the sovereign grace of God, it also reveals the elements of religious corruption that prevail in the last days. Satan cannot defeat the saints of God by open attack, so he corrupts instead. In Balaam we have the character of that which corrupts. There was a knowledge of God. He had this — he even says "the LORD my God." He called Israel's God his God, but his heart was busy with covetous practices. He "loved the wages of unrighteousness." Peter describes Judas the same way. Thirty pieces of silver were the reward of wickedness for the man who greeted Jesus as Master. Both men show a feature of religious apostasy that at last perishes in its own corruption.

Balaam sends word to Balak: "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God." How pious he has become now! If he might have gone, he would. Though he cannot do what he would like to do for Balak, he still keeps up his credit as a prophet of the LORD. Just as if he had the secret of the LORD, he says, "I will know what more the LORD will say to me."

If Balaam's heart had been right with God, he would have dealt with Balak's message at once. It would not have cost him a moment's thought to send a reply. But Balaam's heart was all wrong, and in chapter 22 we see him in the sad condition of a man pulled by conflicting feelings. His heart was set on going, because it was set on the silver and gold. At the same time there was some reference to God: an appearance of religion put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money, but he would gladly get hold of it in a religious way.

The greedy prophet replied that if the king gave him a house full of silver and gold, he still could not come without God's consent. His covetous nature showed how strong the restraint on him was.

Balaam's answer sounds well. But he added, "Stay here tonight too, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me." Such an attitude was sheer wickedness. The LORD had already stated His mind clearly, so there was nothing left to consult Him about. But Balaam was set on going. He knew enough of God not to want open conflict with Him. He would bend the LORD to his self-will if he could!

This was not the course of His holy will. It was God dealing with the stubborn according to his stubbornness. He does this when there is no faith in a man's mind, and no honest, undivided purpose with it. He allows a man to follow his own blind schemes... Where He sees integrity, He graciously meets the trembling heart and the hesitating mind. But there was no hesitation with Balaam. There was self-will, and this in the face of the glorious expression of God's will. At bottom he makes nothing of God or His word.

Not that this was the course of His holy will; it was God dealing with the stubborn according to his stubbornness. He does this when a man has no faith and no single eye. He lets him follow his own blind schemes. This is righteous, and this is how God deals with Balaam. Where He sees integrity, He graciously meets the trembling heart and the hesitating mind. But there was no hesitation with Balaam. There was self-will, and this in the face of the glorious expression of God's will. At bottom he makes nothing of God or His word. The true moral could not be plainer. We are told that when Balaam rises in the morning, saddles his donkey, and goes with the princes of Moab, "God's anger was kindled."

Balaam's heart was filled with hatred of God's people, and covetousness raged inside him. This was no ordinary task, and it would carry no ordinary reward. He did not wait for the men to call him. He rose up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

God would now deal with the fool according to his folly. He should go as he wished. But God was determined to put him to shame, and to bring great blessing for His own people out of these schemes of Satan. The man's wicked attitude toward God here calls to mind the Jewish captains in Jeremiah's day, who were afraid of the Babylonians. They asked the prophet to pray for them, so that God would guide their path. But they had already made up their minds to go with their whole company to Egypt (Jer. 42). Let us beware of going before God at any time with our minds already made up.

Balaam's heart was all wrong, and we see him in chapter 22 in the sad condition of a man pulled by conflicting feelings. His heart was bent on going, because it was bent on the silver and gold. But at the same time he made some show of turning to God — an appearance of religion put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money; but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way.

Balaam had permission from Jehovah. He got up eagerly in the morning, saddled his donkey, and set out with Balak's messengers. He was not walking in the light... Balaam walked in darkness. He hoped to have his own way and to reap a rich reward for his villainy. What a journey!... Never was Satan more determined to curse; never was God more determined to bless!

On one side, Balaam's presence with the king of Moab would serve certain purposes. That did not change in the least the state of soul that provoked God's anger. Balaam needs a warning. God deals with him much as He had dealt with Moses forty years earlier. Only now He uses the donkey — less senseless than Balaam himself — to save and rebuke him.

Verses 12 and 13 show that God had first of all forbidden Balaam to go. Balaam coveted Balak's reward, despite the high profession in verse 18. It was wrong of Balaam to ask again. Yet when he did, God used his going as a witness of divine grace to Israel, as well as of his own perverseness.

The first time, God had clearly forbidden Balaam to go with Balak's princes. Balaam himself had said, "The LORD refuses to let me go with you." The second time, the LORD did not refuse to let Balaam go with them. But He did not command him to go. There was an "if", which indicated that there was divine permission with a condition attached, but not a divine command.

This was not the course of His holy will. It was God dealing with a stubborn man according to his stubbornness. He does this when a man has no faith in his mind, and no single, undivided purpose with it. He lets that man follow his own blind schemes. This is righteous, and this is how God deals with Balaam. Where He sees integrity, He graciously meets the trembling heart and the hesitating mind. But it was no question of hesitation with Balaam.

How little Balaam knew what the consequences would be of not bowing to God's first word to him! Suppose God has made His will known, and we still want our own way. He may well allow us to have it, so that we learn by experience how foolish our self-will is.

So we picture the prophet setting out from Mesopotamia for Moab, with Balak's silver and gold filling his soul's vision. He was heartless about the devastation and sorrow he was going to try to bring on a people who had done nothing to him, all to get his reward. He was willing to blast a whole nation — men, women, and children. Nothing more horrible could well be imagined.

Satan is a name for the devil, the great enemy of God and man. The name is the same in Hebrew, Greek, and English, and means "adversary." Several other passages translate the same word that way, where other adversaries are meant: compare Numbers 22:22; 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25.

A heavenly being stood in the way with a drawn sword in his hand. He is called "the angel of the LORD." This was no mere servant. It is the same messenger who appeared to the wife of Manoah in Judges 13. He told her His name was "Wonderful." To her and to Balaam alike, He spoke with divine authority. He told Balaam that He had come out to oppose him because his way was perverse before Him, and that Balaam could speak only the word God gave him. The speaker was none other than He whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Balaam was so blinded by the god of this world that he saw less than his donkey. She "saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way". Balaam's anger was kindled against the donkey, and he struck her with his staff because she refused to carry him forward to destruction. His anger was unrighteous. By contrast, it brought out the righteous anger of God. God sent His angel to be an adversary to the man who would curse His people whom He had blessed.

Sometimes we are doing our own will, or we are careless in how we walk. Then God in His mercy may warn us by a hindrance. It stops us, if we pay attention to it, while "the simple pass on and are punished."

God's anger burns because he goes. The angel of Jehovah takes his stand in the way as an adversary against him. There is no great need for wonder here... Balaam needs a warning. God deals with him much as He had dealt with Moses forty years before. Only now, instead of Zipporah and the stone of circumcision, He uses the donkey — less senseless than Balaam himself — to save and rebuke him.

Three times in the course of the people's history, the Angel of Jehovah steps in with the drawn sword in His hand. The first time it is to preserve them from threatened dangers, when Balaam, on his way to curse Israel, meets the messenger who blocks his road (Num. 22:23). The second time... it is to fight with them and win the victory for them. The third time, it is sad to say, it is to judge the people who had sinned in the person of their king. (1 Chron. 21:16)

He boasted that his eyes were open. Yet he did not see what the donkey was given to see. He did not know why she turned aside from the sword drawn in the angel's hand. He did not know why she pressed against the wall, sparing his head and costing him at most a crushed foot. And he did not know why she fell down where there was no other way for her or her master to escape destruction.

The donkey saw the Angel, and turned aside from the threatening sword. Sad, that the beast should have more perception than a man made in the image of God! "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand" (Isa. 1:3). That was Jehovah's complaint about the moral dullness of a people He had treated better than any other. The very cattle could put them to shame!

The blind unbeliever rushes onto the sword of the Lord and is destroyed. God keeps the believer safe despite himself. But when his eyes open, he finds that the Lord has been standing against him... Covetousness was the human element in this man's opposition to God. It was the screen behind which he found himself rushing to destruction.

How gracious of God to make a man who was hurrying on to destruction pause and think, if anything could rouse him! But no, he was committed to wicked ways.

Sometimes we are doing our own will, or we are careless in how we live. Then God in His mercy may warn us with a hindrance. It stops us if we pay attention to it, while "the simple pass on and are punished."

Balaam needed a sharper lesson. In a path through the vineyards, with a wall on either side, the angel with a drawn sword appeared again, still unseen by Balaam but seen by the donkey. The animal turned to one side and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. Balaam angrily struck the beast a second time. Still Balaam failed to see that the Lord was standing against him in his self-will (vv. 24-25).

Here again he falls into the trap of his own covetousness. God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men come to call you, rise up and go with them." This was not the course of His holy will. It was God dealing with the stubborn according to their stubbornness. He does this when a man has no faith in his mind and no single eye along with it. He permits that man to follow his own blind devices. This is righteous, and God accordingly deals with Balaam this way. Where He sees integrity, He graciously meets the trembling heart and the hesitating mind. But there was no hesitation with Balaam. There was self-will, and this in the face of the glorious expression of God's will. Deep down he makes nothing of God or His word. He had been clearly told that he was not to curse the people but to bless them. Yet he waits with no other aim than to curse, if he could, those whom God told him to bless.

Balaam was so blinded by the god of this world that he had less perception than his donkey. The donkey "saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the way." Balaam's anger burned against her, and he struck her with his staff because she refused to carry him forward to destruction. His anger was unrighteous. Yet see how it brought out by contrast the righteous anger of God. He sent His angel to stand against the man who would curse His people whom He had blessed — a man who in self-will opposed His commandment and set his face firmly on a course that would bring him to ruin.

A heavenly being stood in the way with a drawn sword in his hand. He is called "the angel of Jehovah." This was no mere servant. It is the same messenger who appeared to the wife of Manoah in Judges 13. He told her his name was "Wonderful." He spoke with divine authority both to her and to Balaam. The speaker was none other than He whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Balaam shows what a man can be when his heart is covetous. He sold himself to Satan for temporary rewards. He disregarded every divine warning that held him back on a path leading to destruction.

When we are doing our own will, or are careless about our walk, God in His mercy may warn us through an obstacle. It stops us if we pay attention to it, while "the simple pass on and are punished." (Prov. 27:12.)

Balaam did not see the angel, but God allowed the donkey to see him. The animal, naturally afraid, turned out of the way into the field. Balaam needed a sharper lesson. In a path through the vineyards, with a wall on either side, the angel with a drawn sword appeared again, still unseen by Balaam but seen by the donkey. The animal turned to one side and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. Balaam struck the beast a second time in anger. Still Balaam failed to see that the Lord was standing against him in his self-will.

He who boasted of having his eyes open did not see what the donkey was given to see. He did not know why she turned aside from the sword drawn in the angel's hand. He did not know why she pressed herself against the wall, so that Balaam might not have his head struck but at most his foot crushed. And he did not know why she lay down where there was no other way for her or her master to escape destruction.

If Balaam's heart had been right with God, he would have dealt with Balak's message in a moment. But his heart was bent on going, because it was bent on the silver and gold. But at the same time there was a sort of reference to God — an appearance of religiousness put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money, but he wanted to lay hold of it in a religious way.

How gracious of God to make a man who was hurrying to destruction pause and think, if anything could rouse him! But no, he was committed to wicked ways. Lawlessness must pursue its miserable course to an end no less miserable.

When we are doing our own will, or are careless in our walk, God in His mercy may warn us with a hindrance. That hindrance stops us if we pay attention to it, while "the simple go on and suffer for it."

Balaam was so blinded by the god of this world that he saw less than his donkey, which "saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road." Balaam's anger flared against the donkey. He struck her with his staff because she refused to carry him forward to destruction. His anger was unrighteous. But see how it brought out the righteous anger of God. God sent His angel to oppose him. Balaam would curse the people God had blessed. He set his own will against God's commandment and fixed his face on a course that would bring him to ruin.

The donkey saw the Angel and turned aside from the threatening sword. How sad that the beast should have more perception than a man made in the image of God! "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand" (Isa. 1:3). That was the LORD's complaint: His people were morally dull, though He had treated them more kindly than any other. The very cattle could put them to shame!

Balaam struck his donkey three times. The Angel rebuked him for it, for every act of cruelty to animals is noted by God.

A man of righteous character cares about the welfare of his animals. Even the kindness of wicked men, by comparison, is cruelty (Proverbs 12:10). Balaam proved this when he lost his temper with his donkey, which was submitting to the angel of the Lord.

Balaam said to his donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you." Those words justified God in sending His angel with a drawn sword in his hand to oppose him. They also justified the angel when he said, "I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me … if she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live."

Of course there is a miracle here… Its strangeness was all the more likely to work on a heart hardened to ordinary appeals. It humbled him by making him realise how far he had sunk below the beast — an animal whose actions his divinations claimed the power to interpret. And the mercy of God broke through the natural boundary lines to convict and save him. It should have broken down with them every barrier of sin and unbelief. The extraordinary means used here show what state of soul they suited. They also show the infinite pity of God. He could not use even a man like this as a mere machine to do His purposes without labouring after his soul.

Balaam was so carried away by his greed that this miracle did not terrify him. He replied just as if he had been speaking to a man. God did not change the nature of the donkey into that of a rational being. He made it say whatever He pleased, to restrain Balaam's madness.

Then God put words into the mouth of the donkey, asking Balaam why he had struck her these three times. Even this amazing miracle had no effect on Balaam. He replied in anger to the donkey that he wished he had a sword to kill her! God had given Balaam several chances to see that He Himself was stepping in to wake him up to his own folly. Balaam felt none of it. That would not have been the case if he were a true prophet of God.

Unbelief and higher criticism scoff at the incident of the speaking donkey. One of their arguments runs like this: Balaam held a conversation with the beast and showed no astonishment at all, so the story cannot be true. Augustine answered this well: "Balaam was so carried away by his greed that this miracle did not terrify him. He replied just as if he had been speaking to a man. God did not change the nature of the donkey into that of a rational being. Yet He made it say whatever He pleased, to restrain Balaam's madness."

He boasted that his eyes were open, yet he did not see what the donkey was given to see. He did not know why she turned aside from the sword drawn in the angel's hand. He did not know why she pushed herself against the wall, so that Balaam's head might not be struck but at most his foot crushed. And he did not know why she fell down where there was no other way for her or her master to escape destruction.

Balaam's anger was unrighteous, but it brought out the righteous anger of God against a man who would curse the people He had blessed… What Balaam said to his donkey — "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you" — justified God in sending His angel with a drawn sword in his hand to stand against him. And his words justified the angel. The angel said, "I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me… If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live."

The story of Balaam's donkey has drawn much unbelieving protest and even ridicule, yet Peter vouches for it. If Satan could speak through a serpent with words of deceit, God can, if He chooses, speak words of warning through a donkey. His greed and his dealings with demons had blinded the eyes of Balaam's heart, and now we see that the eyes of his head were as blind as the eyes of his heart. The eyes of his head were opened, so that at last he saw the angel as clearly as his donkey had done. But the veil over the eyes of his heart remained.

The strangeness of it was all the more likely to work on a heart hardened against ordinary appeals. It humbled him by making him see how far he had sunk below the beast… Meanwhile the mercy of God broke through the natural boundary lines to convict and save him, and with those lines every barrier of sin and unbelief in him should have fallen too. The extraordinary means used here testify to the state of soul that called for them. They testify also to the infinite pity of God, who could not use even a man like this as a mere machine to carry out His purposes. He had to labour over his soul.

The donkey asked whether it had ever been in the habit of acting like this. The prophet admitted it had not. Then God opened Balaam's eyes to see the angel with the drawn sword in his hand. At the terrifying sight he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. The angel then told Balaam that he owed his life to the donkey three times. Balaam admitted that he had sinned, and said he was ready to go back (vv. 30-34).

A righteous man cares about the welfare of his animals. Even the kindness of wicked men, by comparison, is cruelty. Balaam proved this when he lost his temper with his donkey after the donkey submitted to the angel of the Lord. The Lord reproved Balaam for the cruelty of whipping his donkey (Numbers 22:24-33).

The donkey saw the Angel and turned aside from the threatening sword. What a thing, that the beast should have more perception than a man made in the image of God! "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand" (Isaiah 1:3). That was the Lord's complaint about His own people. They were morally dull, though He had been kinder to them than to anyone else. The very cattle could put them to shame!

I grant you it is not a usual thing for God to make a dumb donkey speak; but were these circumstances usual? Was there not something deeply humiliating in having such an animal rebuke the guilty prophet? But this very fact was most significant. A donkey rebuked a man who did not lack natural intelligence. He soon became the vessel of the most beautiful declarations on God's part. Yet first the animal he rode warned him of his folly and sin.

Balaam was so carried away by his greed that this miracle did not terrify him. He replied just as if he had been speaking to a man. God did not change the nature of the donkey into that of a rational being. He simply made it say whatever He pleased, to restrain Balaam's madness.

The strangeness of it was all the more likely to work on a heart hardened to ordinary appeals. It humbled him by making him realise how far he had sunk below the animal — the very animal whose actions his divinations claimed the power to interpret. And the mercy of God broke through the natural boundary lines to convict and save him. In breaking them, it should have broken down every barrier of sin and unbelief in him as well. … the infinite pity of God could not use even a man like this as a mere machine to carry out His purposes. He had to labour after his soul.

Greed and his dealings with demons had blinded the eyes of Balaam's heart. Now we see that the eyes of his head were as blind as the eyes of his heart. At last the eyes of his head opened, and he saw the angel just as his donkey had. But the veil over the eyes of his heart remained.

Finally the Lord opened Balaam's eyes so that he saw the Angel standing in the way with a drawn sword in His hand (v. 31). In shocked terror Balaam fell on his face. The Angel then rebuked Balaam for the bad temper he showed in striking his donkey. He told him that if the donkey had not turned aside, He would have killed Balaam and spared the donkey (vv. 32-33). What a lesson this is, that an unbeliever is more ignorant of God than a beast!

A heavenly being stood in the way with a drawn sword in His hand. He is called "the angel of Jehovah." This was no mere servant. It is the same messenger who appeared to Manoah's wife in Judges 13 and said His name was "Wonderful." He spoke with divine authority to her and to Balaam. To Balaam He said: "Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me… Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." The speaker was none other than the One we know as the Lord Jesus Christ.

The angel that confronted him held a drawn sword in his hand. You would think its meaning could hardly be missed, especially as the sword blocked his way. Yet Balaam was blind to it, and he went forward to his doom, as the end proved. He never returned to his native land. The wealth and honour, if he ever got them, he never lived to enjoy. He fell by the sword. It was not the sword of the angel, who barred his way to Moab at the start. It was the sword of the very people he tried to curse against the purpose of God, as recorded in Numbers 31:8.

This was not in itself a sin. It was the consequence of sin, and it showed the moral blindness that sin always produces. In an unbeliever it is fatal. But take a believer who follows the impulse of his own will, even in the smallest degree. How can he discern the mind of the Lord? The blind unbeliever rushes onto the sword of the Lord and is destroyed. God preserves the believer despite himself. But when his eyes are opened, he finds that the Lord has been standing against him… Covetousness was the human element of this man's opposition to God. It was the screen through which he found himself rushing to destruction.

Balaam saw that the powers of evil and his own cunning were no match for God. So this wilful man offers to return, confessing that he has sinned. But it is clear that the desire of his heart is still the same. He does not say he will go back because he has sinned. He says, "if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back". Why does he say "if"? Was it not perfectly clear that his going displeased God? Yet there was the lingering desire in his heart to go on in order to get the coveted reward.

Is it not possible for us to "see" in an intellectual way? Is it not possible to speak of the precious things of God without our own hearts being moved by them? As we read God's Word and come to understand it, let us exercise our hearts and consciences. Then the truth gets a firm hold of us and shapes our lives. "The eyes of your heart being enlightened" is the true rendering of Ephesians 1:18.

A heavenly being stood in the way with a drawn sword in His hand. Scripture calls Him "the angel of the LORD." This was no mere servant. It is the same messenger who appeared to the wife of Manoah in Judges 13 and who said His name was "Wonderful." Both to her and to Balaam He spoke with divine authority. To Balaam He said: "I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before Me… Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." The speaker was none other than He whom we know as the Lord Jesus Christ.

So we picture the prophet setting out from Mesopotamia for Moab, with Balak's silver and gold filling his soul's vision. He had no pity at all for the devastation and sorrow he was going to try to bring on a people who had done nothing to him. He did it all for his reward. The people of Israel had done him no wrong, yet he was willing to blast a whole nation — men, women, and children. Nothing more horrible could well be imagined. No wonder we read that "God's anger was kindled because he went" (Num. 22:22).

The blind unbeliever rushes onto the sword of the Lord and is destroyed. The believer is preserved despite himself. But when his eyes are opened, he finds that the Lord has been standing against him. We may take warning even from a wicked Balaam. Satan often turns the tendencies of our own hearts into a thick veil. Then we fail to see the Lord's mind.

God intended him to go, so that he might pronounce a blessing on His people instead of a curse. Morally, for Balaam himself, going was the most wicked act. Yet God brings out all His purposes through it. He is nothing more than a rod in God's hand. He goes, and the Lord meets him by an angel. He rebukes man's ways and man's wisdom by putting more sense into the mouth of a dumb animal than a man has. Though man has a mind, he uses it against God, which an animal cannot do. Man, in one sense, is more blind than Satan, because Satan believes and trembles. God could reveal Himself to an animal's eye as well as to a man's, whenever He pleased.

God then let the prophet know why all these obstacles stood in his way. He heard it in the fullest possible way, from the angel of the LORD Himself. How gracious of God, to make a man who was hurrying on to destruction stop and think, if anything could rouse him! But no, he was committed to wicked ways. Lawlessness must run its miserable course to an end no less miserable.

Realising that the powers of evil and his own cunning were no match for God, the wilful Balaam offers to return, confessing that he has sinned. But his heart's desire has not changed. He does not say he will go back because he has sinned. He says, "if it is evil in Your sight, I will turn back." Why does he say "if"? Was it not obvious that his going displeased God? Yet there was still the lingering desire in his heart to go on and get the reward he coveted.

Realising that the powers of evil and his own guile were no match for God, the wilful Balaam offers to return, confessing that he has sinned. But it is clear that the desire of his heart is still the same, for he does not say he will go back because he has sinned, but "if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back". Why does he say "if"? Was it not obvious that his going displeased God? Yet there was the lingering desire in his heart to go on and get the reward he wanted.

Balaam acknowledged that he had sinned (v.34), but let himself down easily by pleading that he did not know the Angel was standing in the way. But he knew God had forbidden him to curse Israel, so his way was perverse before the Lord. He still did not decide to bless Israel, but offered to turn back if God was displeased. He had already been told of God's displeasure against any cursing of Israel, but he had no desire to take God's viewpoint himself.

His thought was only that he had failed to see the angel in the road. This was not in itself a sin, but it was the consequence of sin. As such it showed the moral blindness that sin always produces, and in an unbeliever that blindness is fatal. But what about a believer who follows the push of his own will, in any degree, however small? How can he discern the mind of the Lord? The blind unbeliever runs onto the sword of the Lord and is destroyed. The believer is kept safe in spite of himself, but when his eyes are opened he finds that the Lord has been standing against him... Satan often turns the special tendencies of our own hearts into a thick veil, so that we fail to see the Lord's mind.

Had Balaam any heart-knowledge of God he would have refused to go a step further after his experience with the Angel. His words "I have sinned" no more came from a conscience convicted by God than the same words from the lips of self-willed Saul in 1 Samuel 15:24.

It is not always a good sign when a man is quick to confess his sin. Have you not seen it in your children? It is a matter of common observation that the child who is always ready to confess his wrong never feels much about it... The quick and hasty owning, "I have sinned," is always suspicious; and it may be found in men even worse than Saul. Judas said the same thing. The readiness to own wrong, at least in general terms, may exist even where the conscience is seared and the state is utterly bad.

The eyes of Balaam's heart were blinded by his greed and his dealings with demons, and now we see that the eyes of his head were as blind as the eyes of his heart. The eyes of his head were opened so that at last he saw the angel as clearly as his donkey had done. But the veil over the eyes of his heart remained.

The angel of the Lord Himself then told the prophet, as fully as possible, why all these obstructions were put in his way. How gracious of God to make a man who was hurrying to destruction pause and think, if anything could rouse him! But no, he was committed to wicked ways. Lawlessness must pursue its miserable course to an end no less miserable.

This was not the course of His holy will. It was God dealing with the stubborn according to their stubbornness. He does this when a man has no faith in his mind and no single eye with it. He lets that man follow his own blind schemes. This is righteous, and God deals with Balaam in this way. Where He sees integrity, He graciously meets the trembling heart and the hesitating mind. But it was no question of hesitation with Balaam.

The conditional permission to go with Balak's servants did not set aside the definite command to Balaam not to go to Balak. We see this in God's anger burning when Balaam went. The thoughts of the false prophet were completely at odds with the thoughts of God, and he knew this very well. But he had made up his mind to get the reward that Balak promised, if he possibly could. He would take it even if it meant cursing those whom God had blessed.

We may be tempted to wonder at this, but we must remember that God does not change His purpose. If we know this and still persist like Balaam, God may change His dealings with us, as He did with Balaam. He may permit us to go, so that in His discipline we reap the bitter result of our own way. Even so, as with Balaam, He will give us ample warning of what lies before us.

Let us beware of going before God at any time with our minds already made up. It is a serious affront to the Divine Majesty!

The Angel of the Lord told him to go, however, with the absolute command that he speak only what the Angel spoke to him (v. 35). Notice what this shows. In the Old Testament the title "The Angel of the Lord" refers to the Lord Himself, and Balaam must speak His words.

He loved, as we know, "the wages of unrighteousness," and, if he could, would have said what Balak wanted. But a power he could not resist held sway over him. He was for the time being the mouthpiece of God, and spoke, however unwillingly, the words of God. He was so sure that inspiration was real, down to the words themselves, that he said so at his first meeting with Balak. Before he spoke one prediction about Israel, he told him, "Have I now any power to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak" (Num. 22:38).

God knows what is in Balaam's heart. So He allows him to go forward, to expose him fully, and to turn his evil desire against His people into blessing for them. Balaam shows no real desire to turn back. Nor does it seem that God will let him go back. God has His own purpose: to make Balaam the unwilling vessel who speaks out His thoughts about His people.

Had Balaam any heart-knowledge of God he would have refused to go a step further after his experience with the Angel. True, the Angel said, "Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak to you, that you shall speak." But He also said, "Behold, I went out to withstand you, because the way you walk in is for ruin before me." After hearing all this, Balaam was clearly proceeding to his doom.

Balak met Balaam at the frontier of his kingdom. Neither the king nor the prophet was in a good mood. Balak was offended, because Balaam had not been quick to do what he asked. Balaam felt that he was under restraint, and that things would not turn out as he and Balak wanted. Balak took his visitor to the town of Kirjath Huzoth, and there he offered oxen and sheep in front of Balaam and the princes who had fetched him from Mesopotamia. We are not told who Balak offered his sacrifices to. The one true God certainly had no place in his esteem.

He was not convinced that military power would be enough to stand against the conquerors of Sihon and Og. So he sent messengers to a well-known fortune-teller — Balaam the son of Beor, who lived in Mesopotamia. Outsiders were already crediting Israel's victories to divine power... In sending for Balaam, Balak sought to oppose the supernatural by the supernatural. The Mesopotamian prophet had a reputation for influence with the invisible world.

Two things stand out in Satan's attempt. The first is the dismay that filled Balak's mind when he saw the hosts of Israel. The second is the covetousness that ruled Balaam's soul. Balak sends for Balaam. At this early date we see the power of the world uniting with the religion of the world against what is of God... Here the secular asks help from the religious. Since then the religious has often called on the secular. But whichever one asked, the other always answered. They set aside every difference and jealousy between them to make common cause against the people of God.

God knows what is in Balaam's heart. He allows him to go forward, to expose him completely, and to turn his evil desire against His people into blessing for them. Balaam shows no real desire to turn back. Nor does it seem that God will let him go back. God has His own purpose: to make Balaam the unwilling vessel for declaring His thoughts about His people.

Later we shall see how wonderful God's way was. He turned Satan's own effort against him. He made this most wicked wretch Balaam work against all his own interests without meaning to. Held in the mighty hand of God, Balaam became the instrument for sealing the blessing of God upon His people, as far as a man could do it!

How little did Israel know or imagine what was going on between Jehovah and the enemy. Perhaps they were murmuring in their tents at the very moment when God was declaring their perfection through the mouth of the covetous prophet. Balak would gladly have Israel cursed; but, blessed be God, He will not allow anyone to curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things. But He will not allow anyone else to speak a word against them.

Balak met Balaam at the frontier of his kingdom. Neither king nor prophet was in a good mood. Balak took offence because Balaam had not come quickly when he asked. Balaam, for his part, felt he was under restraint. He sensed that things would not turn out as he and Balak wanted.

There is something especially awful in the case of Balaam. He clearly loved money — no uncommon love, sadly, in our own day. Balak's gold and silver proved a very tempting bait to the wretched man — a bait too tempting to be resisted. Satan knew his man, and the price at which he could be bought.

In Balak we see how completely the knowledge of God was lost… God is known only by revelation, and Balak's ignorance is less surprising than that of the world with all its wisdom… His words to Balaam show what he thought God was like. He thought God was just like himself, or like the god he imagined for himself… In his mind, both gods and men could be swayed by circumstances and place.

Satan's attempt rests on two main things. One is the dismay that filled Balak's mind when he saw the armies of Israel. The other is the greed that ruled Balaam's soul. Balak sends for Balaam. At this early date we see the power of the world uniting with the religion of the world against what is of God. Here worldly power asks religion for help, and religion has often since called on worldly power in return. Whichever one asked, the other always answered. They set aside every difference and jealousy, and made common cause against the people of God.

How little Israel knew what was going on between the LORD and the enemy. They may well have been grumbling in their tents at the very moment when God was setting out their perfection through the mouth of the covetous prophet. Balak would gladly have had Israel cursed. But, blessed be God, He will not allow anyone to curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things. But He will not let anyone else speak a word against them. He may have to expose them to themselves; but He will not allow a stranger to expose them.

God does not change. Through Balaam's mouth He pronounced the blessings we have looked at so far. They sound the death-knell of the world in its opposition to God and His people. Balak struck his hands together. The curse he intended had been turned into a threefold blessing. Unhappy Balaam would gladly have secured the wages of unrighteousness and the honour of this world. Instead he gets Balak's withering taunt, and is told to flee to his place: "the LORD has held you back from honor."

On coming to Balak, despite the honour promised, Balaam has to confess, "Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak." He would gladly have accepted the rewards. But he is conscious that God has intervened against him on behalf of His people, and he seems quite uncertain of what lies ahead.

He was for the time being the mouthpiece of God, and spoke, however unwillingly, the words of God. He was sure that inspiration was real, and that it reached even to the words themselves. So at his first meeting with Balak, before he spoke one prediction about Israel, he told him, "Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak."

His heart was bent on going, because it was bent on the silver and gold. At the same time there was a kind of reference to God — an appearance of religiousness put on as a cloak to cover his covetous practices. He longed for the money, but he would like to lay hold of it in a religious fashion.

We know that he knew and used enchantments. Yet when he comes to Balak he says, "Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak." Balak was looking for the power of evil against the children of Israel, God's people, and yet looking for it from God. In some way he was looking to the power and intervention of God, although God was not known, and so everything was confusion.

Balaam the prophet prophesied while loving the wages of unrighteousness. Caiaphas the priest prophesied while he was thirsting for innocent blood. Judas the apostle worked miracles while he carried the heart of a traitor... But all this tells us that it is not gifts that make us what we should be, and that nothing will do if the heart is not with God.

Moses told the people about the danger that had threatened them. He said: "But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you." Precious words — "because the LORD your God loved you!"

He had no sympathy at all with the thoughts of God's heart, and none with God Himself. Fear of the consequences ruled him. Otherwise he would have been so happy in the blessing of the people that he would have shuddered at the idea of cursing what God had blessed. God, however, will use him to give a glorious testimony on behalf of His people. At the same time He condemns the crooked ways of the prophet, for they were indeed crooked. He shows him his crookedness and his folly, and that he was more stupid than the donkey he was riding. But at the same time He makes him go on his way.

He was led by his covetousness to try and serve the bad king of Moab by cursing the people of God. When God gave him an answer, he goes to God a second time, because his heart wanted its own way. And it is solemn to learn that if God gives you up you may get what you want. Balaam afterwards falls into even worse evil. He was indeed a man whose heart was not with God. He said some true things, but his spirit was not in them. He goes on step by step, until he lends himself to become the corrupter of even God's chosen people throughout the world.

Balak met Balaam at the frontier of his kingdom. Neither king nor prophet were in good humour. Balak was offended because Balaam had not come quickly when he called. And Balaam felt he was being held back, and that things would not turn out as he and Balak wanted. Balak first took his visitor to Kiriath-huzoth. There he offered oxen and sheep in front of Balaam and the princes who had brought him from Mesopotamia. We may regard this as an official welcome.

He would gladly have accepted the rewards, but he knows that God has intervened against him on behalf of His people, and he seems quite uncertain of what lies ahead.

We can be certain that Balak did not offer these oxen and sheep to Jehovah, the God of Israel. He offered them to the gods the Moabites worshipped, and he sent portions from them to Balaam and the princes of Moab. Balaam claimed to serve Jehovah. Yet he would not hesitate to share in the worship of the false gods of Moab, or to accept anything the king of Moab chose to give him.

How little did Israel know or imagine what was going on between Jehovah and the enemy. They may have been complaining in their tents at the very moment when God was declaring their perfection through the mouth of the greedy prophet. Balak would gladly have Israel cursed; but, blessed be God, He will not allow anyone to curse His people. He may have to deal with them Himself, in secret, about many things; but He will not allow another to move his tongue against them. He may have to expose them to themselves; but He will not allow a stranger to expose them.

Balak met Balaam at the border of his kingdom. Neither the king nor the prophet was in a good mood. Balak was offended that Balaam had not come as soon as he asked. Balaam felt held back, and sensed that things would not turn out as he and Balak wanted. Balak first took his visitor to Kirjath Huzoth, and there he offered oxen and sheep in front of Balaam and the princes who had brought him from Mesopotamia. We may see this as a kind of official welcome. We are not told who Balak offered his sacrifices to; but the one true God certainly had no place in Balak's esteem.

We can be certain that the oxen and sheep Balak offered, and from which he sent portions to Balaam and the princes of Moab, were not offered to Jehovah, the God of Israel, but to the gods the Moabites worshipped. Balaam claimed to serve Jehovah, yet he would not hesitate to share fellowship with the false gods of Moab, or to accept anything the king of Moab chose to give him.

Balaam answered that he had no power even to speak but must receive his words from God. He needed a supernatural power by which to speak, and he called this power "God," though he did not know the true God. Balak responded by offering oxen and sheep (v.40), likely as a bribe to get Balaam's god on his side.

If Balaam's heart had been right with God, he would have dealt with Balak's message very quickly. It would not have cost him a moment's thought to send a reply. But Balaam's heart was all wrong. In chapter 22 we see him in the sad state of a man pulled two ways by conflicting feelings. His heart was set on going, because it was set on the silver and gold. At the same time there was some reference to God — a show of religion put on like a cloak to cover his greedy ways. He longed for the money, but he wanted to get hold of it in a religious way. Miserable man! Most miserable!

Knowing what was in Balaam's heart, God lets him go forward — to expose him fully, and to turn his evil desire against His people into blessing for them. Balaam shows no real desire to turn back. Nor does it seem that God will let him go back. God has His own purpose: to make Balaam the unwilling instrument who announces His thoughts about His people.

How little Israel knew or imagined what was going on between Jehovah and the enemy! Perhaps they were complaining in their tents at the very moment when God was declaring their perfection through the mouth of the greedy prophet. Balak would have been glad to have Israel cursed. But, blessed be God, He will not allow anyone to curse His people.

This is the first mention of Baal in the Word of God. Baal was the chief male god of the Phoenicians and the Canaanites, and Ashtoreth was the chief female god. This form of idolatry gained a footing in Israel in the days of the judges. It was cast out in the time of Samuel. It became firmly established in the kingdom of the ten tribes in the reign of Ahab. Then Jezebel's daughter Athaliah introduced it into the kingdom of Judah. This great evil was one of the causes of the expulsion of all twelve tribes from the land of promise.

Balak's aim in taking Balaam to the high places of Baal was probably this: a stronghold of his false worship would help the work in hand. Surely at such a spot Baal would help him! But he reckoned without God, and in a short time he was forced to listen to the gospel of God from the devil's own platform! What a defeat!

The last verse of chapter 22 sheds light on the evil power that drove Moab and Balak their king. They had among them the "high places of Baal." So in the first verse of our chapter we read that Balaam said, "Build me here seven altars." We see at once that this man, who claimed to be a prophet of the Lord, was really in league with the powers of darkness.

Chapter 22:41 tells us that Balak brought Balaam to the high places of Baal in order to prophesy against Israel. Here he saw only "a portion of the people," for Balak wanted to give Balaam the impression that Israel was not a large nation, so that he might more safely curse them.

Balak's first effort is to make them look small in Balaam's eyes — he would not have him see too much. This gives force to what Balaam says: "Who can count the dust of Jacob, and number the fourth part of Israel?" The end camp was just the fourth part. The partial view does not make the people seem smaller. It moves him to say, "If only the end is so much, what must the whole be?"

He speaks these prophecies from three points, all mountain tops. The first from the high places of Baal, the second from the summit of Pisgah, and the last from Peor. Each of the three points is nearer to the camp, and each gives a fuller view.

It is gripping to watch the scene played out on the high places of Baal. We see the great question at stake. We listen to the speakers. We get to look behind the scenes at such an important moment. How little Israel knew or imagined what was going on between Jehovah and the enemy. They may have been grumbling in their tents at that very moment. Meanwhile God was declaring their perfection through the mouth of the greedy prophet.

So the moment any enemy or accuser comes on the scene, Jehovah places Himself in front to receive and answer the accusation. His answer is never based on what His people are in themselves. It is based on what He has made them through the perfection of His own work.

Would it be possible to curse part of them? "You shall see only the outermost part of them," says Balak, "and shall not see them all." The "outermost part" is a place exposed to danger. It was there that the fire of the Lord burned at Taberah. Nearness is always a safe place, while being at a distance leaves us open to attack. Could the power of the enemy prevail there?