Numbers 22:1-23:26
Key Verses - “There is no divination against Jacob, no evil
omens against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God
has done!' The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its
victims." (Numbers 23:23-24).
Introduction
Balaam’s
oracles mark the ending of Israel’s journey in the desert, as well as the
beginning of their efforts to conquer the land of God’s promise. In this time
of transition, these oracles established what or who the nation of Israel was
or had become. At the same time, they answered what Israel would accomplish in the
upcoming wars against her enemies. The first two oracles focus on what Israel
had become and how they had developed as God’s people, while the rest foretold of
what was yet to come, dividing these seven oracles into two studies.
By the time the
Israelites crossed through the Zered Valley, those who were older than twenty
years old during the Exodus from Egypt, died in the desert. Their death marked
a new period in their history. First, these people fully experienced what it
meant to live according to the Lord’s covenant. Second, the punishment for their
unbelief was now over and God was ready to bring this new generation into the Promised
Land.
A.
Israel
looks forward to conquer the land of God’s promise
After Israel
had passed through the Zered Valley, they defeated two kings: Sihon, the king
of Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan. As we can see from the map, the Amorites
were located on the southern side of the Jordan River, while the Bashanites were
on the northern side of the Jordan. God handed these two nations, along with
their kings, into Israel’s hands. Now Israel had taken control over that entire
land, east of the Jordan River, and camped on the opposite bank from the city
of Jericho. The next step was for them to conquer the west side of the Jordan.
B.
Balak
and Balaam’s way
When Balak,
the king of Moab, saw Israel camped along the banks of the Jordan River, he was
terrified. He realized that Moab could not win against them and would face the
same fate as Sihon and Og. In fear, he sought Balaam’s help. Balaam was from
Pethor (which means ‘soothsayer’), twelve miles south of Carchemish, near the
confluence of the Sajur and Euphrates Rivers in Aram. He might have been well-known
for his ability to perform sorcery or divination; even Balak, living a few
hundred miles south of him, knew of his fame and ability. Therefore, it sounds
like Balaam was an internationally known spiritual guru, who could bring evil
spells against any enemies of his choice. Balak put together a group of his men
and other representatives of the Median people, and sent them with this word:
”Balak said: "A people has come
out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now
come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me.
Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I
know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed."
(Numbers 22:5b-6).
What was the
nature of Balak’s fear? It was based on three factors. First, he knew of Israel’s
exodus from Egypt, the largest and mightiest kingdom of that time. Secondly, the
Israelites had recently defeated the two nearest kingdoms, demonstrating immense
power. Thirdly, the Israelite people were so many that they would overtake
everything around Moab, as an ox licks up the grass of the field. Therefore, it
seemed impossible for Bashan and his kingdom to survive Israel’s attack. This
was a life-threatening situation, so he made a desperate request to Balaam, since
he firmly believed that whoever Balaam blessed was blessed and whoever he cursed
would be cursed.
“Now come and put a curse on them for
me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away." (Number
22:11b).
Balak firmly
believed in the power of Balaam’s curse and felt that, if he could curse Israel,
he would have a chance to defeat, or at least escape Israel’s attack. For this hope,
Balak was willing to pay Balaam as much as possible. Thus, he sent his people, along
with a group of delegates from Midian, to Balaam, at Pethor in Aram, in the northernmost
part of Syria, at the edge of the Euphrates River. When Balak’s men returned
and delivered his message to Balaam, he sought the Lord’s answer. That night, God came to him and said:
"But God said to Balaam, "Do
not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are
blessed." (Numbers 22:12).
Balaam inquired
of the Lord (YHWH), a specific name of the God of Israel (v8b). However, ‘God’
(Elohim, meaning “almighty God”) came to him and gave this answer. The generic
name, God, denotes the Supreme Being, or the Almighty God, who came to Balaam
and gave the message that he should not go with Balak’s people, because he must
not put a curse on His beloved, blessed people. Here, ‘blessed’ is a
participle, indicating either a state of being or an ongoing status. So, in
obedience to God, he told Balak’s officials that the Lord had told him not to
go with them (14). Here, again, ‘the Lord‘ is referred to as YHWH, the specific
name for the God of Israel. In this way, Balaam identified the God (Elohim) who
came to him as the God of Israel (YHWH). Since his first attempt to get Balaam’s
help failed, Balak made a second attempt, in which he sent more numerous and
more distinguished officials with a promise to pay Balaam a hefty reward. Upon
receiving Balak’s second request, Balaam repeated his same answer; he could not
do anything beyond the command of the Lord, his God (v18). However, he left room
for a change of response by saying that he would ask the Lord again concerning
this matter. That night, God came to Balaam again and said to him,
"Since these men have come to
summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you." (Numbers 22:20).
Balaam left
with the men. By the time of his departure, God had made two things clear: the
Lord, the God of Israel, was Balaam’s God as well, and he could speak only what
God put in his mouth, i.e. Israel was blessed and he must not curse them.
C.
A donkey
exposes Balaam’s foolishness
As Balaam
was riding on his donkey with Balak’s two servants and the other distinguished men,
his donkey suddenly turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it, in order
to get it back on the road again. Soon after this, the donkey pressed close to
the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot. Balaam again beat his donkey in anger. Then
the donkey lay down under him. He became angry and beat his donkey again. In
all, Balaam encountered three bizarre behaviors from his donkey. He had no
understanding of what was going on. These bizarre behaviors pointed to one
thing; there was someone or something in front of his donkey, blocking its way.
If he had genuine concern, open mindedness, and care regarding this situation, particularly
surrounding God’s word, then Balaam might have had an intuition or insight as
to the reason for these things; however, that insight was absent, because he
only saw what he could see with his eyes. He did not know or accept God’s will;
he was blind to the spiritual reality around him.
Suddenly his
donkey opened its mouth and spoke:
"What have I done to you to make
you beat me these three times?" (Numbers 22:28).
The donkey opened its mouth and demanded why Balaam had beat it three times.
Behind this demand was the donkey’s claim that it had done the right thing for
Balaam.
“Balaam answered the donkey, "You
have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you
right now." (Numbers 22:29).
The most important concern during this trip
was Balaam’s pride and honor as a diviner. He was the honored guest and they
believed he had a power to influence gods through his divination or sorcery to
suit the people’s desires. He was in charge as the authority of this group and
as the diviner Balak had summoned. His honor was the most important thing and his
first priority, but he was suddenly found to be incapable of controlling even his
own donkey, a powerless animal, not to mention a deity. Truly he became a mockery
among those honored delegates. In this way, his authority and honor was greatly
damaged by this donkey. He actually made
himself a fool, since he did not see what his donkey could see.
“The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I
not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in
the habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said.” (Numbers 22:30).
Through his
donkey’s argument and his own admittance, God forced Balaam to think and determine
what he did not know or see, namely His message. If Balaam took what
God said seriously (v12, 20), and if he was honest with himself and the Lord
about what he had in mind, he would have better understanding of why he had this
problem with his donkey. However, he could not see anything beyond what was in
front of him, because his mind was driven by his desire to follow Balak and
earn great rewards and honor. Seeing what is invisible or understanding what is
unseen has to do with two things: one’s highest
priorities and what drives their heart. God’s command was not among Balaam’s highest
priorities and therefore, he was unable to see and accept God’s message through
his donkey.
When our
mind is set on what we would like to do, we will see all things in reference with
that goal. Nothing else is important or considered. Are the things of God among
our first priorities? More often than not, only our first two priorities are accomplished,
and, if God’s command is not one of them, then it will not be done or obeyed by
the end of the day. Jesus said this to his disciples:
““Seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness and all these things will be added on to you.”” (Matthew 6:33).
Paul encouraged
the believers in a similar fashion:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able
to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
(Romans 12:2).
What are your
first priorities? I pray that the word that God has given you is one of them.
What about
Balaam? He had only one thing on his mind - to meet with Balak, deliver his
message of divination, and earn a hefty reward, along with great honor, for
himself. Balaam had given little thought to God’s will, so he could not receive
His message.
“Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes,
and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So
he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have
you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you
because your path is a reckless one before me.” (Numbers 23:31).
Finally, God
opened Balaam’s eyes so he could see an angel standing in the road with a drawn
sword. The angel rebuked him for beating his donkey. The implication of this was
clear; as a diviner, Balaam must be able to understand the things of God and be
able to receive any of the Lord’s messages. However, he could not see it. The
angel came to oppose Balaam, because his path was a reckless one before the
Lord. What did God mean that Balaam’s way was reckless? Though God had said
that Balaam must not put a curse on Israel (v12), had reminded him that he
should speak only the word that He told him (v20), and even though Balaam knew
that he could not do anything great or small beyond the Lord’s command, he looked for something else from God by
saying “I can find out what else the Lord will tell me” (19). Though Balaam
went with Balak, as God allowed him, his mind was still set entirely on his own
good and purpose. If one wanders off with a hope or a desire to hear or find
something other than what God said, then he is pursuing a ‘reckless way’. Balaam
was taking this trip with a message given by the Lord, but that message was not
first in his heart. So, a walk without accepting God’s word fully is reckless!
It is driven by something other than God’s word, most likely our sinful desires
or flesh, as we noted in Balaam’s case. In such a mindset, God’s repeated
warning is interpreted as just normal mishaps of life. All these things came
upon Balaam because he took God’s word
lightly and believed that he could change God’s mind. Behind this was his
strong drive to pursue his own purpose as his first priority.
““The donkey saw me and turned away
from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have
killed you by now, but I would have spared it."” (Numbers 23:33).
If Balaam’s
donkey had not turned away, he would have died already. This was the true
reality resulting from his choice to walk recklessly, but, by God’s grace, his
life was saved. In this way, God delivered two clear messages. First, God controlled
Balaam’s life; if Balaam deviated from God’s message, his life would be in
danger. Second, Balaam was not in charge;
God was. Therefore, he must listen and obey what God told him.
D.
Balaam’s
First Oracle: a people who lives apart and does not consider themselves to be one
of the nations.
When Balaam
arrived, Balak took him up to Bamoth Baal (= ‘high places of Baal’). Two things
are to be noted about this place; this is where Baal worship took place, and,
from this place, they could see the entire ‘camp of Israel’, i.e. to the
outskirts of the camp (the extent of the nation). Here, they could discern Israel’s
orderliness, population, and wealth. They saw that, the tabernacle stood in the
center, with the Levites’ three divisions surrounding it and the twelve tribes
camping around the entire camp. It was so orderly and such a large number of
people with so many possessions and activities.
At this
place Balaam asked Balak to prepare seven altars and sacrifice one bull and one
ram on each. In this request, we can see a few things in Balaam’s intentions.
He adopted Baal worship even while worshipping the Lord. He asked Balak to
prepare seven altars, as they do to Baal. To Balaam, many religious forms would give him a better chance to appease God
and win Him over, as he had appeased other deities, such as Baal, in the past.
Practically, he was doing his best to earn the Lord’s favor. After he offered
the sacrifices on the seven altars, Balaam said this to Balak:
"Stay here beside your offering
while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he
reveals to me I will tell you." (Numbers 23:3).
Clearly, Balaam
expected and hoped for God to change His mind since He was receiving such
profuse amounts of sacrifices from Balak. Then he left that place and went off
to a barren height. It is interesting that Balaam did not seek God where the
altars were; instead, he moved away, to a barren height. This was not a proper
name to indicate a specific place, but to a place where there was nothing, which
was used to indicate that Balaam went away from the place where all the altars
were. One possible explanation for this is that, while Balak was standing by
the seven altars with those sacrifices, Balaam went off to a different place,
where there was nothing, in order to meet with God. It is not said if God
called Balaam to meet in another place, or if it was Balaam’s idea, but the
next verb (passive) indicates that God allowed Balaam to meet Him there, i.e.
Balaam sought God, and, in seeking God, he went off and God eventually allowed
him to meet with Him in this barren place. There God gave the word to Balaam
and Balaam spoke;
“Then Balaam spoke his message:
"Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.”” (Numbers 23:7).
In this way,
Balaam fully revealed Balak’s intention and will and his own position as a
diviner. Here, he kindly but clearly laid out the fact that all of this came
about by Balak’s request. The purpose or demand of Balaam’s divination was to
curse or denounce Israel. More often than not, people curse others, maybe out
of frustration or with the real intent to bring a divine curse on those who have
done them evil or harm. For Balak, he asked Balaam for this divination, because
he felt that the fate of his nation, including his own life, was on the line.
When impending doom is seen without any way out, only then do men look for the gods’
help, regardless of which god he or she gets help from. If there was any
possibility of saving his life or the lives of his people, Balak would seek it at
all cost, regardless of what that cost might be. For now, his most fearsome
enemy was Israel; their immense numbers and mighty army had been proven through
the defeat of many other nations on their way to Moab. The most alarming fact
for Balak was that Israel’s God, YHWH, had led her out of Egypt, the most
powerful nation in the world at that time. In this address, Balaam explained
the reality of Balak’s desperate demand for the gods’ curse on Israel.
“How can I curse those whom God has
not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?” (Numbers
23:8).
Twice, Balaam
repeated that he could not and should not curse those whom God had not cursed
or denounced. He called YHWH ‘God’ in the first oracle, but, in the second, he
called Him ‘the Lord’. In this way, God Almighty was identified as the God of
Israel, YHWH. From deep down in his heart, Balaam recognized the impossibility
to go against God’s authority and power. He also acknowledged God’s power and
authority as the Lord of heaven and earth, and he could not or should not move
against what God had ordained.
“From the rocky peaks I see them, from
the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider
themselves one of the nations.” (Numbers 23:9).
In front of
him, Balaam could see the Israelites’ entire encampment; he saw how the camp
was arranged differently from any other of the nations around him. In this
distinction, he saw Israel’s confidence and pride.
“Who can count the dust of Jacob or
number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may
my final end be like theirs!" (Numbers 23:10).
They were so
many, like the dust of the earth; Balak could not even count one fourth of the Israelite
people. He saw Israel’s prosperity, outnumbering all other surrounding nations in
that region. In looking back to the time of the Exodus, it was estimated that
the total Egyptian population was about five million, but, of that number,
about two million were Israelites; this means that about 40% of the people in
Egypt were Israelites when they left. Israel’s prosperity far exceeded that of
Egypt for over four hundred years. During the time of their captivity, Israel
grew from seventy to two million people, while the Egyptians grew from two or
three million to five million. This was noted by both Pharaoh and the midwives.
In the desert, all of those who were over twenty years old died. In the normal
distribution of age, those over twenty represented about two thirds of Israel’s
population. They all died in the desert, except two men, over a forty year
period of wandering. However, at the end of that time, their number did not
shrink at all. In Ch. 26, Israel took a census of their people, and the total
number of men was 601,730 (603,550 in Deuteronomy 1:46). God’s judgment of their
unbelief did not reduce Israel’s numbers at all; God retained His blessing on Israel.
What does this tell us? God was with them and multiplied them through His
blessing in the midst of such a hard life in the desert! We cannot think that
this came about by anything, but God’s power and blessing for His chosen
nation. Balaam became keenly aware of this as he was looking over the width and
depth of Israel, spread over the vast plain. Simply, Israel was a very prolific
and blessed nation under God’s care. Balaam witnessed this and fully revealed God’s
works in the nation that He had chosen as His own.
In his final
oracle, Balaam expressed his wish to be one of the Israelites, sharing in their
fate as those blessed by the Lord; he was saying that he wanted to live and die
like the people of Israel, for they were counted as righteous by the
Lord.
In this way,
he chose to become like Israel, rather than like Balak, who was unrighteous and
wicked enough to bring a curse down on God’s righteous nation.
Also, this
tells us something about Israel’s life in the desert, where God
subjected them to intense discipline. None of those who died in the desert died
naturally of old age; all of them died in the desert by ‘God’s punishment’. Nevertheless,
all that God imposed upon them was not a curse, but a blessing, God’s primary
goal was always to bless the Israelite nation and to make them righteous so
that His blessing might be assured to them. Despite many troubles in the wilderness,
Balaam’s statement confirmed God’s success in raising Israel as His chosen and
righteous nation, apart from all other nations in the world. Also, no matter
how severe the punishments were, they were to bring about ‘righteousness’ in God’s
people. The last event in Israel’s life in the wilderness was being bitten by poisonous
snakebites after they complained about water and food. As they were sick and
dying, they asked for God’s forgiveness. For the first time, they admitted their
wrongs and plead for God’s mercy, and He provided a means for them to be cured
of this sin-incurred punishment. The event in which God provided provision for Israel’s
righteousness marks the ending of their time wandering in the wilderness,
making them ready to conquer all of the pagan inhabitants of the Promised Land.
As we know from the book of Joshua, God commanded Israel to thoroughly decimate
the many nations in the Promised Land (Joshua 6:21). God used Israel to carry
out this since they were now counted righteous; what He had applied to Israel
would be applied to all other nations. If Israel was to be able to conquer the
land, they must first be made righteous. Balaam recognized this as he saw the
tabernacle in the center of the Israelites’ camp, and, in this righteousness,
he could not see any way to curse these people.
E.
The
Second Oracle - See what God has done
Balaam’s first
oracle was a great blow to Balak’s wishes. Balak was disappointed and yet he would
not give up his hope, because he saw no other means of escaping the impending
crisis. Therefore, he wanted to try again; he took Balaam to another place.
He took
Balaam to the top of Pisgah. According to v21, Pisgah was at the other side of
Bamoth Baal, across the valley. There, they could only see a small portion of
the outskirts of Israel’s camp, but were located near Moab. By moving to this
place, Balaam could see very little of Israel. When you do not see something or
someone, you can talk negatively against them more freely. The best way to
change someone’s perspective is to see things from a different angle. Moving to
a better place or position makes for a better chance that he will see things differently!
In this way, Balak thought that he had a better chance to curse Israel. In hopes
of bringing about a desired outcome, men try many different things: changing positions,
people, inviting different opinions and perspectives, and changing tactics; they
are willing to change everything, except their attitude toward God, the One who
determines the ultimate outcome of their lives.
In this
place, Balak again built seven altars and sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams
to God, who came again and gave His word to Balaam:
“The LORD met with Balaam and put a
word in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.””
(Numbers 23:16).
God put His
word in Balaam’s mouth; here, there is a strong emphasis on the fact that God’s
will and power came on Balaam to speak exactly the word that God gave to him.
In other words, what Balaam was to say was either not so much of his will, but
was of God’s will, force, and power, or he was forced to speak God’s word exactly
as it was given to him.
What was the
word that God gave to Balaam?
“Then he spoke his message:
"Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor. God is not human, that
he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak
and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:18-19).
Balak
thought that he could influence God’s way of thinking and decisions if he
offered sacrifices on many altars. He thought God behaved like one of his men
who would change his mind according to what he sees, the place, or how much he
is pleased by the decision. However, this was wrong; God knows all and decides
what He pleases, according to His perfect will. He does not change what He has said,
which shall stand until it is fulfilled (He is immutable).
“I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it. "No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed in Israel.” (Numbers 23:20).
Balaam was a
well-known figure and was famous for having the power and ability to bring
curses effectively on anyone he chose. Knowing this, Balak called for his
services; however, Balaam could not undo what God had done, for the God of Israel
was the God Almighty. No man, even if he could conjure up all of the evil
forces of the world, he cannot undo what God has done (God’s blessing is
irrevocable). When God commanded Balaam to bless Israel, Israel was blessed;
Balaam, even if he had cursed others in the past, he could do nothing against
God’s almighty will.
“The LORD their God is with them; the
shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the
strength of a wild ox.” (Numbers 23:22).
God was with
Israel as their Lord. He was in charge of their nation, so no man or nation
could do anything against them. Their God, the Lord, stood among them as the
source of their power, victory, and blessing.
“There is no divination against Jacob,
no evil omens against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See
what God has done!'” (Numbers 23:23).
God’s
presence among His people, Israel, precluded all ungodly or evil forces from
overtaking them. In Balaam’s second oracle, God again reconfirmed that Israel
was righteous, having no divination or evil omens in their midst. Also, when
God said or did this once, no person or evil force can change what He has accomplished;
God’s blessing shall not be changed, even by evil forces.
“The people rise like a lioness; they
rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and
drinks the blood of its victims." (Numbers 23:24).
Israel was described
as a lion, which brings decimates its prey. Once a lioness gets up to purse prey,
she will not stop until she sees the blood of her victims. The implication of
this is clear; Israel would not stop pursuing her prey or her enemies until she
saw the demise of the surrounding enemy nations. This was a preview of what Moses
foresaw in the coming years through the Star King (Numbers 24:17-24).
God had
Israel wander through the desert for forty years, and during this time, they experienced
a very tough life; their main struggle was learning how to trust God in lieu of
life’s hardships. Some died of fire, or from
eating too much quail, which led to a plague; in either case, their lives were
on the edge, since there was also a lack of water and food in the desert, two
basic essentials to sustaining life. The Israelites struggled with water shortages
again and again and found no enjoyment in the little food they still had. They
formed a great rebellion against Aaron and Moses, and they all died, along with
many sympathizers of this rebellion, raising the death count to nearly 15,000.
At the same
time, God provided them with manna, the bare, basic necessity for their lives. He
also made sure that they remained pure in order for them to keep the Law of
Moses (redemption of unintentional sins, keeping the Sabbath, and tassels on
garments) and provided them a means for purification (Ch. 19).
In these two
ways, God thoroughly disciplined the Israelites by punishing their sins, even
by death, and by providing a means of purification in order to keep themselves
holy in His eyes.
After all
this, we can say that, for most of their forty years in the desert, the
struggle was how they were supposed to live faithfully before the Lord; the
antithetical force against godly living is man’s sinfulness, not only in
relation to their unbelief, but also their frail bodies subjected them to various
threats to their lives. During this time, there was virtually no recorded fighting
or interactions with other nations, except near the end of this period of
roaming on their way to the Promised Land. What had God done for Israel? Where did
the strength and characters of the wild ox or lioness come from?
God blessed
Israel, and their life and history was to run according to His blessing, to
represent the nature and power of His blessing and fulfill what He had
purported in Israel.
God began His
work to fulfill His promise to bless Israel by bringing them out of slavery in Egypt
and completed it as she passed through the Zered Valley, which marked the time
when all of those who had rebelled against Him had died and where Israel’s
entrance into the land of God’s blessing began. Within this period, a nation
whose mind was well attuned to slavery had been changed to that of a blessed
nation, or to a blessed status. What changes had transpired in Israel during
this period over the past forty years that God would give them His seal of blessing?
We can sort out what happened during those forty years, from the time of the Exodus,
to the time crossing the Zered Valley, to the land of God’s promise. There are
four valuable things to consider in regards to understanding Israel becoming a
blessed nation: the Exodus, God’s covenant promises sealed at Mount Sinai, Israel’s
failure to enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief in the Lord, and the
forty years spent roaming in the desert as punishment for their unbelief,
ending with the bronze snake event.
How did these four events change Israel, in regards to their way of thinking and
understanding of their life? Firstly, God earned Israel’s trust by
demonstrating His power and authority as the Lord of heaven and earth through
the works that He had done in and through the Exodus. Secondly, Israel’s will
to enter into a covenant relationship with the Lord was based on their trust in
Him and the final ratification of this covenant. Thirdly, the full
implementation of the ‘covenant laws’ on God’s people while He was accompanying
them on this journey, delivered a clear message that people of unbelief would
suffer, die, and would not be allowed to enter the land of God’s promise, the
ultimate fulfillment of the covenant. Finally, God’s will to forgive and bless
Israel to enter the Promised Land if they confessed their sins and ask for His
mercy (i.e. the bronze snake event).
As a whole, Israel’s
solidified relationship with the mighty and holy God made them what they were,
a nation filled with great strength and character. Balaam called them ‘the righteous’
(Numbers 23:10, the fist oracle), without misfortune, divination, or evil omen
(Numbers 23:21,23, the second oracle). Israel’s strength was found in the
strength God had imparted to them and His full will to abide by the covenant
relationship He had established with her.
The second
oracle ends with the phrase “See what God has done” (Numbers 23:23). God
created a nation of strength and godly character that could defeat and destroy
all pagan nations.
This was God’s
hope then, and it is still the same today. When Israel failed to sustain the
characteristics He required of them, God decided to accomplish this by
imparting the grace and power of His son, Jesus, to them. This was alluded to through
the bronze serpent incident. We too are the recipients of that grace and become
His chosen through faith. He has recreated us as he did for Israel and is even
now recreating us to shine with such character and strength, for we are to
conquer the land of God’s promise, the Kingdom of God. Paul talked about that God-given
strength and the fight that he was engaged in as he looked forward to the coming
of God’s kingdom.
“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the
message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was
delivered from the lion's mouth.” (2 Timothy 4:17).
God chose
Israel and recreated them by making them endure the four steps of life. They
became righteous and were imparted with the strength of a wild ox and a lioness.
For them, no divination or omen shall succeed against them. Only God’s blessing
will flourish, heralded with shouts of the king’s coming, the strength of a
wild ox, and the courage of a rising lioness.
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