Balaam seems to be for God, or is he? He certainly speaks the truth about Israel. Balaam’s greed turned out to be a blessing for the children of Israel.
Numbers 22: Balak Summons Balaam
1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.
4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time,
5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, "Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me.
6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message.
8 And he said to them, "Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 And God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?"
10 And Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying,
11 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.'"
12 God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."
13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."
15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honourable than these.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Let nothing hinder you from coming to me,
17 for I will surely do you great honour, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.'"
18 But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more.
19 So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me."
20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you."
21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
Balaam's Donkey and the Angel
22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.
24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.
25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again.
26 Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you."
30 And the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" And he said, "No."
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.
32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.
33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live."
34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back."
35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you." So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border.
37 And Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?"
38 Balaam said to Balak, "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."
39 Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.
Numbers 23: Balaam's First Oracle
1 And Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams."
2 Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
3 And Balaam said to Balak, "Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you." And he went to a bare height,
4 and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, "I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."
5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak."
6 And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering.
7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said, "From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: 'Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!'
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!"
11 And Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them."
12 And he answered and said, "Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?"
Balaam's Second Oracle
13 And Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there."
14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, "Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD over there."
16 And the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak."
17 And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, "What has the LORD spoken?"
18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said, "Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20 Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
21 He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, 'What has God wrought!'
24 Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain."
25 And Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all."
26 But Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell you, 'All that the LORD says, that I must do'?"
27 And Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there."
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert.
29 And Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams."
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Things to think about…
1. Balak the Moabite king is rightfully concerned about losing land to the Israelites. He has seen what they did to the two kings Sihon and Og – the Amorite kings. So he hires Balaam the son of Beor – a blessing and cursing prophet. What do you make of Balaam? He only speaks God’s words. He calls the Lord his God, Num 22:18. Is this guy for Israel or not? Balaam also figures as an example of a false teacher in both 2 Peter 2:15 and in Jude 1:11. But it doesn’t seem to be the case here. How do you account for the obvious anomalies? Remember King Saul prophesied. Just because the Spirit has spoken through you or through others does not mean the heart is resigned to the will of God. The test is this “If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” Rom 10:9.
2. A donkey is talking to a man Num 22:22-33. What do you make of this? Did it happen or is it all just analogy? God throws things on their head to confound the wise. Hence the sun being made on the fourth day. God does what He likes with His creation. There was a talking snake in the Garden of Eden and a donkey spoke the Word of God folks, simple as that. Just as the Lord created the heavens and the earth in 6 literal days.
3. Look at Balaam’s first oracle Num 23:1-12. He only blesses Israel. God’s will, will be done. If God is for us who can be against us Rom 8:31?
4. In Balaam’s second oracle Num 23:16-26 he blesses Israel again. Are these blessings still in place for Israel? We know that they are perfectly fulfilled in Christ, but what of the land component? Are these promises still in effect? I believe Balaam speaking by the Spirit has prophesied the current and future blessing for the land of Israel and its people. The perfect fulfilment is of course only achieved through Israel accepting the one true Messiah, “Yeshua”.
5. A key verse which is true for the people of God and specific here to the nation of Israel is “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.” Num 23:19, 20. God will not revoke His promises or protection over His people. They are loved with a covenant love that cannot be broken. The promises we have in Christ are more sure as Peter speaks about regarding the prophetic fulfilment of His ministry. Peter says, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”, 2Pet 1:21. This includes the ministry of Balaam. A man who spoke the Lord’s word even though the Balaam’s heart was full of greed. Peter also says of him “Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,”2Pet 2:15. But let’s not be too hard on Balaam. Surely there is the spirit of Balaam in every heart desiring it’s own ends rather than the Lord’s will.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon:-“The armour of God” – Ephesians 6:10-20.
a. What’s the most difficult trial you have faced during your life? What lessons did you learn out of it?
b. There are 6 components to the armour of God. What are they , how do they work and what is the significance of each piece?.
c. Prayer is not a physical part of the armour but is essential when asking the Lord to intervene directly in the battle. Elma had been praying and battling for 50 years for her husband Doug. Like the widow, she kept coming back to the Judge. Do you remember how God answered Elma’s prayer. The answer you are asking for may not be answered in the way you think it will.
d. Community needs Christians to “Stete” – to stand. To not give ground, but to fight and move forward. How are you doing this in your home, workplace, friends group?
e. Jesus Christ is the Logos – the Word. Knowing the bible means knowing Him better. Discuss how you read/receive the word of God.
Prayer Points
1. Pray for our community day on the Sat 24th June that all the organising and advertising can be done well to ensure a successful event.
2. Pray for Jay as he speaks to Karalee State school about starting a Friday afternoon kids club.
3. Continue to pray and Andy in Ipswich hospital and for Sally as she continues to battle Alzheimer’s. Give thanks for Andy’s brother Tad and a loving husband and example of Christ – Richard.
4. The processing of our insurance claim and the repurchasing of equipment.
5. That those who are new to the church are encouraged and settle in well into the church.
6. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you saved.
7. Pray for Kids@church and our Youth group.
8. How you can serve in ministry this year.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. Sunday was a great encouragement thankyou to all who served in the sound and worship team as well as the meeting afterwards. Josh, Ben, Bec, Doug.
2. Our insurance claim has been accepted. Now to buy and replace the equipment.
3. Great day on Sunday with the Young adult’s ministry – keep praying as this ministry grows.
4. Kids@Church ministry is a great blessing. Pray for Rosie and balancing her teaching, family and church worlds.
5. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Community Day Saturday 24th June at Church. At 1:00pm to 5pm ending with a bon fire.
2. Course starting on Wed 26th July – 6:30pm – invite non Christians to this course.
3. Friday afternoon kids klub – starting third term – 3 (3:30pm start) - 5:30pm.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for June...
Q. 9. Who is God? A. God is a Spirit, and does not have a body like men.
