Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #138-Numbers 23 - The Prophecies of Balaam
Welcome to Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse, wherever you are in the world. Thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea and let's get into today's lesson. Welcome back, thank you for joining me. As always, open your Bible to Numbers, chapter 23. We are continuing this situation between Balaam and Balak, numbers, chapter 23,. The title of today's lesson is the Prophecies of Balaam and Balak. Numbers, chapter 23,. The title of today's lesson is the Prophecies of Balaam. As always, I hope that you all are doing well and you're ready to get into today's lesson. Excuse me, it is an interesting one, as all of these stories are with Balaam and Balak. So we will get into today's lesson, numbers 23, and let's read.
Speaker 2:So we will get into today's lesson, numbers 23,. And let's read Numbers 23. Balaam said Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me. Balak did as Balaam said and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said 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. Then he went off to a barren height. God met with him and Balaam said I have prepared seven altars and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram. The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said Go back to Balak and give him this message. So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering with all the princes of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle.
Speaker 2:Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains. Come, he said, curse Jacob for me. Come, denounce Israel. How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced? 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 who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel. Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs. Balak said to Balaam what have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them. He answered. Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth? Then Balak said to him Come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only a part, but not all of them and from there curse them for me. So he took them to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Balaam said to Balak Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.
Speaker 2:The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said Go back to Balak and give him this message. So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him what did the Lord say? Then he uttered his oracle Arise, balak, and listen. Hear me, son of Zippor, god is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a commander to bless he has blessed and I cannot change it. To bless he has blessed and I cannot change it.
Speaker 2:No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. 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. There is no sorcery against Jacob of a wild ox. There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel.
Speaker 2: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 he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims. Then Balak said to Balaam Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all. Balaam answered Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says? Then Balak said to Balaam Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there. And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland. Balaam said Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me. Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Speaker 1:Now this chapter is about Balaam, who is not a godly prophet but an evil prophet for hire. He is famously known in the book of Numbers here in the Old Testament, but was mentioned in the New Testament as well. We're going to look at those briefly. Peter mentions him. Turn to 2nd Peter. 2nd Peter, chapter 2. We're actually gonna look at three passages in the Old Testament, so the first one will be 2nd Peter, chapter 2. Okay, sorry, sorry about that, my, my pages are sticking. Second peter, chapter two, and we are looking at okay, I'm there. Second peter, chapter two, and we are looking at verses 15 to 17, forsaking the right, excuse me, forsaking the right way. They have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a dumb donkey speaking with a voice of a man restrained. The madness of the prophet, speaking with a voice of a man restrained. The madness of the prophet. These are springs without water and mist, driven by a storm for whom the black darkness has been reserved. Jude said he was a heretic. So go over, go to your right, a couple of books to Jude and let's see what Jude had to say about him. Jude, verse 11, said Woe to them, for they have gone the way of Cain and for pay they have rushed headlong into the era of Balaam and perish in the rebellion of Korah. And then Jesus said he taught people immorality. A couple pages to the right and go to revelation, revelation chapter 2, and notice verse 14, the words of jesus. But I have a few things against you. This is talking about the church at pergamum, because you have there some who hold the teaching of balaam, who kept teaching balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things, sacrifice the idols and to commit acts of immorality. So we see that this Balaam character was not forgotten. Now we're talking a long time from now, from the time that these events happened in numbers, to the times to the time that Peter wrote his epistle to when Jude wrote, that Peter wrote his epistle to when Jude wrote and then when John wrote Revelation. We're talking a long time from now and Balaam will still remember it and the things he did.
Speaker 1:Now we will break this chapter down into 14 parts. Part number one Balaam told Balak to build him a false altar. Notice verse one. Then Balaam said to Balak, build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here. Now it is clear that Balaam is trying to come across as if he knows the Lord, as if he's a godly prophet. We know that in the land that he's in now, this is what they do they sacrifice unto the Lord. They made, they made altars and sacrifice, and I believe this is what Balaam is trying to. You know he's trying to show here.
Speaker 1:Part two Balaam said perhaps the Lord will meet with me. We notice this in verses two and three. Balak did just as Balaam has spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak stand beside your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me. And whatever he says, excuse me, whatever he shows me, I will tell you. So he went to a bare hill. Notice the Balaam uses the name of the God of Israel, hebrew 3068. So he is pretending to know God. Remember I mentioned that in the previous part. That's what he is doing here. So when Balaam said to Balak, let me see, I'm going back to verse 3. He said Balaam said to Balak stand beside your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the Lord. So that's who he is referring to. He's talking about the Lord, so he's trying to put it off as if he knows the Lord.
Speaker 1:Part three God did meet with Balaam. We see this in verse four. Now God met Balaam and he said to him I have set up the seven altars and I have offered up a bull and a ramp on each altar. Part four God speaks to Balaam. We see this in verse five. Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth and said return to Balak, and you shall speak. Thus, notice, it says God put a word in Balaam's mouth, not that Balaam is going back on his own accord, but he's going back and he is going to say what the Lord put in his mouth. Part five Balaam returns to Balak. We see this in verse six. So he returned, he being Balaam, to him, balak. And behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of moab. So we see what's going on here. So balak is standing by this fake offering that they put up, this fake sacrifice, and he is standing there with his other people, with his, with his other minions, and they're waiting to see what balaam is going to come back with, which brings us to part six.
Speaker 1:Balaam speaks what the lord puts in his mouth to balak verses 7 to 10. We notice this and he took up his discourse and said he, being balaam from around balak, has brought me moab's king from the mountains of the east. Come curse jacob for me and come denounce israel. How shall I curse whom god has not cursed? And how then, can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? As I see him from the top of the rocks and I look at him from the hills, behold a people who dwells apart and shall not be reckoned among the nations who can count the dust of Jacob or number the four part of Israel. Let me die the death of the upright and let my end be like his. So we see that Balaam is speaking the discourse that the Lord put in his mouth. Now this leads us to part seven.
Speaker 1:Balak is upset with Balaam after he hears this. Verses 11 and 12 tell us this. Then Balak said to Balaam what have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies and, behold, you have actually blessed them. And he answered and said must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth. That was a question. So Balak is upset. He listened to this discourse, this oracle, if you will, that Balaam lets loose out of his mouth, but remember what it said previously. The Lord put these words in Balaam's mouth. This is not necessarily what Balaam wanted to say himself and of course Balak is upset because he's saying dude, what are you doing? I'm I spent a lot of money. I brought you here to curse these people, yet you have blessed them. Which brings us to part eight.
Speaker 1:Balak isn't taking no for an answer. We see this in verses 13 and 14. Then balak said to him and this is why balak is speaking, because in verse 12 balaam said must I not be careful to speak what the lord puts in my mouth? Verse 13. Then balak said to him please come with me to another place from where you may see them although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them and curse them for me from there. So he took him to the field of Zephreen, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. So Balak isn't taking no for an answer. He already heard what Balaam said, that he can't curse his people. But Balak is't taking no for an answer. He already heard what Balaam said that he can't curse his people. But Balak is is not going for that. Balak is saying you know what, man, I don't really believe in or buy what you're saying. Let me take you to another part and maybe you will see something different there.
Speaker 1:Part nine Balaam said he is going to seek the Lord again. We see this in verse 15. He said to Balak stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the Lord yonder. So, in other words, balaam already knows what the Lord has said, but he's saying you know what, maybe the Lord is going to tell me something different. So I'm going to go over yonder and I'm going to see what the Lord says and then I'll be back. Which brings us to part 10.
Speaker 1:God puts yet another word in Balaam's mouth. We see this in verses 16 through 24. Then the Lord met with Balaam. See, the Lord met with him again and put a word in his mouth and said return to Balak and thus you shall speak. And he came to him and, behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, just like Balak did before. He's standing there anxiously waiting, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him what has the Lord spoken? This dude really believes that the Lord is going to give him news that he can curse Israel. Then he took up his discourse and said here we go again.
Speaker 1:Balaam is taking up another discourse that the Lord put in his mouth. Arise, oh Balak, and hear. Give ear to me, oh, son of support. God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. He has said and will and and will he not do it? Question, or has he spoken and will he not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless. When he has blessed, then I cannot revoke it. He has not observed misfortune in jacob, nor has he seen trouble in israel. The lord, his god, is with him and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them out of egypt. He is for them like the horns of the wild ox. For there is no omen against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israel. At the proper time, it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel what God has done. Behold, a people rises like a lioness and as a lion, it lifts itself. It shall not die down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain. So Balaam comes and drops another discourse.
Speaker 1:Now Balak speaks to Balaam. We see this in verse 25. Then Balak said to Balaam do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all. Balak is upset. He's saying bro, what, what are you doing? Okay, okay, I get it. I get it. You can't curse Israel. The Lord has put this word in your mouth. The Lord has come to you in the vision and said that you cannot curse them, but please don't bless them. I mean, these are my enemies, you know, I brought you here to curse them. But at least, if you're not gonna curse them, please don't bless. So he basically wants Balaam to stay neutral, which brings us to part 12. Balaam said he must obey the word of God. Verse 26 says but Balaam answered and said to Balak did I not tell you whatever the Lord speaks that I must do? So Balaam is saying to this dude again. How many times do I have to tell you? I've already told you what the Lord tells me. I have to say the Lord actually met with me, he actually spoke with me, and I'm going to only repeat and say the things that he has put in my mouth. Which brings us to part 13.
Speaker 1:Balak just won't give up. Notice, verse 27. Then Balak said to Balaam please come, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there. This dude just won't give up. But you know what it's just like it is when a demon has itself attached to you. If you are trying to walk the ways of the Lord trust me, I'm not saying that about balaam but if you are trying to walk the ways of the lord, it, just this demon just won't give up. It's going to keep trying to attach itself to you and say, okay, I understand, you said no there, but maybe you will say yes if I show you this here, or maybe you will do this, or maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. That is what balak is hoping. He's hoping that he will keep moving Balaam to different places. Now my guess is is that he's trying to get him. He's trying to show him and hope maybe he'll see something about Israel that would make him change his mind, something that maybe they're doing that they shouldn't be doing. And maybe, and just maybe, balak is hoping that the Lord will not be happy with Israel in this new place, and then he will allow Balaam to curse the people. Not sure what's on Balak's mind, but we know that he just won't take no for an answer. Which brings us to part 14. Balak takes Balaam to Peor. We see this in verses 28 to 30. So actually I'm gonna go back to 27. Then Balak said to Balaam please come, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will be agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there. So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. And Balaam said to Balak build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here. And Balak did just as Balaam has said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. That brings us to the end of numbers 23.
Speaker 1:Listen, this dude Balaam, I mean, I'm sorry, this dude Balak, he, he just won't give up. And Balaam keeps playing the game. Now this is how you know that this guy, balaam, is not a true prophet of the Lord, because if he was a true prophet of the Lord, he would just say look, dude, let's start playing these games. God is not someone who you are wanna be playing games with here. He's already said do not curse them. You cannot curse who I call blessed.
Speaker 1:But yet and still, balak won't give up and Balaam apparently won't give up and he won't listen to the words of the Lord, because every time Balaam excuse me, balaam takes him to a new place. Balaam says what? Build me an altar here with seven bulls and seven rams and let's sacrifice and I'll go see what the Lord says. So apparently there is something in Balaam where he is hoping that the Lord does change his mind, because we already know, we've already established that this man is greedy, he is money hungry, he is fame hungry and he really does want these blessings. But he's really teetering on the line because he's trying to play the game of listen. I'm trying to do what the Lord is commanding me to do, but really I believe that Balaam is looking for some type of a loophole that the Lord is not going to give him. All right, that brings, that brings us to the end of numbers 23.
Speaker 1:As always, I hope you learned something. I hope you got something out of the lesson. I hope it was enjoyable, as always. I'm asking you to continue to pray for me to stay steadfast in the scriptures so we can always accomplish our goals getting to the end of the scriptures and going on from there, really learning and growing together, and I am praying for you as well. I appreciate you all a great deal. That is all for Thank you for listening to Berean's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and seek biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Berean's Corner on Buzzsprout, apple Podcasts, spotify, iheart, amazon Music and more. Let's stay connected. If you have questions, comments or prayer requests, reach out to us at BereansCornerBuzzsproutcom, where you can follow along with show transcripts and leave a message in the fan mail slot. Also, follow us on YouTube at Bereans Corner, and don't forget to subscribe. We'd love to hear from you Until next time. No-transcript.