Notice that God is not moved by the attempts of men to “buy Him off.” As we come to this chapter, for the third time, at Balaam’s request, the king builds seven altars and offers a bull and a ram on each. In the religions of idolatry, when people don’t get the response they want from the god they worship, the solution is to offer more and better sacrifices. That is not the case here.
·
The third oracle, 24:3-9. Balaam is trying hard to get the money. This time we are told he does not use
sorcery. It seems instead that he just
turns to where he has a view of Israel, and perhaps prays, asking the LORD to
curse them. But God will not. The Spirit of God comes upon Balaam, something
consistent with the OT in that God used even such as Balaam to accomplish His
will. Balaam knows that God is not going
to give any other answer. His eyes are
open, clearly seeing the vision of the Almighty. “Almighty” (Heb. Shaddai) is the name
God gave to Abraham (Gen. 17:1). Balaam
looks towards the wilderness, but what he sees is a prosperous, beautiful
nation of Israel (v5-7). Agag (v7) was a kingly name associated with the
Amalekites, a powerful tribe in the desert area.
o Verse 9b is the key to understanding this
oracle. These words are quoted from Gen.
12:1-3 in the covenant God made with Abraham.
Balak’s approach is totally backwards.
If he wants to be blessed, along with his people (Moab) and the people
of Midian, he needs to bless Israel.
That brings blessing. Instead,
Balak’s anger reaches it’s peak. Balaam
pleads innocence (“I only said what God told me to say.”) But before he leaves God gives him one more
message.
·
The fourth oracle, 24:15-24. Again, Balaam clearly states that what he
says has come from God (v15-16). First,
Balaam prophesies of the Messiah, the Star and Scepter of Israel,
who will batter Moab. Jeremiah, in his
prophecy against Moab, quotes the end of Num. 23:17 (Jer. 48:45). Verses 18-19 speak of the demise of Edom (descendants
of Esau) while brother Jacob does valiantly under the One who shall
have dominion, the Messiah. Balaam
then prophesies against Amalek, going from first among the nations to last
until he perishes. He also
prophesies concerning the Kenites, who found refuge in Israel, but who will
eventually be carried away by the Assyrians (it happened in the carrying away
of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel). Verses 23-24 predict the eventual demise of
the Assyrians (Asshur), perhaps referencing the time of the Romans (ships from
the coast of Cyprus). Wow! What a message for Balak, King of Moab.
The third oracle establishes the Abrahamic
Covenant. The fourth oracle concerns the
“latter days.” The futility of Moab’s
resistance against this group of people who have come into the area is obvious. But so is the message of hope for Moab. Bless Israel and you will be blessed. Moab never did accept this truth. In Ezek. 25:8-11 the LORD announces judgment
on Moab in the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the
temple. What was Moab’s sin? Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because Moab and
Seir say, ‘Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,’ … I will execute
judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” Even in the time of Israel’s judgment, they
were still the chosen nation. Let us
remember this today.
In Deut. 23:5 we see this entire event
summarized in these words: Nevertheless, the LORD your God would not listen
to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you,
because the LORD your God loves you.
Again, let us not fall for the foolish theology that distinguishes
between the God of the OT and the God of the NT. They are the same! God loved Israel.
No comments:
Post a Comment