Numbers 22:2-252And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 7And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? 10And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. 13And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 14And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 15And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. 16And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17For I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 19Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more. 20And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. (Numbers 22:2‑25)
As we read the story of Balaam we marvel at the overruling hand of God, for God interfered and hindered the wicked purposes of Balak king of Moab who had hired Balaam to prophesy against Israel. King Balak was afraid of Israel. He had heard what God had done through them to the Amorites, and he trembled for himself and his people. Being under the power of Satan, to which the heathen had sold themselves, he knew of no other place to turn but Satan’s enchantments. He therefore sent messengers to Balaam offering him great rewards and honors if he would come and curse the people. Balaam, on his part, would have been glad to come, for he “loved the wages of unrighteouess,” 2 Peter 2:1515Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; (2 Peter 2:15), but even Satan himself cannot go beyond what God allows, and Balaam (though a wicked man) must do and say what God ordered. God told Balaam not to go with the men who came from Balak, because the people of Israel, whom Balaam wanted to curse, were really blessed.
Balaam therefore told the men, “Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you.” We can see by this remark that he really wanted to go, if only the Lord would let him.
The messengers then returned to Balak, telling him that Balaam would not come. This would not satisfy Balak, however, and he sent more messengers, and more honorable ones, too, promising very great honor for Balaam if he would only come. King Balak said he would do anything Balaam wished him to do if he would only come and curse the people of God. The world will pay a tremendously high price to have its own way, and it hates God and His people with the same hatred as Balak had toward Israel. What a world it is!
A fear—not filled the heart of Balaam and he was afraid to go against the Word of God. He did, however, ask God again what he should do. The Lord had already declared His mind very definitely, and Balaam need not have asked again. This is important for us to remember, for if God makes His mind known to us, we ought not to ask Him to change it just to suit or please ourselves. It is a very serious thing to do so, as with Balaam here, and it almost cost him his life. If we are persistent to have our own way, contrary to the will of God, He may allow us to have it to our own sorrow, as with Baam here (see also Psalm 106:1515And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. (Psalm 106:15)). It is a solemn thing to trifle with God.
God then, because of the insistence of Balaam, told him to go with the mea from King Balak, but He said he must speak only what God said. Poor Balaam was quite ready to go, for he wanted this easy reward offered by the king. Little did he realize what was before him.
He rose up in the morning, saddled his ass, and started out with king Balak’s messengers. Now God knew how much Balaam wanted this reward, so He must put His fear before him in order to make him say only what God would have him say. But Balaam did not have eyes to see, even when the angel of the Lord stood in the way with a drawn sword in his hand, but his ass, upon which he was riding, saw the angel and turned aside into a field. This made Balaam angry, and he hit the poor animal and made her go back on the path again. The angel of the Lord then stood in the way again in a narrow place with a wall on either side.
ML 12/30/1951