The prophecies uttered by Balaam are unsurpassed in their magnificence. In scope like Isaiah they take in the complete circle of God's dealings and purposes concerning Israel. Isaiah is fuller and richer in height, depth, and breadth; but the brevity of those adds not a little to their grandeur. They begin with the counsel of God: He blest Israel; and the four utterances give the characteristics, the salient features, of their position and relationship to God and man. In the beginning of their national existence they felt the iron yoke of slavery, and God interposed and brought them out of the land of bondage. He separated them from the nations unto Himself, and made His abode with them, and will yet raise them to power and greatness over every other nation. Their glory at the end through Him Who shall come out of Jacob shall never be equaled.
Yet running through this glory and splendor, there is the wail of a soul consciously outside, looking on but not nigh; whose first longing desire to share in Israel's lot, at least to die their death, ends in a cry of despair, “Alas! who shall stand when God doeth this?” The condition of his soul, entwined as it is with the declared blessings of Israel, is like a dark thread in a skein of the brightest colors, but which by contrast enhances the beauty and brightness of Israel.
The first word declares the people blessed, not as then beginning but as an existing fact. Separation from the nations was a necessary result. God instituted for them a special and peculiar government which effectually placed a thick fence between them and the nation. This was preparatory to the second blessing—sin not imputed. And this must be before the King can dwell among them and find His pleasure there, as the third evidently declares. The fourth is Messiah's reign, and the putting forth of His power.
At this time they do not appear to be so numerous but that he who looked from the hills could see them all as they spread out on the plain. Their number is given (Num. 26): 601730 males above the age of twenty “able to go to war;” and these do not include the Levites. Moses does say (Deut. 10:2222Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude. (Deuteronomy 10:22)) they are as the stars of heaven for multitude. But only in the millennium will it also be said, “as the sand upon the sea shore.” And the next place selected by Balak where only the uttermost part could be seen implies that all Israel could be seen from where the first prophecy was given. Be this as it may, “dwelling alone” is the first salient feature of their blessing; in itself a blessing, but a means also for higher and greater. They were a vineyard hedged about, a tower and a winepress within the enclosure. God gave all that was needed for maintaining separation, and enforced it by command. This was the external aspect of their blessing; and if a Gentile became a proselyte, he too must sever all previous connections. For this is the key of their position before God, and their special privileges hung upon their “dwelling alone.”
And this mark which God put upon them from the first has never been lost. They have rebelled and in hardness of heart sought intercourse with idolatrous nations. Yet, mingle with others as they might, their identity was never lost. During the kingdom they would easily be distinguished; but they were as distinct from their neighbors in Babylon, visibly maintained for seventy years, more than two generations (according to modern computation). Nor were they less visibly maintained in the city of Ahasuerus, and in all the provinces of his empire when Satan for the second time sought to destroy them all through the counsel of Haman the Agagite. But, whether it be Pharaoh or Ahasuerus, God watched over them and kept them in safety. The ease with which the Jew could have been distinguished from his neighbor, when the first decree was issued for their slaughter, is proof bow unmingled they were in reality with the Gentile. The same power now keeps the Jews from being lost among the nations where they are scattered.
Naturally the nationality of immigrants soon becomes indiscernible; it is blended with that of the native, or both together evolve a new character. Our own land where are welded Saxon, Dane, and Norman, with aborigines is an instance of a nation different from any one of the various elements. Perhaps each nation in Europe can point to similar facts in its own history. But the Jew, notwithstanding his association with Gentiles and sharing their pursuits, has ever remained distinct and discernible. It is the mark of God. Recent legislation would obliterate this mark and the world's policy approves. But the word “shall dwell alone” abides, and man cannot reverse it. It may be said that the ten tribes are so mingled with other peoples that their nationality is quite gone. They are truly lost to the eye of man, in the dust of the earth. Is that a proof that their identity is lost to God? In His time they will come forth in the light, and then they will be recognized by all. This should at least lead professed believers not to speculate as to this or that nation being the lost tribes. All such guesses are the merest folly. Nor do I doubt that this bold inquisitiveness of the human mind prying into the hidden things of God is mainly controlled by Satan who knows no more than man where the ten tribes are. It is God's secret, and He has hidden them from the malice and persecuting power both of Satan and of the world. The Jew not hidden has suffered. But whether hidden as the ten tribes, or persecuted as the Jew, the word stands out in prominent truth, “they shall dwell alone.” It was true in Egypt, in the wilderness, in the land, in captivity, and will be in their future greatness and glory. “Lo, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.”
There is a reckoning time coming for all nations, a reckoning of judgment. Israel's chastisement will then be past. As they stand alone under a judgment that distinguishes them from all other nations, so when these nations are visited neither will Israel then be reckoned among them.
At the time of this prophecy they were a comparatively small nation (Deut. 4:3838To drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 4:38)), but a glance at the future is given, when the primal word (Gen. 13:1616And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. (Genesis 13:16)) will be literally fulfilled through the line of Israel whose seed shall be like the dust of the earth, and as the sand on the sea shore for multitude (Gen. 28:14; 32:1214And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (Genesis 28:14)
12And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. (Genesis 32:12)). Balaam “the man whose eyes are open” sees their mighty numbers and exclaims “Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel?”
The next word confirms the first which declared Israel to be blessed. God stamps it with the seal of His own unchangeable nature. “God is not man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent; hath He said and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?” The commandment to bless had gone forth, and none could reverse it. And now the blessing advances and takes a moral character. The first has given their relationship to the world, and it is one of distance, not nearness; here in the second prophecy it is their position before God, their relationship to Him as the people, in whom He will not behold iniquity nor see perverseness. The word does not say that Israel was free from iniquity, but that God would not see it. If He looked upon their perverseness, how could they inherit the land? God Himself hides their sin and rebellious ways from His own eye. Christ, whose atoning work has been displaying its wondrous efficacy all through the wilderness, covers all. He leads them in under the shelter of His wing. God's delight is in Him, and His work. And this so fills His eye that naught else is seen, and He can only bless. What a divine proof of the infinite worth of Him Whose precious blood has made atonement for sin; may we not say, divine evidence of the overwhelming power of redemption! As the rising tide effaces every character written on the sand, so does the full flow of grace blot out the handwriting against Israel. “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel.” Nor is this marvelous declaration limited to the then circumstances which were only a brief foreshadowing of the grace which still awaits them. All Israel will again take possession of their land with a more glorious display of the power of grace, when victories will be won by a mightier hand over greater foes. In the past we see a sinful people, but God will not behold their iniquity; in the future clean water shall be sprinkled upon them, all shall be taught of God. Ennobled by grace, each house of Israel shall inscribe upon its escutcheon “Holiness to Jehovah” (Zech. 14:2020In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. (Zechariah 14:20)). Practical “righteousness shall characterize them; for the word is prophetic and awaits its perfect accomplishment. In the past we see God's estimation of the blood of Christ, it makes atonement; in the future for Israel, its further cleansing power. “They shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced.” “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” (Zech. 12:10; 13:110And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)
1In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. (Zechariah 13:1)) “Hath He said and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?” “Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God” (Psa. 87:33Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. (Psalm 87:3)).
Mark the glory immediately resulting from God's not seeing perverseness. “Jehovah his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them.” Not to see sin is the negative side of their blessing; there is no judgment. Now we have the positive side; Jehovah is there, and the shout of a King To this the prophets long after testify. Zephaniah joins the presence of the King among them with joyous songs, “Sing, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. Jehovah hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy; the King of Israel even Jehovah is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more” (Zeph. 3:14-1514Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. 15The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. (Zephaniah 3:14‑15)). The Psalmist celebrates the same glory when the Son of David reigns and shall be acclaimed the King of glory Psa. 24).
Mark too how this greatness and joy is referred to God as the source of all. What were they, this renowned people, what was their origin? “Thy father was an Amorite and thy mother a Hittite” &c. (Ezek. 16) And later, what were they? A nation of slaves! Their first steps from Egypt were a flight, and fear marked them till their enemies were drowned in the sea. “God brought them out of Egypt.” But now they have the strength of a unicorn. This also awaits a fuller accomplishment; but a sample of their strength was given in their triumph over Og and Sihon. In the beginning they fought with Amalek, and to human eyes the fight was dubious. Sometimes Amalek seemed to prevail. Israel had not then the strength of a unicorn. But God will have them enter the land as conquerors, and He has clothed them with power. The nations may be greater and mightier, nevertheless the nations flee before them. And this power with which they are endowed is to be yet more displayed in Joshua; and he is but the type of a greater Joshua. But if our hearts are attracted by the magnificence unfolded in these prophecies what will their accomplishment be! The man who has seen these visions of the Almighty, having his eyes open, beholds the future and exclaims in wonder but not in joy, “What hath God wrought!”
There are two parts in Num. 23:2222God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. (Numbers 23:22). The former presents Israel as the objects of God's care; the latter, as the instruments of God's vengeance upon the nations. The 23rd verse answers to the former part, the 24th to the latter. “God brought them out of Egypt.” It is the pledge of His unceasing watchfulness. When God begins to bless, He never ceases; for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. It is the assurance of His power ever active on their behalf; a power that would preserve them from the world as such, and from the malice and occult machination of Satan. “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither any divination against Israel.” This was verified at that time, for Balaam and his “familiar spirit” sought in vain to curse them. The seduction of Moab might and did ensnare them; but the direct power of Satan, apart from the world, as a means of temptation, is met by the immediate power of God. And so it ever is. Never did any evil overtake them but the cause was found in their own yielding to the world outside them. No enchantment or divination of Satan ever prevailed save when they broke through the barrier God had made, and served other gods. How soon they joined themselves to Baal-Peor, and then became enchanted with the daughters of Moab; how oft repeated up to the captivity! But the defeat of Satan in all his attempts (now seemingly successful) will be gloriously complete when Israel established in righteousness in the land will shout in praise, “What hath God wrought?” And the nations in amazement shall with responsive shouts acknowledge the power of God.
The first part however looks chiefly at their defensive strength, and how God would have preserved them: a care so graciously seen in the wilderness (Deut. 11:1-71Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway. 2And know ye this day: for I speak not with your children which have not known, and which have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, and his stretched out arm, 3And his miracles, and his acts, which he did in the midst of Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the Lord hath destroyed them unto this day; 5And what he did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came into this place; 6And what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben: how the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the substance that was in their possession, in the midst of all Israel: 7But your eyes have seen all the great acts of the Lord which he did. (Deuteronomy 11:1‑7)). The second part is their aggressive power; it is in view of conflict and of ultimate victory. “He hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.” The King in their midst is their strength. We have had their numbers, “Who can count the dust of Jacob?” Now it is their might, “Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift himself up as a young lion; he shall not lie down till he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slain.” The metaphor is bold and striking; the majesty of might in the rising up of a great lion, the vigorous bound of a young lion. So sang Isaiah, “They shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together; they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.” Israel's triumph is complete, as the lion will not lie down till he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slain. So again, with different but not less forcible imagery— “Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth; thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou shalt fan them and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them, and thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 11:1414But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. (Isaiah 11:14), and 41:15-16). Thus will God be avenged upon the enemies of Israel, and by their hand.