Numbers 22 – Study
For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Passage: Numbers 22:1-20
1 Then the Israelites travelled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan opposite Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, ‘This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.’
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River Euphrates, in his native land. Balak said:
‘A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.’
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 ‘Spend the night here,’ Balaam said to them, ‘and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.’ So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, ‘Who are these men with you?’
10 Balaam said to God, ‘Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 “A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.”’
12 But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.’
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, ‘Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.’
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, ‘Balaam refused to come with us.’
15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
‘This is what Balak son of Zippor says: do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’
18 But Balaam answered them, ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.’
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, ‘Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.’
A. Find out:
- Where had Israel come to? v1
- Who saw them and how did they respond? v.2-4
- What message did Balak send to Balaam? v.5-7
- What happened? v.8-12
- What followed this? v.13-17
- How did Balaam respond and what did the Lord say? v.18-20
B. Think:
- Why did Moab send to Balaam?
- Why was their request not possible?
- How, so far, does Balaam seem to respond well?
C. Comment:
First the bare facts: Israel have arrived at Moab and Moab are scared so they plan to get a seer to curse Israel . Balaam is known to be a seer and so they send for him. Balaam consults the Lord who tells him that Israel are blessed and cannot be cursed. Balaam sends back the messengers and so more are sent with the promise of riches. Balaam knows the answer now but stalls and consults the Lord again. This time the Lord says go with them but say nothing beyond what he is told. Perhaps the Lord wants to capitalise on the opportunity to speak to this foreign people – but it’s also a testing time for Balaam.
Second, we need to understand the matter of curses and blessings for this is a good place to learn. A blessing is simply a divine decree of good. A curse is a divine decree of bad. Note, it is a divine decree, not something men can conjure up. Blessings come with obedience and curses with disobedience (see Deut 28). Balaam could utter a curse but it would have no effect and he knows that he would be going against God’s will, for God has only decreed good for Israel , not bad. In all this Balaam is clearly seen as someone who hears the Lord and in this respect he is someone to be consulted, but Balak has to realise that you cannot manipulate God, you can’t get God to conform to your will. Prophetic words declare God’s will, not man’s desires.
D. Application:
- When God ‘blesses’ He is decreeing good for a person or people.
- Christians are ‘blessed’ people.
Passage: Numbers 22:21-41
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?’
29 Balaam answered the donkey, ‘You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you here and now.’
30 The donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?’
‘No,’ he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell face down.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, ‘Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.’
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned. I did not realise you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.’
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.’ So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, ‘Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?’
38 ‘Well, I have come to you now,’ Balaam replied. ‘But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.’
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.
A. Find out:
- How did the Lord feel when Balaam went? v.21,22a
- What did the donkey see that Balaam didn’t see? v.22b-27
- What miracle then occurred? v.28-30
- What did the angel say to Balaam? v.31-33
- What was Balaam’s response and what was he told to do? v.34,35
- What did Balaam tell Balak? v. 36-38
- What then happened? v.39-41
B. Think:
- What had God said in v.20?
- Why do you think He was then angry?
- Observe all the supernatural events of these verses.
C. Comment:
We need to grow up in our understanding. Why, some might say, does God give Balaam the go ahead to go and then get angry when he does go? As we read of Moses’ encounters with the Lord we saw that the Lord would say things to test him (e.g. 14:12). This was similar to the way the Lord tested Abraham (Gen 22:2). The Lord says something that is NOT his desire to see how we will respond. Thus He sees that Balaam’s heart is tempted by the offer of wealth and so He says go. When Balaam does go, the Lord is angry and sends an angel to be an obstacle. We then have this strange incident of the donkey seeing the angel but Balaam can’t? Why?
Perhaps it is to give Balaam a sharp lesson and bring him down to earth. If he thinks he is the great seer being summoned to help a king he could lose perspective. Here he’s shown two important lessons. First, it’s God who brings revelation and He can bring it to a mere donkey if He wishes. That brings the glory of the prophetic down to earth! Second God can put words into the moth of an animal if He wants. He could make Balaam a mere puppet if He wanted to. Have you got the message Balaam? You are merely the messenger boy so don’t go getting any ideas above your calling! Any prophets listening?
D. Application:
- Prophetic words come from God, not man!
- Prophets are messenger boys, servants!