SEEING CLEARLY
Opening Prayer
Lord, as I study your Word today, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18).
Read NUMBERS 24
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him 3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[a]
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
“Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?
“May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!”
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls[b] of[c] all the people of Sheth.[d]
18 Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Fifth Message
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”
Balaam’s Sixth Message
21 Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:
“Your dwelling place is secure,
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur takes you captive.”
Balaam’s Seventh Message
23 Then he spoke his message:
“Alas! Who can live when God does this?[e]
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
but they too will come to ruin.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16
- Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
- Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
- Numbers 24:23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew The people from the islands will gather from the north.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have there been desperate times in your life when you tried to persuade God to give you what you wanted rather than seek him for his will and blessing?With his third attempt to make Balaam curse Israel, Balak gets more than he bargained for. Balaam moves beyond his normal psychic and occult practices, and he receives direct inspiration from the Spirit of God (vs 1,2). Speaking as ‘one whose eye sees clearly,’ he explicitly affirms the Abrahamic blessing (v 9, see Genesis 12:3).
In this oracle, Balaam looks ahead in the life of the nation of Israel. He sees them established in their promised land, led by great kings, with surrounding tribes subdued. Many of these prophecies were fulfilled under the early kings of Israel and Judah. For example, Agag (see v 7) was defeated by Saul, the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 15:8). However, under kings Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel subdued the surrounding nations only temporarily.
It is not surprising, therefore, that both Jewish and Christian commentators have seen something more in these final prophecies of Balaam. As in much of the Old Testament, the vision of a future king points to a Messiah. For example, the image of a future ruler as a star (v 17) is used of Jesus in Revelation 22:16. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Apply
Even Balaam realizes that clear vision begins with submission to the Almighty (v 4). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. What does this mean for you right now?
Closing prayer
Heavenly Father, open my eyes and my heart to your will; sanctify me through your Word.
Book and Author Intros
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