July 19, 2019
Not for All the Silver and Gold
Numbers 24
Kevin McConaghy
Central Truth
God's Word doesn't change, even if you want it to.
Key Verse | Numbers 24:13
"'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak'?"
Numbers 24
Balaam's Third Oracle
1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
1
24:3
Or closed, or perfect; also verse 15
4
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
5
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
6
Like palm groves
2
24:6
Or valleys
that stretch afar,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes that the LORD has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7
Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall be in many waters;
his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8
God brings him out of Egypt
and is for him like the horns of the wild ox;
he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries,
and shall break their bones in pieces
and pierce them through with his arrows.
9
He crouched, he lay down like a lion
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed are those who bless you,
and cursed are those who curse you.”
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the LORD has held you back from honor.” 12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the LORD speaks, that will I speak’? 14 And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
Balaam's Final Oracle
15 And he took up his discourse and said,
“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16
the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:
17
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
a star shall come out of Jacob,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall crush the forehead
3
24:17
Hebrew corners [of the head]
of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
18
Edom shall be dispossessed;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.
Israel is doing valiantly.
19
And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors of cities!”
20 Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first among the nations,
but its end is utter destruction.”
21 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Enduring is your dwelling place,
and your nest is set in the rock.
22
Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned
when Asshur takes you away captive.”
23 And he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who shall live when God does this?
24
But ships shall come from Kittim
and shall afflict Asshur and Eber;
and he too shall come to utter destruction.”
25 Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.
Dive Deeper | Numbers 24
Thus ends the unintentional comedy of Balaam and Balak, featuring a talking donkey, two stubborn Bala-guys, and the worst contractor experience in recorded history. Seriously, I wish I could read the Yelp review that Balak would have left on Balaam's prophet-for-hire page.
Balaam's five-star reputation—"he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed" (Numbers 22:6)—could only have come from him consistently, accurately stating what God was going to do. So Balak essentially hired him to proclaim God's Word. However, Balak wanted God's Word to say a certain thing—so much so that he tried to buy the answer he wanted and went to three different places to get different messages in the hope that it would change.
God's Word doesn’t change, and He can't be bought. But there are people who try to make the Bible say things that it doesn't. They'll search for one verse they can take out of context to read a certain way, ignoring all the other passages that clarify God's intent and contradict their interpretation. Or they'll take something that is pretty clearly spelled out in the Bible and try to claim that what God really meant was something else entirely. There are plenty of pastors, authors, and teachers who are more than happy to misrepresent the Scriptures if it makes them more popular or wins them more "silver and gold."
Balaam is not the hero here; he's considered a villain for some things he did off-screen (Revelation 2:14). But he did one thing right: he refused to lie about or misrepresent God's Word. Of course, if he had changed the message, it wouldn't have changed God's mind; He would have still blessed Israel and judged Moab. Balaam would have profited in the short run, but soon word would have gotten out that his word wasn't worth much, and nobody would have ever hired him again.
Trying to change God's Word and make it say what you want won't turn out well for anyone. It can keep you from His blessings and cause some people to be surprised when judgment comes.
Discussion Questions
1. In what areas do people try to change what the Bible says?
2. Which of God's commands are you tempted to change or ignore?
3. What should Balak have done?
4. Who was Balaam talking about in Numbers 24:17?