NUMBERS

Numbers Chapter 23

• Numbers 23:1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 

Perhaps Balaam was hoping that God would eventually grant their request and turn against Israel by making an altar and sacrifices. The sacrificial system was in place even in idolatrous religions as well as the true religion at this point in time because it was still years before the new covenant and the perfect sacrifice of Jesus our Christ. This offering would have been familiar to pagans as well as Israel.

Altars were built from the days of Cain and Abel. Abel knew that innocent blood of animals were kind of a picture of the innocent dying for the guilty sin of mankind. Abel's sacrifice was one of faith according to Hebrews 11. So down through the centuries the false religions as well as those that served the true God of Israel would have had animal sacrifices. Balaam seems to be familiar with the law of sacrifices. 

• Numbers 23:2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 
• 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 

He still could not curse Israel without God's permission. Perhaps he was hoping God would change his mind at this point but more likely was he was trying to appease Balak here and prove to him that Israel could not be cursed. Balaam's greed may not have come until later. 

• Numbers 23:4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 
• 5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 

This shows us that God can use and speak through imperfect vessels. Yet we can bring more glory to the cause of righteousness and the word of God if our personal lives reflect what we preach to others. If not we can do more harm to the gospel than good. We might bring someone to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and he immediately rejoice and we go our separate ways. No harm done. If we win someone to the Lord though and he abides near us and he sees sin in our lives, we might entice him either to sin also and think he is okay with God or else we might offend him and he go his way and forgets his new found salvation.

• Numbers 23:6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 
• 7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 
• 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 

This shows that when God protects a group of people or an individual who believes in Him, no one can harm him or her unless God removes the hedge and allows it. 

We can see this all through scriptures. As long as Israel was obedient to God's commandments, nothing would ever hurt them and their enemies were always defeated. When they went into idolatry and disobedience, we see them taken into captivity and almost destroyed. 

• Numbers 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 
• 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! 
• 11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 
• 12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? 

It is even possible to make true prophecies and interpret tongues and still have greed in our hearts that could later defeat us as in the case of Balaam. So we have to keep our eyes on the Lord and not on man. Men (women) can fail but the Lord never fails. This is why the written word is so important. Our eyes need to be on the Lord and we take heed to the word at all times. 

Let us suppose that we are converted to Christ by the preaching of well known evangelist with a good reputation. That is great. Let us suppose, God forbid, but just suppose that after our conversion to Christ, that same evangelist began to preach false doctrine. We can't assume something he says is truth just because the evengelist said it. We can't assume any great preacher is speaking truth just because he says it. We must compare scripture with scripture and keep our eyes on the Lord no matter how good we think these men may be. In saying that though, let us not go around trying to evaluate and find fault with every single person who preaches the gospel. That is being a Pharisee. Gossip and assumptions are evil and also hurt the spreading of the gospel.

There is more about Balaam in other passages but it is clear that even though he could not curse Israel, he later devises a plan to get God to curse them. 

• Numbers 23:13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 
• 14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 

Surely Balaam is either trying to change the mind of God or trying to help Balak see that his attempts to curse Israel is pointless. 

• Numbers 23:15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 
• 16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 
• 17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? 
• 18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 
• 19 God is not a 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? 

God will not change His mind. He is not a man that He should repent or change His heart concerning Israel. He has blessed them and that cannot change unless Israel changes toward Him and allows sin to enter their hearts without repenting. 

• Numbers 23:20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 
• 21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 

Notice here that since Israel was not in iniquity at this point, God is with Israel and they cannot be cursed. Balaam must surely be taking notes of all these things. This man could have been great in the sight of God and become a great prophet of God but as we see in other scriptures and in the book of Josephus this did not happen. 

We as believers can choose to do well with our knowledge of God or choose to use it to our advantage but against the will of God. Many use part of the scriptures to teach false doctrine like the prosperity doctrine. They use just so much to deceive while ignoring other passages. The material prosperity promised to Israel in the bible will only be accomplished forever when Israel turns to Christ as a nation and Jesus Christ returns to rule and reign from Israel. Many may have temporary prosperity in the here and now but without being in the will of God, when they die, it dies with them.

We are not promised material blessings in this life but in the kingdom to come. We sometimes may have these things temporarily in some cases but not in all cases. Some are poor and some may be allowed to be rich. The approval of God can be with a poor person even more than the rich believer. What we possess in this life has nothing to do with the favor of God. He looks on the state of our heart. 

• Numbers 23:22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. 
• 23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! 
• 24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 

This shows military victory for Israel if they continue abiding in the will of God. No one can come against them if they are in God's favor. 

• Numbers 23:25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. 
• 26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? 
• 27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 
• 28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon. 
• 29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 
• 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 

Those that want to do evil will never give up until they are stopped. We must show the same determination to follow the Lord and go good to bring glory to His name. Balak never learns but keeps insisting that there must be a way to change God's mind. Perhaps he doesn't believe in God but in Balaam and is trying to change Balaam's mind. Perhaps he thinks Balaam will get tired of Balak's persistence and end up cursing Israel. Whatever the motive, notice that he doesn't give up easily. 

Before the Second Coming of Christ, the wickedness of the whole earth will increase. We hope and pray for a worldwide revival of people repenting from sin and coming to Christ. We all have a free will to choose to hear or ignore the beautiful gospel and the promise of the resurrection and eternal life.

To follow the crowd is not the way to go. While many nations in the last days will turn against Israel and any that live godly in Christ Jesus, we must be determined to stand for Israel and remember the words of the Lord "I will bless those that bless thee and curse those that curse thee." We must endure to the end and keep our faith in Jesus Christ to be saved. Many are teaching that there are other ways to God. No so. We must stand firm and believe in the original gospel. 

• Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 
• 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 
• 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

We are now living in a time when mental confusion, violence, greed and control freak politicians are running rampant. I've never seen it this bad at least in the United States. Hate is strong against Israel and true believers in Jesus.

• 2Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 
• 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

When people would rather believe lies instead of turning from sin and turning to Christ, we must be determined not to follow after them.

• 2Peter 3:17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 

There are so many warnings and "take heeds" to keep us from falling. We do not have to forsake God and go back into perdition. DC

• Hebrews 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 
• 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.