Numbers 22
THE children of Israel had now all but finished their pilgrimage. The land of God’s promise was perhaps already in sight, but the river Jordan rolled between it and them. They were in the land of Moab, and Satan makes his last attack, trying once more to keep the people out of the inheritance God had provided for them.
The king of Moab saw that no human power could stand against Israel while God was with them, and so he turned to a man who had to do with the unseen world of darkness, of evil spirits, —Balaam. These demons make themselves out to be the spirits of people now dead, —often friends and relatives of those living, and it may be, pretending to be angels, or even God Himself. In verse 8, Balaam professed to be waiting for directions from God, and God indeed came to him that night, and asked, “What men are these with thee?”
Balaam, it seems, was not surprised at a visit from God; it maybe he had often had evil spirits come to him, and did not know that this was not one of his regular visitors. He answered God that they were sent by Balak, the king of Moab, to get him to curse the people that had come from Egypt, and God said to him,
“Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people, for they are blessed.” So Balaam, the next morning told the messengers to go back without him saying, “The Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you.”
Balak, thinking the reward he had offered, had not been enough to satisfy Balaam, at once sent more and greater men with bigger promises; —anything Balaam wanted he could have if he would only come to Balak’s help, and curse the people.
Balaam then, partly from a wish to get all the pay he could for his coming, and partly held back by God’s unseen hand, answered as verses 18 and 19 tell us. But it was all a pretense; faith knows that God does not change;
“He is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent.” Chap. 23:19.
Balaam wanted to go; the honor and the reward filled his heart.
God therefore, told him he might go; he could follow his own ways, since his heart was set on it. Balaam had been told already that the people were blessed, and could not be cursed, but he proposed to curse them, if he could. So he goes, but God gives him a solemn lesson on the way. Was there not something very humiliating in God’s using the donkey to rebuke the wicked prophet? Yet how gracious of God to make this man, hurrying on to destruction, stop and think, if anything could awaken him to realize what he was doing! But Balaam cared for neither the miracle of the donkey’s speaking, nor for the angel of the Lord carrying a drawn sword, if only he could have his own way.
Nevertheless Balaam went on, even though he was warned again, and was met by Balak, the king, personally, at the boundary of his country.
ML 04/06/1924