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This week our parasha is “Balak,” named after the wicked King of Moab and covers Numbers 22:2 – 25:9. In this parasha we learn that no one can stop the will of God and that the Lord can sometimes use the most unlikely and unwilling of people to accomplish His will.
Numbers 22 begins with Balak concerned with how the Lord had given us victory over his neighbors the Amorites. Instead of waging war, Balak decided to send for the prophet-for-hire known as Balaam. Balaam was a prophet known for his willingness to curse or bless anyone if the price was right. Balak trusted in Balaam’s powers to give Balak victory over our people. Balaam is an interesting figure in biblical history. An inscription found in a cave at Deir ‘Alla, Jordan, dates back to around 800 B.C. and records a tale about the power of Balaam and his ability to curse peoples and his worship of pagan gods. Balaam is clearly a man who is known for his power and knowledge.
Balak sent a grand procession to Balaam with payment for his services. Balaam responded to Balak’s servants that he must first consult with the Lord before he decided to go with them. The Lord told Balaam not to go with the messengers because our people were blessed. Balaam then told the messengers that he would not be able to go with them. However, Balak, knowing how a man like Balaam thought, sent his messengers back again with offers of more honor and money. Balaam decided to ask the Lord again for permission to go with them and curse our people hoping the Lord would change His mind. The Lord told Balaam he could go; however, Adonai commanded that Balaam only speak what He told him to speak.
Balaam set out on his donkey, but the Lord’s anger was against Balaam because of his willingness to curse those the Lord had blessed for money and power. The Lord sent an angel to block Balaam’s way three times, and each time the donkey refused to allow Balaam’s and the angel’s paths to cross. Each time Balaam beat the donkey for her trouble. The third time, however, the donkey could not avoid the angel that Balaam could not see. So she laid down and was beaten again by Balaam. It was at this point the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. The donkey told Balaam she was faithful and did not deserve to be beaten. Balaam began to argue with the donkey, and his anger was so great that he did not pause because his donkey was speaking. He wished he had a sword to kill his faithful animal completely unaware that there was a sword nearby in the hands of an angel ready to kill him.
The Lord then allowed Balaam to see the angel, and his mood quickly changed. He immediately threw himself on the ground, and the angel told Balaam his donkey had saved his life. He then told Balaam he could now continue on to Balak but warned him severely to only utter what the Lord told him to speak. This section of the story is deliberately meant to be humorous. The creature possessing the deepest spiritual insight on this journey is the simple donkey Balaam was riding. For all his supposed power and knowledge and communication with the Lord, Balaam was blinder then the beast on which he rode.
Eventually Balaam arrived to where Balak was, and they set up the ceremony to curse our people. Three times at three different high places Balaam tried to curse our people; but instead of Balaam giving a curse, God caused him to bless our people in a greater and greater way! Balaam repeatedly tells a very angry Balak that he can only say what the Lord permits him to speak. With the first two attempts, Balaam tried to use his pagan craft to find omens for his cursing; but the Lord, instead, caused him to speak blessings. The third time Balaam abandoned his omen-seeking behavior; and the spirit of God came upon him to deliver his third and most powerful blessing, which was a prophecy about King David and King Yeshua the Messiah!
After every attempt Balak was furious that his plans had been reversed and after the third attempt sent Balaam back home with his plan of cursing completely reversed by the Lord into one of blessing. Balaam also prophesized Moab’s coming destruction! Also, parts of the blessings that the Lord caused Balaam to give were actually incorporated into the prayers during morning services. The Lord had turned the entire situation around.
But in contrast to the blessings of Balaam about how great, blessed, and mighty our people are, Numbers 25 records a shameful chapter in our history. Camped near the Moabite people, many of the men of Israel decided to have relations with the young Moabite women. Besides promiscuous behavior with these enemies, our people began to worship their gods. This idolatry caused a plague to come upon the people. To stop the Lord’s anger against our people, Moses was commanded to kill all those who had sexual relations with these women and had become idolaters.
While Moses and the leaders were at the tent of meeting, a leader was observed brazenly taking one of the Midianite women into his tent to have relations with her. With righteous anger Pinchas, the grandson of Aaron, took his spear and killed both of them in their tent causing the plague to stop. The parasha ends with 24,000 recorded as dead from the plague.
Parasha Balak shows the unmovable, sovereign power of Adonai. While Balaam and Balak schemed to curse our people, the Lord clearly shows that nothing can be done outside of His perfect will. Balaam learned that the God of Israel is not like the other so-called gods of the world and that He will not change His mind because of a few sacrifices and the desires of one man.
Much of Parasha Balak is focused on the nature and actions of Balaam. Some revisionists argue that Balaam does not deserve to be remembered as a wicked man. Throughout the parasha Balaam always seems to say the right thing; he identifies Adonai as his God and repeatedly tells everyone that he can only say what the Lord allows him to say. When he finally comprehends the angel of the Lord barring his way, he offers to turn around. He hears from God and even gives a prophecy about King David and Messiah Yeshua!
If you judge Balaam by what he says, it is easy to come to this conclusion; but he was only loyal to one person — himself. While professing to be a follower of Adonai, he also associated with pagan gods and practices. Balaam’s desire for wealth was great enough that he was willing to curse others for his own gain including people blessed by God. His actions are clearly those of a man who walks down a path of his own creation, a path marked by selfish ambition at the expense of everyone else. The final, explicit proof we have of Balaam’s real nature is found later in Numbers where we learn that the sinful behavior described at the end of this parasha was a plan Balaam gave Balak. Despite seeing and experiencing the reality of Adonai at work, Balaam did not leave Balak without earning his fee. Using his knowledge of Adonai, Balaam created a trap for our people where we would bring a curse down upon ourselves.
It is for these reasons Balaam is remembered throughout Scriptures as one of the most wicked individuals who has ever lived. A man believed to have great power and knowledge was humbled by his own donkey. In the New Testament, Peter, Jude, and Yeshua Himself mention those who act the way Balaam acted. Those who walk in the way of Balaam say the right things and at first glance seem to follow the Lord. But their actions tell another story; they are willing to harm God’s people for selfish gain. They are willing to slander and twist the things of God to suit a standard of their own creation.
There are really only two ways to live your life in this world: loyal to Adonai, or loyal to someone or something else. The way of the Lord has been made known through His Word and His Son; it is a narrow way that ultimately leads to eternal life. Any other way, no matter how right it may seem at first glance, is one that leads to death, which was the ultimate fate for both Balaam and Balak. Each of us, with the Lord’s help, needs to examine our lives and see which way we follow. May the Lord continue to protect His people even when we are not aware, and may each one of us experience the peace and joy that comes from walking in the ways of God