Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.5MB)
This week’s parasha is entitled Balak. The passage is named for the king of the Midianites, Balak, and the name Balak translates as, “Destroyer,” which is a fitting name for a king who wants to destroy Israel. Our passage today covers Numbers, Chapter 22:2 through Numbers, Chapter 25:9.
The passage begins with the Moabites and Midianites forming an alliance against Israel. Israel had just destroyed Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites and their people. The Moabites were afraid that they were next. They chose Balak as their king. Instead of forming an army to fight against Israel, Balak has another plan. He sends for Balaam, a renowned magician, to put a curse on the Israelis. Although Balaam rejects going with the first delegation that Balak sends to get him, he is a man for whom money, power and position mean a great deal, and he ends up going with a higher level delegation that Balak sends next. God intervenes and comes to Balaam at night and tells him to go with that delegation, but only if they tell him to go, and also that Balaam should only say the words that God puts in his mouth. The next morning, Balaam saddles his donkey and goes off to curse the Jewish people. It seems that the haste and willigness that Balaam has to curse the Israelis makes God angry and the Angel of the Lord comes and stands in Balaam’s way as he is on his journey. Balaam’s donkey can see the Angel of the Lord, but Balaam cannot. The donkey refuses to try and pass the Angel of the Lord. Balaam is quite angry at his donkey’s unwillingness and hits his donkey three times. Finally, Balaam’s eyes are opened as well and he sees the Angel of the Lord as well. The Lord tells Balaam to go ahead to Balak, but only speak the word that God puts in his mouth.
Chapters 23 and 24 are Balaam’s prophecies. Three times, Balak takes Balaam to different places where he can see the encamped Israelis. Each time Balak asks him to curse the Israelis. And, each time Balaam ends up either pronouncing a blessing upon the Jewish people, or predicts the destruction of Israel’s enemies. Balaam even pronounces a Messianic prophecy in Chapter 24, verse17: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob And a scepter shall rise from Israel. Maimonides, the great Jewish scholar who lived in the 12 century commented on this verse in the following manner: In the story of Balaam is it spoken of, and there it is prophesied on the two “anointed ones”; the first Mashiach, which is David, who saved Israel from its enemies; and the last Mashiach, who shall be of his descendants, who will save Israel in the end. There (referring to Numbers 24:17) he says: I see him but not now: — this is David; “I behold him, but he is not near” – this is the King Mashiach; “There shall shoot forth a star out of Jacob” – this is David; “And a scepter shall rise out of Israel” – this is the King Mashiach.
At the end of Chapter 24, it simply says that after these prophecies Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place.
Chapter 25 seems to contain an event unrelated to Balaam where the daughters of Moab cause the men of Israel to sin by having sexual relations with them and worshipping Moabite gods. God commands Moses to execute the leaders of those who are sinning. In the meantime, a plague was coming upon the Jewish people. At that time righteous Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest sees Zimri, a Jew, going to sleep with a Midiante woman and kills both of them with a spear. The plague is stopped, but not before 24,000 people die.
That is the overview of the Torah portion, but let’s get back to Balaam. From this commentary, you might think that Balaam is one of those individuals who turned toward, and really found the Lord. However, Balaam is considered one of the worst enemies of Israel. He is considered to be in the same class as Haman. His heart was not in the right manner towards God or Israel. And even though it looked like he left and went home at the end of Chapter 24, it was actually Balaam who gave Balak the idea to have the Moabite women seduce the Israelis, causing them to sin and because of that, the plague killed 24,000 people. Although his mouth pronouced blessings on the Israelis, his heart really wanted to curse them. And this was all from a man who actually knew that God existed because God spoke with him. This type of person is one of the most dangerous.
Listen to a couple of representative passages that flesh out Balaam’s character in more detail:
Deut. 23:3-5: No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assmebly of the Lord, because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
Revelation 2:14 (the Message to Pergamum): But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.
In conclusion:
First, it is important to have the right heart when dealing with God’s word. We want to represent it accurately. We don’t want to speak God’s word with our mouth, but in our hearts be thinking deceptive or mis-leading thoughts. Beware those who seem to represent the Word of God, but are actually wolves, eager to pray upon, and lead, believers away from God’s path. There and more and more of these people around us today.
Secondly, we need to be careful of people who may utter the right words, but their actions are continually in conflict with their words. I have had experiences, and I am sure that you have too, with people who say they will do something, and then do not end up following through, and I am not talking about the occasional problem but a pattern of inconsistency between word and deed.. One of the key elements to integrity is to do what you say you will do. People of integrity follow through on their word.
Finally, we can again see the results of the amazingness of God’s Word. The Book of Numbers, along with the rest of the Torah, was given to Moses, by God, 1,500 years before the birth of the Messiah, and also before the birth of King David. Yet, in our passage, today, we see a prophecy of what these amazing individuals would accomplish. And they did accomplish what was prophesized, at the time specified by Adonai. God’s Word is Accurate and True.