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This week’s parasha is entitled Balak and covers Numbers 22:2-25:9. It tells the story of the Moabite king who hired a wicked prophet, to attempt to bring a curse on the Nation of Israel.
After Israel defeated Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings, the Moabites joined forces with their longtime enemies the Midianites to display a united front against Israel. Balak, The Moabite king decided to fight Israel using spiritual means as opposed to conventional warfare. King Balak sought out a man named Balaam. He was known for effective curses and blessings, and King Balak likely sought him out because he mistakenly thought this prophet could manipulate Adonai to turn against Israel. There is a Jewish tradition that Balaam’s father, Beor, was descended from Laban, the brother of Rebekah, and if that is so, he would have been a distant relative of the Jewish people.
Balaam speaks to Adonai who initially rejects Balaam’s request to curse Israel. Balak really wanted Balaam to curse the Israelis and sent multiple delegations, with large sums of money to persuade him. Eventually God allows Balaam to go, with the condition that he can only do specifically what Adonai tells him.
But, Balaam’s willingness to curse Adonai’s people for profit made Adonai angry, and in response Adonai sent a powerful angel with a drawn sword to block the way.
The donkey that Balaam is riding sees the angel, and refuses to proceed, trying to protect its master, but Balaam thinks his donkey is just being disobedient and strikes it. This happens three times. The third time his foot is crushed against a wall by his donkey, and the angry prophet and the donkey have a conversation. At that moment, God opens Balaam’s eyes, allowing him to see the angel.
Eventually Balaam reaches Balek, but instead of cursing Israel, God puts four blessings in his mouth, including the prediction that Israel would become a countless multitude and a mighty nation. Balek repeats his demand for Balaam to curse Israel, but Adonai tells Balaam to say to Balak that God will neither lie nor change. These people whom God brought out of the land of Egypt are to be blessed and not cursed.
The Parasha ends with Balak resorting to a sort of Plan B, by sending Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel. They began to sin with the daughters of Moab and bow to the Moabite gods. Adonai became angry and told Moses, to take those leaders of the people who committed sin with the Moabites and execute them in broad daylight, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel. And it was done. Twenty-four thousand people lost their lives that day.
Why did God at first forbid, but later allow Balaam to go to Balak? Did Adonai change his mind? And why would God be angry with Balaam for going with the men after he just seemingly gave him permission to go with them? Or a further question, why would Adonai change his mind in the first place? I submit that an explanation could be that God’s permission in verse 20 was only that – permission, and not His will. There is a difference between what Adonai allows and what He wills.
Adonai has an eternal, foreordained plan and purpose – which cannot be changed or thwarted. In this situation, Adonai clearly stated his will that the people of Israel were to be blessed. If Balaam insisted on going with those men, and chasing after the gold they offered, he was free to make that choice. But it would come with consequences, and in the end, Adonai’s Will would be perfectly accomplished.
Balaam’s foot being crushed by the donkey avoiding the Angel of the Lord is an example of the consequences he suffered from his decision.
For the people who chose to sin with the Moabite women, the consequence was death. But Adonai’s plan of leading the people of Israel to the Promised Land was not hindered because of their choices.
You and I can experience His goodness today because Adonai’s good plan and purpose were not thwarted by Balaam or Balak or any other person or nation.
Yeshua exercised His will. He chose to come to this earth and live a sinless life, because He understood that we were incapable of it. He chose to dwell among us and identify with us. He then willingly chose to suffer and die in our place for the sins that we have knowingly and unknowingly committed, thus fulfilling the Father’s ultimate plan of reconciling sinful humans to Himself.
It is comforting to know that even though we mess up, even though we don’t always make the right choices and even though we sin and fall short on many occasions, Adonai still loves us and is causing everything to work together in our lives for our good, and for His glory. But, this knowledge should also motivate us to try and make good godly decisions and to live a life that honors Yeshua.
I pray that Adonai will give all of you understanding of His will for your life, that He may empower you with wisdom and understanding, that the Holy Spirit will cause you to live a life that honors Yeshua and the choice He made to die on the cross. I pray that you will be strengthened, filled with endurance, patience and joy. And finally, I pray that we will all have a spirit of thankfulness to Yeshua, who has purchased our freedom, forgiven our sins, and enabled us to share in His kingdom.