Numbers 24:10-25

H. FINAL BLESSING, AND PROPHECY vv. 10-25
TEXT

Numbers 24:10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honor. 12. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 13. If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak? 14. And now, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

15. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 16. He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the Most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 17. I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
20. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. 21. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. 22. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 23. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! 24. And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever. 25. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 24:10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them fully these three times. 11. Therefore, flee to your place; I said, -I will certainly honor you, but the Lord has held you back from honor.-' 12. And Balaam said to Balak, Did I not speak to your messengers, whom you sent to me, 13. -If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad by my own will; what the Lord speaks, that will I speak?-' 14. And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.

15. And he began his speech, saying, The oracle of Balaam the son of Peor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened. 16. the oracle of him who hears the word of God, and knows the wisdom of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes uncovered. 17. I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the corners of Moab, and break down the children of Sheth. 18. And Edom shall be dispossessed, Seir also, his enemies, shall be captured; and Israel shall act bravely. 19. Out of Jacob shall come a ruler, and he shall destroy him that remains in the city. 20. And when he looked upon Amalek, he continued his message, Amalek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction. 21. And he looked at the Kenites and continued his speech, Your dwelling place is strong, and your nest is set in a rock; 22. nevertheless, the Kenite shall be wasted. Where shall Asshur carry you away? 23. And he continued his message, saying, Alas, who shall live when God does this? 24. But ships shall come from Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur and Eber, and he also shall come to destruction. 25. Then Balaam arose and went back to his place; and Balak also went his way.

COMMENTARY

Infuriated, Balak now claps his hands together as a token of his rage (see Job 27:23), an action which might also express horror or contempt (see Lamentations 2:15). Once more his attempt to gain a favorable prophecy from Balaam has brought forth exactly the opposite: the anticipated cursing has issued forth as a blessing upon the sojourners visible before them in the valley of the Abarim. Perhaps in desperation the king now blames Jehovah for preventing Balaam's elevation. Strong irony marks the statement, and it is not wasted on the prophet. But what honor could the king offer comparable to the good will of the One in whom he spoke?

It was necessary for Balaam to refer again to his original preface: he could speak nothing excepting those matters God told him to say. For whatever motives he may have acted previously, Balaam had at least been consistent in affirming the point. A fact which Balak could not have recognized at the time is that Balaam's refusal to pronounce a malediction upon Israel was a great favor to the king. Had he done so, the circumstances would not have changed, but Balak, believing Balaam's curse to be effective, would have plunged into a most foolish confrontation with God's people. However unfavorable the prophet's words were at the moment, they were exactly what the king needed to hear, and God's will was strongly pronounced in Moab.
Now Balaam speaks most forcefully by the Spirit of the Lord. He launches into a magnificent unconditional prophecy which looks well into the future and establishes Israel's unquestioned superiority over the familiar nations of the day. The entire text of this prophecy is futuristic, exalting God's people and foretelling the downfall of their enemies. It is an altogether glorious wordfor Israel: and, it is as accurate as it is glorious. As a preface to the actual message, he relates the manner in which the revelation has come: his eye is opened; also, he hears the words of God. sees the vision of the Almighty. and has his eyes uncovered. All these expressions suggest modes with which the Bible student is familiar. The process of divine inspiration heightens the vision of the prophet to enable him to see what the ordinary senses cannot detect, and his ears are attuned to a wave-length denied ordinary hearing. By no means could Balaam have guessed at the facts he spoke: they are far too complex, and extend well into the distant future. God used him as the vehicle through whom His design would be traced in the unfolding future.

Signifying that the message in bulk is to be understood as futuristic is the repeated thought that the events are seen, but not now, and beheld, but not nigh. Two symbols are used to express the kingdom of which Balaam speaks: the star and the scepter. The star signified more than royalty alone in later Hebrew thought: it came to have a Messianic connotation, and fits beautifully with the sign given the Eastern magi at Christ's birth (Matthew 2:2-10). The scepter is an even more obvious symbol. In the oracle it is assigned to Israel, thus forecasting a kingdom which would not exist for approximately four hundred years.

The first named victim of the coming star and scepter is Moab, also called the children of Sheth. Moab is to be caught in an assault from both sides, or corners. The thought may mean the land is to be struck at both temples of the head, like a man suffering a fatal wound. It is a blow from which there can be no recovery. In the parallel thought, the children of Sheth may mean the children of pride, an identification not unfamiliar in reference to Moab (see Isaiah 16:6).

The second sentence is pronounced against Edom, symbolized by Seir, a name referring both to the country itself and to the extensive mountain plateau forming the eastern side of the central valley of the land. The Edomites will be dispossessed. Although God ordered Israel to take no action against Edom when they were denied passage through the land (Numbers 20:21), and to leave them alone in their territory (Deuteronomy 2:4-5), the future would see this relationship bitterly strained. Ultimately, David would take the land (2 Samuel 8:14), but the conquest was only temporary. Trouble flared between the nations on numerous occasions until at last, about 129 B.C., the Edomites were decisively defeated by John Hyrcanus. They were compelled to undergo circumcision, were brought into league with the Judeans, and, by a series of political intrigues ruled the land through the Herodian family. At this apparent zenith in their history, the Edomites, now known as the Idumeans, drop completely from the pages of the record at the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. As a companion to Moses-' words, we must consider the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 34:5-6 and Isaiah 63:1)Edom was the only neighboring nation to whom God promised no mercy whatsoever.

The second section of the prophecy is related to the Amalekites. When Amalek is called the first of the nations, the thought certainly cannot refer to political stature, since the Amalekites never were a prominent people. The commonly proposed theory that Amalek is first because the tribe moved against the Israelites shortly after they left Egypt (Exodus 17:8, ff.), cannot be acceptable; it is a strained thought. Much more satisfactory is the hypothesis that the Amalikites were extremely boastful, and that this reputation was a Bedouin trait (see PC p. 317). Of Amalek, the testimony is damning. He will perish forever. Made successively subservient by Saul and David, they were finally exterminated in the day of Hezekiah (see 1 Chronicles 4:43).

The third people who receive attention in Balaam's prophecy, the Kenites, another of the tribes inhabiting the land of Canaan from the time of Abraham (Genesis 15:19). They originally held a portion of the Negeb, although some of their number settled far to the north (see Judges 4:17; Judges 5:24). They are not to be confused with the descendants of Hobab, who were friendly to Israel. These people, of the lineage of Cain, were connected with the Amalekites; and, we may infer their hostility toward Israel. Their fate is dire: they will be deported to Assyria. Taken from their apparently inaccessible nest in a rock, they will be destroyed.

In a final summation Balaam strongly affirms the prevailing will of God on earth over the strongest nations, even such rampaging people as the Assyrians. They, like the smaller nations whose fates have already been foretold, must fall to the ships from Chittim, or Cyprus, which seems only to be an intermediate port on the route of the conquerors, not their origin. It is hypothesized that the prophecy refers to the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, in which case Asshur becomes a symbol of that conquered people.
Eber, also subjected to affliction in the prophecy, cannot refer to the Hebrews, as the LXX has suggested. Almost certainly IB is correct in the position that the word itself, which means the region beyond, is another symbolic reference to the country beyond the Euphrates. It may then be a redundant reference to Assyria, which seems unlikely because of the manner in which two names are coordinated; or, it may be used of another country in a similar location, such as Babylon. Having said this, Balaam then quickly states that the conquering nation will itself come to destruction, perishing forever. It is the closing note in the oracle. As he finished, Balaam left the scene of his utterance, as did Balak.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

450.

What was the visible symbol of Balak's anger against Balaam, and what other sentiments might it have expressed?

451.

Show the final tactic used by Balak as he attempts to influence the prophecy.

452.

In what sense was Balaam doing a favor to the king when he refused to curse Israel?

453.

Since Balak is only concerned about his own circumstances and his own day, why would these numerous futuristic prophecies interest him?

454.

Describe the methods named by Balaam to explain by what contacts God made His revelations to the prophet.

455.

Why would it have been impossible for Balaam to have guessed at the facts contained in his prophecies?

456.

Identify the two symbols of Balaam by which he refers to the coming Messianic kingdom.

457.

Name the countries and people included in Balaam's words and relate what is said of each of them. What historical details are available to us to confirm the words of these prophecies.

458.

What primary lessons should Balak have learned from all of these messages? Did he take advantage of these insights?