Balaam’s Seventh Oracle
24: 23-25
Balaam’s seventh oracle DIG: How do Balaam’s seven oracles relate to each other? What unifying theme do you see? How is this last oracle different from the other six? What do these verses teach you about ADONAI? About deliverance?
REFLECT: Life is full of ups and downs. When bad, or even tragic, things happen to you or the ones you love, do you blame God or Satan? Would you trade your free will to make sure everything goes smoothly in your life. Why or why not?
Balaam saw a troubled time ahead when empires would rise and fall,
each traipsing through the Land as if it was a highway from Egypt to Mesopotamia.
The remaining three oracles seem to spring almost involuntarily from the fourth oracle (to see link click Dw – Balaam’s Fourth Oracle). They overlap the promise of victory of Isra’el over all her enemies; hence these are “curse oracles.” It may be that these were similar to the types of oracles that Balaam intended to hurl against Isra’el. Instead, these harsh words lash out against the foes of the people of ADONAI. Here lies the final irony: Balak and Balaam had plotted to bring Isra’el under a curse, but their conspiracies only assured their own doom.
Concerning the Kenites’ demise (see Dy – Balaam’s Sixth Oracle), Balaam saw the rise of the Assyrian Empire. As he looked ahead he saw a troubled time when empires would rise and fall, each traipsing through the Promised Land as if it was a highway from Egypt to Mesopotamia. In fact, the strategic significance of the Promised Land is that it forms a natural bridge between the population centers of Mesopotamia and Egypt. In the Messianic Kingdom, it will serve the same purpose, a part of the pilgrimage of all nations to worship the God of Isra’el (see the commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el).
Finally, Balaam spoke this oracle: “Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it (24:23)? The introductory words set a grim stage for the words to follow and lead one to a sense of utter dependence on ADONAI. This is the lesson that is taught throughout the oracles. None is able to live, except by the will of the LORD. Ah! For a brief moment, Balaam seemed to have a moment of spiritual clarity and grasped the ultimate futility of his vocation as a sorcerer.549
Balaam looked into the near historical future and spoke of the ships will come from the island of Crete; they will afflict (Hebrew: anah, meaning to be bowed down) Assyria and all the children of Eber (Genesis 10:21), in other words, the Hebrews. Assyria refers to the Eastern Shemites, and Eber to the Western Shemites. It was, in fact, Rome that finally drove Isra’el from her Land until May 14, 1948. The oracle of Rome afflicting the Hebrews was the first and only utterance against Isra’el that Balaam managed to deliver. But they, too, will come to destruction” (24:24). These words cannot relate to Assyria or Eber, for their fate is already announced in the word afflict, but only to Rome who was to come over the sea, and to which the others were to succumb.550
The cruelty of the Assyrian Empire alone would have been sufficient. But the Assyrians were just the first in a line of World Empires. We do not know much of the unfolding view of history that Balaam was allowed to see, but it is very interesting that he mentions the ships of Crete. In the prophecies of the book of Dani’el, written some eight centuries later, the term “ships of Crete” is used to refer to the Roman fleet that stopped the advance of Antiochus Epiphanes into Egypt (Dani’el 11:30). Balaam said that ships will come from the coast of Crete; they will afflict Assyria. The Assyrian Empire was long dead and gone by the time Rome rose to power, but the inheritors of the Assyrian Empire were the Babylonians (see the commentary on Revelation Ao – The First Beast of Dani’el: A Lion with a Head of Gold); and the inheritors of the Babylonian Empire were the Medo-Persians (see Revelation Ap – The Second Beast of Dani’el: A Bear with a Chest and Arms of Silver); and the inheritors of the Persian Empire were the Greeks (see Revelation Aq – The Third Beast of Dani’el: A Leopard with Thighs of Bronze). And as the Greek world divided into quarters and crumbled, the ships of the Romans were quick to pick up the pieces (see Revelation As – The Fourth Beast: The Roman Empire Stage). It was as if Balaam, under the influence of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, saw the four empires of Dani’el’s vision in rapid succession (see the commentary on Dani’el Ar – Dani’el Interprets the King’s Dream).551
Then, with the promises of a future Deliverer ringing in their ears, the two collaborators departed. Balaam got up, left and returned home and king Balak went his way also (Numbers 22:5). This shouldn’t be interpreted to mean that Balaam returned home immediately to Pethor, since he was among those killed when Isra’el slaughtered the Midianites (see Fq – Report of the Battle). “Home” probably means the place where Balaam was staying while visiting Balak, and planning his next diabolical scheme to advise the king of Midian in his war against Isra’el (see Ea – Taking a Stand for God).552
The B’rit Chadashah does not cite the oracles of Balaam explicitly, but there are allusions to it in Luke 1:78; Second Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14, 22:16, and of course Messiah’s birth was announced by the Star, or the Sh’khinah glory (see Dw – Balaam’s Fourth Oracle). If the primary fulfillment of Balaam’s near historical fulfillment was in the rise of David and the defeat of his foes, the far eschatological fulfillment must surely be seen in Yeshua, the son of David, who has conquered sin and death, and now reigns until He has put all His enemies under His feet (First Corinthians 15:25).553
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your Almighty power and Your wonderful love! Rulers and Kingdoms come and go but You will reign over an eternal Kingdom. “I was watching in the night visions. Behold, One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days, and was brought into His presence. Dominion, glory and sovereignty were given to Him that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed (Dani’el 7:13-14).
What a joy and comfort it is to know that when there are problems, trials and the world seems to be spinning out of control, You, Father God, are still the Almighty, All-powerful, Sovereign Ruler. Your children do not need to fear, for though for a short time there will be persecutions on earth, Messiah Yeshua is preparing an eternal home in heaven for His children. Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. In My Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may also be (John 14:1-3).
Wow! An eternal home where there is no crying, no sadness, no pain. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city – the New Jerusalem – coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I also heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is among men, and He shall tabernacle among them. They shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them and be their God. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor shall there be mourning or crying or pain any longer, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:1-4).
Heaven’s future glory will be fantastic! For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). No matter what is happening in the world, I can be filled with Your peace when I focus on Your Awesome love and the eternal home in heaven that You have for me. Thank you for being such a wonderful, wise and Almighty Heavenly Father! In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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