Balak’s Dilemma
22: 2-6
Balak’s dilemma (DIG): Given the events of the previous chapter, but with no sign that Isra’el is intent on attacking him, why is Balak worried about Isra’el? How is his reaction to Isra’el’s “threat” like, or unlike, that of Sihon and Og? What does the fact that Balak sent rulers all the way to Mesopotamia say about Balak’s fear? About Balaam’s popularity?
REFLECT: What dilemma are you facing right now? Who, or what, are you relying on to resolve it? How far do you have to go to find the answer? How much will it cost? Who is relaying your message? Mo’ab feared the Israelites when they realized that the favor of God was upon them. What is the evidence that God’s favor is upon you?
Parashah 40: Balak (Destroyer) 22:2 to 25:9
(See my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)
The Key People are Balak, Balaam, the rulers of Mo’ab and Midian, the donkey, the angel, Amalekites, Kenites, Isra’el, Moabite women, and Phinehas.
The Scenes are Mo’av, Pethor, the Arnon border, Kiriath Huzoth, Bamoth Ba’al, the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, the top of Pisgah, the top of Peor, and Shittim.
The Main Events include Balak buying curses, Balaam’s donkey balking and talking, permission to speak only the words of God, three high places visited, altars built, Balaam’s blessing Isra’el, saying a prayer, and prophesying the destruction of his enemies, Israelite men having sex with Moabite women and committing spiritual adultery in the camp of Isra’el, the resulting plague sent by Ha’Shem, and Phinehas spearing a couple to stop the plague.
Balaam was not a man of God, but a sorcerer for hire.
Up until the Israelites had burst onto the scene, Balak, the king of Mo’ab (Judges 11:25), was a vassal under Sihon, king of the Amorites (to see link click Dk – The Defeat of Sihon of Heshbon). No wonder he dreaded the Israelites. The Amorites had soundly beaten the Moabites. How much more so would Isra’el decimate the land and people of Mo’ab.
Balak’s dilemma (22:2-5): Now Balak (Hebrew: meaning destroyer) the son of Zippor (the feminine form of this word, Zipporah, was the name of Moses’ first wife) saw all that Isra’el had done to the Amorites (22:2). As a result, Mo’ab was extremely afraid of the Israelites, because there were so many of them, and he feared they would attack. Mo’ab was overcome with dread because of the people of Isra’el (22:3). However, Balak’s fears were unfounded. ADONAI had already commanded Isra’el not to harass the Moabites or provoke them to war: For I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession (Deuteronomy 2:9). Isra’el was simply passing through his territory. They had paused in Balak’s back yard for a short while in preparation for the siege of Canaan, but they had no intention of going to war with Mo’ab. An army of 600,000 (26:51), however, would be frightening for any country. Only it was even more so for Mo’ab, for there was some bad blood between Isra’el and Mo’ab.
The Moabites were descendants of Lot (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie with Him to Preserve Our Family Line). The Israelites were the descendants of Abraham. The two had originally separated precisely over these types of matters. In Genesis 13:5-6 we read: Now Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. And the land could not sustain them while dwelling together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to remain together. So, it seems that the deeds of the fathers were signs for the sons. Balak, the descendent of Lot, looked out over the children of Abraham and declared: Look, a people have come out of Egypt, and spread over all the land (22:5b). Just as the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot quarreled because the pasture was not sufficient to sustain them both; so, too, Balak saw that the land was covered with Israelites. From Balak’s perspective, the plains of Mo’ab weren’t big enough for both of them.
When Abraham and Lot were contending for pastureland, Abraham settled the dispute by letting Lot choose the land he wanted. Abraham was willing to sacrifice everything of value, even the best of the land, in order that there might be peace between him and his nephew. Similarly, since Isra’el had not come to oust the Moabites, Balak should not have worried. On the day that Abraham and Lot parted company, ADONAI gave Abraham all the land of Canaan. After Lot had gone, the LORD said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction – north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted (Genesis 13:14-16 NLT)! These Genesis passages are important background information for the story of Isra’el, Mo’ab, and the “blessings” of Balaam.454
Alliance with the Midianites (22:4a): The Moabites communicated their concern to the rulers of Midian. The Midianites both lived in the Sinai (Exodus 2:15-16; Numbers 10:29-30) and on Mo’ab’s border (Genesis 36:35). Both the Midianites and the Moabites had been under the domination of Sihon, which made their communication natural at this point. As Balak surveyed the millions of Israelites, they seemed to be an innumerable horde to him. So Balak said to the rulers of Midian “This horde will lick up everything around us, the way an ox (Hebrew: shor, meaning a domestic ox) licks up grass in the field (22:4).” The proverbial figure of an ox licking the grass is particularly fitting for a pastoral people. Balak knew how quickly the fragile grasses of the lands of Mo’ab could be eaten by a large number of animals given free range. The image of Isra’el as an ox is an emphatic symbol of her strength and power. And the association of Mo’ab to the Midianites in this verse is more significant than we might first think. There would soon be another plot developed by the Midianites in collusion with Mo’ab that would foreshadow a great disaster on Isra’el (see Ea – Taking a Stand for God).455
Balaam, doctor of sorcery (22:5a): So, Balak sent messengers to Balaam Hebrew: meaning devourer of the people) the son of Beor (22:5a). Balaam is never referred to in the Hebrew text as a prophet. Not once. Not even a seer. He is always referred to as a sorcerer (Joshua 13:22), and this word is never used in the TaNaKh for a true prophet of God. In fact, ADONAI forbid sorcery (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31), and the word sorcery is always used in a negative sense in the Hebrew bible (First Samuel 15:23; Second Kings 17:17; Ezeki’el 13:23). It is always the mark of a false prophet (Isaiah 3:2; Jeremiah 14:14; Ezeki’el 13:9; Numbers 22:28). Furthermore, in Numbers 24:1 we find Balaam using divination, which was also forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:9-14. Now obviously, Balaam had knowledge of YHVH, yet just because Ha’Shem spoke to him directly, did not make him a true prophet. YHVH also talked directly to the Adversary (Job 2:1-6).456 When Balaam set out, he had every intention of cursing Isra’el, and did his best to do so. The blessings he spoke over Isra’el were unintended. God placed them in his mouth against his will.457 Therefore, Balaam was the enemy of God (James 4:4b), and must have thought that YHVH was like any other deity he could manipulate by sorcery.458
The B’rit Chadashah also condemns Balaam. Peter compares false prophets with men like Balaam. They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice (Second Peter 2:15-16 NLT). A more remarkable passage comes from Jude, who gives several examples of the worst kinds of godless people: Cain, Korah, and Balaam. He says that these godless people . . . serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 7).459
The call (22:5b-6): Balak knew the forces of Mo’ab, even with the help of their allies the Midianites, would never withstand Isra’el’s army and Isra’el’s God. Conventional warfare was out of the question. Mo’ab and Midian needed help from the Devil, and Balaam was in touch with the Devil. This would be an invisible war, the conflict between ADONAI and Satan that began when God cursed the serpent in the Garden (Genesis 3:13-15).460 Therefore, Balak sent rulers from Mo’ab and Midian to Balaam at Pethor, his native land, near the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Pethor was about 420 miles north of Mo’ab, and probably took about twenty-five days in each direction. So, even with only a brief time in between each trip, it meant that the correspondence process would have taken nearly four months at a minimum to complete.
When the rulers finally reached Balaam, they said: Look, a people have come out of Egypt, spread over all the land and settled down next to us (22:5b). Therefore, please come, and curse these people for us, because they are stronger than we are. The distance from Mo’ab to Pethor was a serious journey. The fact that Balak even heard of Balaam suggests that he was famous throughout the Ancient Near East for his powers. Balak hoped that Balaam would be able to defeat the Israelites and drive them out of the land, relaying the message through his rulers, declaring: For I know that whoever you bless is in fact blessed, and whoever you curse is in fact cursed (22:6). As the reader, we are meant to hear the irony in Balak’s confidence. We already know that Isra’el was, and is, under the blessing that God gave to Abraham (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who Bless You and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse). Therefore, as Balak positioned himself to curse Isra’el, we know that he was actually inviting a curse upon himself and his own people.461
Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you for your great “Chesed” steadfast love! No one, no matter how strong, can curse those whom you want blessed! Thank You that Your love is a mighty and protective love that will harm those who try to harm those who love You. You are always right there with me at all times. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5c).
You are the perfect Heavenly Father who sees into each person’s heart and You wisely pour out justice. In fact, righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You. (Psalms 89:14). In your heavenly Kingdom, what is important is the fruit that someone produces from a pure and loving heart. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit (Mathew 7:19-20). Someone’s good deeds may look very impressive to their friends, but you see clearly what their motive is when they do good deeds. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, and drive out demons in Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness’ (Matthew 7:22- 25)!” Lord, I love You and desire to please You with all my hearts. In Messiah Yeshua’s holy Name and power of His resurrection. Amen
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