LESSON V-NOVEMBER 2

BALAK AND BALAAM

Golden Tert

A double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1.8

HOME DAILY BIBLE READINGS-M. Num. 22.2-6; 24.10-19. Balak and Balaam. T. Num. 21.1-9. The Brazen Serpent. W. Num. 22.21-35. Balaam and the Angel. T. Num. 22.36-23.12. Balaam's First Prophecy. F. Num. 23.13-26. Balaam's Second Phophecy. S. Num. 23.27-24.9. Balaam's Third Prophecy. S. Num. 24.10-25. Balaam's Final Prophecy.

STUDY Num. 22.1-23.10 (See also Num. 23.11-24.25) READ Num. 24 COMMIT Num. 24.12, 13

Num. 22.2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

Num. 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. II Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but, lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor. 12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers that thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what Jehovah speaketh, that will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, 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 saith,

And the man whose eye was closed saith;

16 He saith, who heareth the words of God,

And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:

17 I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not nigh:

There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,

And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

And shall smite through the corners of Moab,

And break down all the sons of tumult.

18 And Edom shall be a possession,

Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies;

While Israel doeth valiantly.

19 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,
And shall destroy the remnant from the city.

WORDS AND PHRASES EXPLAINED

Lesson Outline. I. Balaam and Balak's Messages, 22.2-20. II. Balaam on the Way to Balak, 22.21-35. III. Balaam meets Balak, 22.36-38. IV. Balaam's Four Prophecies, 22.39-24.25.

-4 All that Israel had done to the Amorites. See Num. 21.21-35.-The elders of Midian. In Lesson II of Third Quarter the Midianites were in the southern or southwestern part of the Sinaitic Peninsula. Here they are east of the Jordan.-This multitude. Hebrew, the assembly, RVm.-Zippor. This name occurs on a dispatch sent in the third year of Menephtah I to Canaan by the Egyptian government.

5-6. The River. Euphrates.-Face. Hebrew, eye, RVm. Curse me this people. See p. 402.

10-11. These three times. See the intervening verses.-I thought to promote thee unto great honor. Had Balaam cursed the Israelites.-Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor. "Throughout the whole narrative Balaam appears as the somewhat unwilling medium whereby God chooses to confirm his unchangeable purpose towards Israel. He stands midway between the true prophet of Jehovah and the heathen magician or soothsayer."

12-13. Spake I not also to thy messengers. When the first committee arrived, Balaam resisted the temptation to accept their offer, but all he said was, "Jehovah refuseth to give me leave to go with you," and this was as much as to say, "If I could have my way, I would gladly come.' Thus Balak was encouraged to send a second committee, composed of still more honorable men, to tempt Balaam with still greater promises: "I will promote thee into very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do." Then Balaam had in truth spoken the words recalled here in verse 13, but he had added, "Tarry ye here this night, that I may know what Jehovah will speak more unto me." Had he been wholly obedient to what he knew to be the right course, he had not thus parleyed with that committee. He was deliberately entering into temptation.

14. I go unto my people. He did not return to Pethor, but went his way, verse 25, and tarried in Midian, where he was slain, Num. 31.8.-Advertise. Make known, the archaic meaning of the verb.

15-16. He took up his parable. Balaam's parable or prophetic utterance, was interrupted three times by Balak, so that it is given in four parts. The first part, 23.7-10, declares that no one can destroy a people destined by God to be a great nation. The second part, 23.18-24, declares God's unchangeable purpose for his people: it shall be said of them, What hath God wrought! The third part, 24.3-9, foresees the victories of the Israelites. The fourth part. 24.15-24, looks into the future and foresees the dominance of God's chosen people over their immediate and far distant enemies.-Whose eye was closed. Closed to earthly sights, opened to heavenly. The alternate reading given in the margin is opened.

17. I see him. The future Israel, and especially the star-like one. But not now. His coming is far in the future, so far that Balaam exclaims, "Who shall live when God doeth this?" 24.23. "The star" was a common symbol of a brilliant ruler. "Compare Isa. 14.12; 9.2; Mt. 24.29; Rev. 22.16" (Dummelow). -A sceptre. This is the common symbol of authority. The two metaphors describe the supernal glory and supreme power of the coming king. It is commonly said that this prediction refers in the first place to David, and then to David's Greater Son. Christ fulfilled, in truth, the prophecy in its spiritual meaning, but there is no indication that Balaam was thinking of anything but the prowess of the Israelites over their human foes. From early times commentators have interpreted this prophecy as Messianic. "The name Barcochba (Son of a star) was assumed by one who claimed to be the Messiah, not long

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after the time of our Lord, taking the title, no doubt, from this prophecy of Balaam."

18. Seir, This is the name given to the land of the Edomites. SUGGESTIVE THOUGHTS FROM HELPFUL WRITERS

Num. 22.30. The ass said unto Balaam. To some the narrative may present no serious difficulty. They accept it literally at every point. To others it seems of no great moment whether Balaam went or did not go to Moab, whether he cursed Israel or blessed it. Neither the curse nor the blessing of a man of Balaam's sort could make the least difference to Israel. These readers, accordingly, would find a parabolical or pictorial explanation of the incidents. The part of greatest importance is to believe that God dealt with this man, opposed his perverse will by gracious influences and unexpected protests. To Balaam, no doubt, the angel's appearance and the ass's rebuke were real, as real and impressive as any experience he ever had. He was humbled; he acknowledged his sin and offered to return. When he reached the land of Moab the recollection of what befell him by the way had a salutary influence on all he said and did. Dr. Robert A. Watson, in Expositor's Bible.

Num. 22.31. Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the way, with the sword drawn in his hand. Recently an old man gave us the story of his wonderful career: in his pages he speaks of a weak hour when he was about to ruin his whole happiness and future. In this hour of temptation he determined to disappear from his home and city, to forswear every duty and to turn his back on honor. He was quite conscious that he was sinning against God and his own soul in asking one whom he dearly loved to sin with him. And yet in his madness he went to the railway station, for the new career was now to begin. But suddenly as he stepped from the carriage he saw his old father, long since dead, standing in the door of the station. The revered father lifted his right hand, and the youth heard a voice saying, "My son, my son! go back! Go back!" The man turned and fled as though an angel with a flaming sword had waved its bright beams in his face. An hour later, and once more he had taken up his accustomed task. But from that day he looked back to the event as to a moment when his feet stood on the edge of a precipice. He tells us that forty years have come and gone since that weak hour, and that he still believes that vision was vouchsafed to preserve his soul. Perhaps you and I think it was an illusion; that conscience, and memory, in a moment of great excitement, quickened his inactive imagination and clothed some aged stranger with the likeness of a revered father. But so far as the explanation is concerned we neither know nor care what it was. One thing is certain, an angel with a flaming sword stood in a good man's way and barred his feet back from the path of death. Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis, in The Contagion of Character.

LIGHT FROM ARCHEOLOGY OR FROM ORIENTAL LIFE

22.5. Balaam. He is called "soothsayer" in Joshua. "The Chaldeans carefully noted and explained dreams; drew lots in doubtful cases by means of inscribed arrows; interpreted the rustle of trees, the flashing of fountains and murmur of streams; the direction and form of lightnings; fancied that they could see things in bowls of water, and in the shifting forms assumed by the flames which consumed sacrifices and the smoke which rose therefrom; and that they could raise and question the spirits of the dead; and drew presages and omens, for good or evil, from the flight of birds, the appearance of the liver, lungs, heart, and bowels of the animals offered in sacrifice and opened for inspection-in short, from any and everything that they could possibly subject to observation."

6. Curse me this people. This appeal reflects the ancient heathen notion that when a prophet or priest uttered curses or imprecations of evil, such prayers would be heard by the unseen powers, especially if accompanied by certain mysterious and occult rites. Greek and Roman history supplies many examples of whole armies being thus devoted to destruction. Xerxes built a bridge of

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boats a mile in length, across the Hellespont, and when a storm wrecked it, he not only beheaded the engineers, but administered three hundred lashes to the rebellious sea and cast a set of fetters into it to chain its violence. If such notions prevailed in that day, we need not wonder if Balak thought a soothsayer's words might cause the rout of an army, as in the late Burmese war magicians were hired to curse the British troops. Bible Notes.

13. If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold. There were no banks in these far-off times ,and kings kept their silver and gold and jewels in their own "treasure house" or "treasure chamber."

THE HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND

Review questions. What were the stopping places between the Red Sea and Sinai? What were the chief events at Sinai? What place can you mention between Sinai and Kadesh, and what happened there? How long was Kadesh the headquarters of the Israelites? What happened at Kadesh?

After the death of Miriam and the murmuring at Meribah, the children of Israel began the last stage of their journey to the Promised Land-from Kadesh to the Jordan. A glance at the map will show that, the most direct route would have been northward, but that was held by the powerful Canaanites. The next best routes would have led to the east bank of the Jordan through the territory of the Edomites. Study the map in connection with all this history.

Edom was the mountainous region on either side of the Arabah. This was the Mount Seir where Esau had settled, and the Edomites were akin to the Israelites, being descendants of Esau and of the native Horites. From Kadesh Moses sent messengers to the King of Edom (and also to the King of Moab, Judges 11.16, 17) asking permission to pass through his land, but his request was refused.

At Mount Hor, a peak "on the edge of Edom," Aaron died "on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt," and Eleazer, his son,, succeeded him as high priest. The identification of Mount Hor is as vigorously disputed as that of Kadesh. Our colored map accepts Jebel Madurah, near Kadesh, as the site. A tradition as old as Josephus, identifies it with Jebel Harun, about six miles from Petra, also indicated on our map. The Petra Mount Hor is the more imposing mountain (5900 feet high). In the neighborhood of Mount Hor the Canaanite King of Arad waged a battle with the Israelites

and took some of them prisoners, and then was himself conquered.

To "compass Edom" the Israelites now made a long detour, going south down the Arabah to Ezion-Geber, a post near the head of the Gulf of Akabah of the Red Sea, and then northward along the eastern frontier of Edom, crossing the streams in their upper and shallower courses. The Edomites could have defended their mountain passes on the west, but here the open territory bordering the Arabian desert could not easily be protected from invasion. It was somewhere on this journey that the Israelites murmured once again, and were punished by the fiery serpents; and Moses lifted up the brazen serpent for their healing.

They pursued their journey northward through the wilderness bordering the territory of the Moabites till they came to the southern bank of the Arnon. At Jahaz near the Arnon they won a signal victory over Sihon, King of the Amorites. a victory ever afterwards referred to throughout Hebrew history as a proof of God's guiding care. It was some time before this that the Amorites, who belonged in the western part of

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Palestine, had crossed the Jordan and driven the Moabites southward and the Ammonites northward and taken possession of all the land between the Arnon and the Jabbok. The victory over Sihon gave this territory to the Israelites.

Journeying on by way of Bashan, they were met at Edrei by Og, the King of Bashan, whose army they thoroughly routed, thus gaining all his territory north of Gilead. In the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho, within sight of Canaan, the Promised Land, they encamped and struck. terror into the hearts of the Moabites and Midianites. Here our story of Balak, the King of Moab, and Balaam, the soothsayer of Pethor, begins.

As Balaam says, (Num. 23.7) Balak brought him from Aram, and Aram was Mesopotamia, the country between the upper Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Pethor, where he was living, has been identified with Pitru, on the west bank of the Euphrates.

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS OF LITTLE FOLKS

The story of Balaam, not the verses printed today nor the Golden Text, is your theme. Admirably has Dean George Hodges told the story in "The Garden of Eden." Below are his words. After telling the story, which will enchain your listeners, impress the thought that God's will must be carried out. Illustrate this from Christ's life, and call for his words about it in the Lord's Prayer.

Once upon a time, when the world was younger than it is at present, and people believed that all the animals could speak Hebrew if they only would, a man was riding on an ass along a country road.

Sometimes the way went between wide farms which stretched out over the flat land. Sometimes it lay between vineyards, and had a stone wall on the right and on the left. Sometimes the man hastened the ass, striking her with a stick; because he had been sent for by the king and was in a hurry. Sometimes he let the ass take her own time, and she strayed now on this side of the road and now on that, cropping the thistles; because, although the man had been sent for by the king, he was not quite sure whether he ought to go or not.

The man's name was Balaam and the king's name was Balak. They were both of them heathen; that is, they did not know so much about God as the children of Israel knew. But God knew them, and to Balaam God sometimes spoke, and told him what was right and what was wrong; so that people came to Balaam, even from distant lands, that he might tell them the will of God. Thus before a battle, a general or even a king might come and say, "Tell me. Balaam, is God for me or against me? Shall I lose or win?" And Balaam would go away by himself and ask God, and God would speak in Balaam's soul and teach him what to say, and Balaam would come back and say it. Many people thought that Balaam could do quite as he liked, and bless or curse as he pleased, and they said: "See, Balaam, here is gold and silver: come now, bless me and curse my enemy." But Balaam would speak only that which the Lord God taught him to speak.

Balak was the king of Moab. After the children of Israel had come across the Red Sea out of Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness and lived in tents till they grew strong enough to go to war. They had no country of their own, but they meant to take the country which God had promised to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. There were already people living in that country, having walled cities and brave soldiers, and the children of Israel had to grow very strong indeed before they could hope to take it away from them. But now the time had come. The children of Israel were on the march. Only one country remained to be crossed before they came to the Promised Land: and that was Moab.

So Balak, king of Moab, was filled with fear, and he sent for Balaam. “Behold," he said, "there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against us. Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people, else shall they lick us up as an ox licks up the grass of the field." And the princes of Balak came to Balaam with these words. And Balaam said, "Stay here this night, and I will ask the Lord, and in the