Commentary - Numbers 22:1-21

Bird's-eye view

In this chapter, the people of God have arrived. After their victories over the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, Israel is now camped on the plains of Moab, right across the Jordan from Jericho. They are at the very doorstep of the Promised Land. This proximity, coupled with their formidable reputation, strikes spiritual terror into the heart of Balak, the king of Moab. The conflict that follows is not one of swords and shields, but one of incantations and spiritual power. Balak, representing the kingdom of man, seeks to hire a spiritual mercenary, Balaam, to curse the people of God. What unfolds is a masterful display of God's absolute sovereignty. God is not one deity among many who can be manipulated by the right ritual or the right price. He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth, and He uses this entire episode not only to protect His people but to declare His unalterable blessing upon them, and He does so through the mouth of a compromised, greedy prophet. This is a story about the futility of fighting God and the security of those He has chosen to bless.

Outline

Commentary

22:1 Then the sons of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.

The geography here is theology. Israel is not just wandering around; they are positioned by God. They are on the plains of Moab, on the edge of their inheritance. Every move they have made has been under the direction of the pillar of cloud and fire. Their location is a testament to God's faithfulness and a direct threat to the pagan nations who occupy the land. They are "opposite Jericho," the first great obstacle they will face. This is the staging ground for the conquest, and all the powers of Hell are noticing.

22:2-3 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel.

Balak's fear is not an unreasonable political calculation. It is a deep, spiritual dread. He has seen what God did through Israel to the powerful Amorites. The world pays attention to the victories of the church, even if they pretend not to. The fear here is twofold. First, a carnal fear: "they were numerous." Balak is counting heads, a typical pagan response. But second, there is a supernatural dread. He is not just afraid of an army; he is afraid of "the sons of Israel," the covenant people. There is an innate recognition in the ungodly that the people of God operate under a different power.

22:4 Then Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this assembly will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

Fear drives worldly alliances. Moab and Midian, not always friends, are now united in their opposition to God's people. Balak's metaphor is vivid and earthy, "as the ox licks up the grass." He sees Israel as a mindless, consuming force of nature. He fails to see the Shepherd guiding the flock. He diagnoses the problem in purely naturalistic terms, and so he seeks a solution that he believes can manipulate the supernatural realm to his own advantage.

22:5-6 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are settled opposite me. So now, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Here is the heart of the pagan worldview. When faced with a problem "too mighty," Balak does not turn to his own gods. He seeks a specialist, a spiritual gun-for-hire. Balaam has a reputation. Notice Balak's confession of faith, not in a god, but in a man: "For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." He ascribes ultimate power to the prophet, to the technique, to the man who knows the secret words. This is idolatry. He wants to use the supernatural, but he wants to keep it on a leash. He wants a curse he can control to solve a problem he cannot.

22:7-8 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went away with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and spoke Balak’s words to him. And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as Yahweh may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam.

They come with cash in hand. This is a business transaction. "The fees for divination" tells you everything you need to know about the kind of operation Balaam is running. And what is Balaam's response? Here is the first sign of his corrupted heart. He says he will inquire of "Yahweh." He knows the covenant name of God. This is not some ignorant pagan; this is a man who has had dealings with the one true God. But he treats Yahweh as just another spirit to be consulted, one from whom he might get permission to do this wicked thing. His invitation to "spend the night" is a play for time. A righteous man would have sent them packing immediately. Balaam wants to see if he can find a way to serve both God and mammon.

22:9-12 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’ ” And God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”

God's question, "Who are these men with you?" is for Balaam's sake. It forces the prophet to articulate the sordid business he is contemplating. God already knows. Balaam gives a factual, if selective, account. Then comes God's command, and it is utterly unambiguous. Two prohibitions: "Do not go" and "you shall not curse." And the reason is foundational: "for they are blessed." God's blessing is not a fragile thing that can be undone by a sorcerer's incantation. It is a sovereign decree. What God has blessed is blessed indeed, and no power in heaven or on earth can reverse it. This is the security of the covenant people of God, both then and now.

22:13-14 So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for Yahweh has refused to allow me to go with you.” And the leaders of Moab arose and came to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to go with us.”

Here we see the art of the half-truth. Balaam delivers the prohibition, but he omits the reason. He does not say, "God has refused because He has irrevocably blessed these people, and your cause is hopeless." No, he makes it a personal, almost arbitrary, refusal from Yahweh. "Yahweh has refused to allow me to go with you." This leaves the door wide open. It suggests the problem is with the terms, or the timing, or the messengers. He is protecting his future business prospects. He wants Balak to come back with a better offer, and that is precisely what happens.

22:15-18 Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more honorable than the former. And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, withhold you from coming to me; for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.’ ” And Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, to trespass the command of Yahweh my God.”

Balak understands the language of the world. If the first offer was not enough, send more important people and offer more money and power. "I will indeed honor you richly." This is the world's gospel. Balaam's reply in verse 18 sounds incredibly pious. It is the kind of thing we would cross-stitch on a pillow. "I could not...trespass the command of Yahweh my God." He is saying all the right words. But his actions betray his heart. This is the thin veneer of spirituality that greedy men use to justify themselves.

22:19 So now, please, you also stay here tonight, and I will know what else Yahweh will speak to me.”

This verse exposes the hypocrisy of the previous one. If he truly could not go against God's command for a house full of silver and gold, why is he asking again? God's command was not complicated. It was a simple "No." What "else" could there be for Yahweh to say? Balaam is treating the sovereign God of the universe like a politician who can be lobbied, hoping that with this new, more honorable delegation, God might reconsider. He is actively seeking a loophole. He wants God to change His mind so he can get the money.

22:20-21 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.” So Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

This is not God changing His mind. This is God giving Balaam over to the desires of his own wicked heart. This is a permissive decree, a form of judgment. God says, in effect, "You are so determined to go? Then go. But you are now on My leash. You will be My mouthpiece, and you will go to Balak only to speak My unalterable blessing on My people." God is now commandeering this entire sordid affair for His own glory. Balaam thinks he is finally getting his way, but he is actually walking right into the middle of God's sovereign plan to make a fool of Balak and to declare to the world that Israel is blessed. He gets up early, saddles his own donkey, eager for the wages of unrighteousness, and in so doing, becomes a pawn in the hand of the God he is trying to manipulate.

Application

The story of Balaam is a stark warning against the love of money and the temptation to use spiritual things for personal gain. Balaam knew the right words to say, but his heart was chasing after Balak's gold. We must examine our own hearts. Do we say pious things about not compromising while secretly hoping the world will come back with a better offer? Do we treat God's clear commands as starting points for negotiation?

Second, we see the absolute security of the people of God. Balak marshaled political power and spiritual mercenaries to curse Israel, and it was all for nothing. Why? Because God had already blessed them. In Christ, believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing. No curse from the world, no scheme of the devil, no incantation from a hired prophet can undo what God has decreed in Christ. Our security does not rest in our own strength, but in the unchangeable declaration of our sovereign God.

Finally, we see the utter sovereignty of God over the affairs of men, even their sinful affairs. God did not tempt Balaam to sin, but when Balaam was determined to sin, God harnessed that sin and used it to accomplish His own glorious purposes. He turned an intended curse into a magnificent blessing. This should give us great confidence. Even when the world rages against the Church, and even when there are compromised men within her ranks, God is on His throne, and He is working all things, even the wrath of man, for His own praise and the good of His people.