The Summit of Folly Text: Numbers 22:36-41
Introduction: The Impotence of Power Politics
We come now to a fascinating and instructive episode in the history of God's people. Israel is on the move, a nation forged in the crucible of Egypt and tempered in the wilderness, and the surrounding pagan nations are beginning to take notice. Their reaction is not one of holy fear and repentance, but rather the frantic scrabbling of cornered despots. Balak, king of Moab, is a man in a panic. He sees the sheer number of the Israelites, and his worldview, which is entirely horizontal, can only process this as a military and demographic threat. He does not see the God of Israel, only the camp of Israel.
And so, he does what pagan kings always do. He resorts to power politics, which in his world includes the dark arts. He sends for a spiritual mercenary, a prophet-for-hire named Balaam. We have already seen Balaam's sordid journey, his greed warring with his knowledge of God, culminating in a rebuke from his own donkey. But God, in His absolute and sometimes terrifying sovereignty, has determined to use this compromised vessel for His own purposes. God is not above writing straight with crooked sticks.
This passage before us is the formal meeting of these two men, the panicked king and the mercenary prophet. It is a summit meeting, a conference of worldly power and corrupt spiritual influence. But hovering over the entire affair is the God of Heaven and Earth, who is about to demonstrate that He is the king, and He is the prophet, and that the words of men are but dust in the wind unless He gives them substance. This is a lesson in the absolute futility of opposing the purposes of God. It is a lesson in how God can put a bridle in the mouth of a wicked man and make him speak glorious truth, all while his heart remains a pit of avarice. And it is a warning to us, that we must never mistake spiritual gifts for spiritual health, or prophetic accuracy for a right relationship with God.
Balak thinks he is about to manipulate the spiritual realm to his own advantage. Balaam thinks he might be able to walk a fine line, pleasing his paymaster without getting struck down by God. Both men are fools, and God is about to make their folly manifest to all.
The Text
Then Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, at the end of the border. Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed unable to honor you?” So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.” And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him. Then it happened in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from there the end of the camp of the people.
(Numbers 22:36-41 LSB)
The Anxious Welcome (v. 36-37)
We begin with the meeting of the king and the prophet.
"Then Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, at the end of the border. Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed unable to honor you?”" (Numbers 22:36-37)
Balak's actions here are a mixture of royal protocol and palpable anxiety. He goes out to the very edge of his territory to meet Balaam. This is a sign of honor, certainly, but it is the honor a desperate man pays to the surgeon he believes holds the only cure. He is not calm; he is frantic. His first words are not a gracious welcome, but a chiding complaint. "Why did you not come to me?"
Underneath this question is the central assumption of all paganism: that everything, and everyone, has a price. Balak's worldview is transactional. He sent money and honor, and he expected a prompt delivery of services. The delay has unnerved him. His follow-up question reveals the core of his thinking: "Am I indeed unable to honor you?" In his mind, the only possible reason for Balaam's hesitation is that the offer was not high enough. He cannot conceive of a higher authority, a prohibition from a transcendent God that cannot be bought off. He thinks in terms of honor, which for him means wealth, prestige, and power. He is trying to bribe God's prophet, and by extension, he is trying to bribe God.
This is the mindset of every secularist, every materialist, every pagan tyrant. They believe that if they can just arrange the right deals, pull the right levers, and offer the right incentives, they can bend reality to their will. They believe man is the measure of all things. Balak is the quintessential secular man. His gods are extensions of his own will, forces to be manipulated through the proper rituals and payments. He cannot grasp that he is dealing with the Creator of the cosmos, who owns all the honor and all the cattle on a thousand hills.
The Prophet on a Leash (v. 38)
Balaam's response is telling. It is both a statement of fact and a subtle lowering of expectations.
"So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.”" (Numbers 22:38 LSB)
On the surface, this sounds pious. It sounds like a prophet who is submitted to God. And in one sense, it is the simple truth. After his encounter with the angel of the Lord, Balaam is under no illusions about who is in charge. He has been thoroughly chastened. He knows that he is not a free agent. God has put a bit and bridle in his mouth, and he will speak what he is told to speak, and nothing else. The Hebrew is emphatic: "The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak."
But we must remember what the rest of Scripture tells us about this man. He was a man who "loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). His heart wanted Balak's money. So while his mouth is constrained by God, his will is still corrupt. This is not the joyful submission of a son, but the sullen compliance of a slave who has just been reminded of the master's whip. He is essentially telling Balak, "I'm here, but my hands are tied. Don't blame me if the message isn't what you paid for."
This is a terrifying spiritual state to be in. To have a genuine connection to the divine, to hear the voice of God, and yet to have a heart that is not regenerate. It is possible to be a true prophet, but not a true man. It is possible to have great gifts and still go to hell. Judas cast out demons. The Pharisees had the Scriptures. And Balaam prophesied of the coming Christ. But knowledge and power are not the same as repentance and faith. God's sovereignty is such that He can use even a greedy, compromised man to declare His immutable purposes. He can make a donkey speak, and He can make Balaam speak. But this does not mean He approves of either one in the same way He approves of His children.
Pagan Preparations (v. 39-40)
The scene then shifts from the border to a city, and the preparations for the main event begin.
"And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him." (Numbers 22:39-40 LSB)
They arrive at Kiriath-huzoth, which means "city of streets." Balak immediately does what pagans do: he offers sacrifices. This is the central act of pagan worship. It is an attempt to feed the gods, to appease them, to put them in your debt so that they will perform for you. It is a business transaction. Balak is trying to prime the pump. He is setting the stage, creating the right atmosphere for the cursing he has paid for.
He then sends a portion of the sacrificed meat to Balaam and his entourage. This is more than just a state dinner. In the ancient world, to share in a sacrificial meal was to enter into communion with the god to whom the sacrifice was offered. Balak is trying to bind Balaam to his cause, to his gods, to his agenda. He is saying, "We are in this together. We have eaten from the same altar. Now, do your part."
This is a picture of how the world operates. It seeks to create fellowship around a common rebellion against God. It uses hospitality, gifts, and shared experiences to create a web of obligation. The world wants you to eat at its table, so that you will be bound to its agenda. This is why the Apostle Paul is so adamant: "you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons" (1 Corinthians 10:21). Balaam, a man with one foot in God's camp and the other in Balak's, partakes of the meal. His compromise is already evident.
The High Place of Idolatry (v. 41)
The chapter concludes with the final preparation on the following morning, setting the stage for the prophecies to come.
"Then it happened in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from there the end of the camp of the people." (Numbers 22:41 LSB)
Here we have the summit of their folly, both literally and figuratively. Balak takes Balaam up to the "high places of Baal." The high places were centers of Canaanite idolatry. They were chosen for their elevation, as if getting physically closer to the sky meant getting closer to the divine. This is the essence of man-made religion; it is always trying to climb up to God on its own terms.
The name of the god is specified: Baal. Baal was the storm god, the god of fertility and power. He was the chief rival to Yahweh in the land of Canaan. So Balak is not just engaging in some generic spirituality. He is taking Balaam to the headquarters of the enemy. He is standing on satan's turf to try and curse God's people. This is a direct, worldview confrontation. Balak is invoking the power of Baal against the power of Yahweh.
From this vantage point, Balaam can see the "end of the camp." He can see a fraction of the people. This is a tactical move by Balak. Perhaps he thinks that if Balaam sees the whole multitude, he will be too intimidated. So he shows him just a part, hoping that a partial curse might be easier to procure. This is more of his manipulative, managerial thinking. He is trying to make the task manageable for his spiritual hireling.
But it is all for nothing. Balak can choose the location, he can build the altars, he can slay the oxen, but he cannot write the script. He has brought Balaam to the high places of Baal, but the only voice that will be heard is the voice of the God who cast Baal from heaven. He has brought him to a place to curse, but God will turn it into a place of blessing. The stage is set for a magnificent display of God's absolute sovereignty over the nations, over pagan kings, over false gods, and over the mouths of wicked men.
Conclusion: The View from God's High Place
This scene is a microcosm of the great conflict of the ages. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed (Psalm 2). They make their plans, they hold their summits, they offer their sacrifices to their false gods, and they ascend their high places to get a better view of the people of God, whom they intend to devour.
But their high places are not high enough. Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases. And what pleases Him is to protect His people and to make the wrath of man to praise Him. Balak intended to curse, but God intended to bless. Balak looked at Israel and saw a political problem. But God was about to make Balaam look at Israel and see a Star coming out of Jacob and a Scepter rising out of Israel (Numbers 24:17). Balak was focused on the end of the camp, but God was focused on the end of the age.
We must take this to heart. We live in a world full of Balaks, men who believe their power, their wealth, and their political machinations are the ultimate reality. They stand on the high places of their media empires, their academic institutions, and their government buildings, and they look down on the church of Jesus Christ, intending to curse it, to manage it, to control it, or to destroy it.
Let them try. For our prophet is not a compromised man like Balaam, but the perfect Son of God, Jesus Christ. And He has not been dragged to a high place to curse, but willingly went to the high place of Calvary to secure an eternal blessing. He has ascended to the highest place of all, the right hand of the Father, and from that vantage point, He sees not just the end of the camp, but the entirety of His people, throughout all of history, and He speaks not a curse, but a blessing. And when He speaks, not even the gates of Hell can prevail against it.