Commentary - Numbers 24:1-9

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we come to the absolute centerpiece of the Balaam narrative, and what we witness is the raw, untamable sovereignty of God. God is not simply frustrating the designs of a pagan sorcerer and his petty king employer. No, He is commandeering the entire affair, turning their intended curse into a glorious blessing that echoes the foundational promises made to Abraham. Balaam, a corrupt man with wicked motives, becomes a ventriloquist's dummy for the Almighty. The Spirit of God seizes him, not to regenerate his heart, but to appropriate his mouth for the purpose of declaring the beauty, strength, and invincible destiny of God's covenant people. This is not a negotiation. It is a divine hijacking. The prophecy itself moves from the present beauty of Israel's orderly camp to their future agricultural abundance, their military might, and the exaltation of their king, culminating in a direct quote of the Abrahamic covenant. God forces the enemy's chosen prophet to declare that blessing Israel is the only path to blessing, and cursing them is the certain path to ruin.

What we have here is a textbook case of God making the wrath of man to praise Him. Balak hired a prophet to curse, but God is the one who signs the prophet's checks. Every word spoken is a testament to the fact that God's purposes for His people are not subject to the whims, schemes, or black magic of men. His covenant is inviolable, and He will put His own words in the mouth of a donkey or a diviner to prove it.

Outline

Context In Numbers

This is the third of Balaam's seven oracles, and it marks a significant shift. In the previous two attempts to curse Israel (chapters 22-23), Balaam had gone through the motions of his pagan rituals, building altars and seeking omens, only to have God intercept him and force him to speak a blessing. Balak, his employer, grows increasingly frustrated, moving him from place to place, hoping a different vantage point might yield a different result. But here in chapter 24, Balaam gives up the charade. He finally grasps the futility of trying to manipulate Yahweh. The Lord's intention to bless Israel is not just an obstacle; it is the entire landscape. This third oracle, therefore, is delivered without any resort to sorcery, and is the most effusive and powerful blessing yet, showing that as human opposition is stripped away, the clarity of God's purpose shines through even more brightly.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 And Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of Yahweh to bless Israel, so he did not go as at other times to encounter omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

Balaam finally gets it. This is not a conversion of the heart, but rather a coerced recognition of reality. The text says he "saw" that it was good in Yahweh's eyes to bless Israel. He has been intellectually cornered by the God who cannot be manipulated. His previous attempts, mixing pagan ritual with divine revelation, have failed spectacularly. So, he abandons the tools of his trade. The "omens," the superstitious practices of a diviner, are set aside. Why? Because they are utterly impotent in the face of the living God. When you are standing before a hurricane, you don't check the Farmer's Almanac. Balaam sets his face toward the wilderness, where Israel is camped. He is done trying to find a loophole. He is now a man resigned to being a mouthpiece for a will far greater than his own.

v. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

The sight that confronts him is one of divine order. He sees Israel "dwelling tribe by tribe." This is not a chaotic rabble; it is a nation arranged and organized by God Himself. The sight of God's people, living in the pattern He designed, is the immediate prelude to the Spirit's descent. And then it happens: "the Spirit of God came upon him." We must be theologically precise here. This is not the indwelling of the Spirit that brings salvation. The Spirit of God is a Person, and He is sovereign. He can equip a craftsman like Bezaleel for artistry or a warrior like Samson for battle. Here, He comes upon a corrupt prophet to make him prophesy. God is using Balaam as an instrument, a tool. Balaam's defective character does not disqualify his mouth from being used by a holy God, which should be a profound warning to all of us. God's power can operate through you without it being well with your soul.

v. 3-4 Then he took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is uncovered; The oracle of him who hears the words of God, Who beholds the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes opened,

Balaam begins his oracle by identifying himself, but the description that follows is a testimony to his utter subjugation. He is the man whose eye is "uncovered," or opened. He is not seeing by his own power or insight; God has peeled back his eyelids and forced him to look. He "hears the words of God" and "beholds the vision of the Almighty." This is passive. He is a receptacle for a revelation he did not seek and cannot alter. The posture described is one of complete submission: "Falling down, yet having his eyes opened." He is physically prostrate before the majesty of Yahweh, yet his spiritual eyes are wide open to the vision God is giving him. This is divine dictation in its rawest form. The prophet is flat on his face, but the prophecy stands tall and unassailable.

v. 5-6 How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel! Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens beside the river, Like aloes planted by Yahweh, Like cedars beside the waters.

The first words out of his commandeered mouth are an expression of aesthetic delight in God's people. "How fair are your tents." From the world's perspective, they were a nomadic nuisance in the wilderness. From God's perspective, they are beautiful. The imagery that follows is one of lush, supernatural vitality. They are not a parched and struggling people, but are like sprawling valleys, irrigated gardens, and majestic trees. And notice the source of this flourishing. They are like aloes "planted by Yahweh." Their prosperity is not a result of their own ingenuity or favorable circumstances. It is a direct result of a sovereign, divine act. God planted them, and God waters them. This is a picture of the church, beautiful and flourishing not because of our own merit, but because we are God's own planting.

v. 7 Water will flow from his buckets, And his seed will be by many waters, And his king shall be lifted up higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.

The prophecy now pivots from the present state to the future glory. The image of water flowing from buckets speaks of an abundance so great that it overflows. This is a people who will be a source of life and blessing to others. "His seed will be by many waters," a promise of influence and posterity that spreads across the globe. Then the focus sharpens onto a single figure: "his king." This king will be lifted up "higher than Agag." Agag was the dynastic name for the kings of the Amalekites, Israel's bitter and ancient foe. To be exalted above Agag was to claim ultimate victory over their most persistent enemy. But the prophecy shoots past any contemporary fulfillment. This is a pointer to the Messiah, the true King of Israel, whose kingdom will not just be high, but "exalted" above every name and every power. This is a messianic prophecy tucked into the mouth of a pagan.

v. 8 God brings him out of Egypt, He is for him like the horns of the wild ox. He will devour the nations who are his adversaries, And will gnaw their bones in pieces, And shatter them with his arrows.

The basis for this future exaltation is God's past faithfulness. "God brings him out of Egypt." The Exodus is the paradigm of God's saving power. The God who did that is the God who will do this. Israel's strength is not its own; it is a derived strength, "like the horns of the wild ox," a creature of immense power. And this power has a terrifying purpose. "He will devour the nations who are his adversaries." This is not polite, multicultural dialogue. This is the language of holy war. God's people are His instrument of judgment against a rebellious world. The imagery is graphic and total: gnawing bones, shattering them with arrows. This is the fate of those who set themselves against the purposes of the Almighty.

v. 9 He crouches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”

The final image is one of settled, unchallengeable dominion. Israel is a lion at rest. The hunt is over, the victory is won. He "crouches, he lies down." This is a posture of absolute security and sovereignty. The question is a taunt to the nations: "who dares rouse him?" To provoke God's people in their God-given inheritance is madness. Then, Balaam concludes by reaching back to the very foundation of Israel's existence, the covenant with Abraham from Genesis 12. He is forced to pronounce the central tenet of that covenant: "Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you." This is the fixed principle of history. There is no neutrality. Nations and individuals are defined by their relationship to God's covenant people. For Balaam to speak these words is the ultimate divine irony. He, a man hired to curse, is made to pronounce a curse on his employer and, ultimately, on himself. God's word will not be thwarted; it will even use the mouths of its enemies to declare its own triumph.

Application

The central application for us is the absolute and unshakeable security of the people of God. If God could take the most determined efforts of a pagan king and a for-hire sorcerer and turn their intended curse into a rich, multi-faceted blessing, then what machinations of our modern world should we fear? Our security does not rest in our own righteousness or strength, but in the covenant promises of a sovereign God who has "planted" us.

Secondly, we see that God's purposes are often displayed most clearly against the backdrop of opposition. The more Balak tried to force a curse, the more glorious the blessings became. Christians should not be surprised when the world opposes them; we should expect God to use that very opposition as the stage upon which He displays His power and faithfulness. He loves to make His enemies fund the parade for His people.

Finally, we must take to heart the principle of Genesis 12:3, reiterated here. The world is still divided into two camps: those who bless the people of God, and those who curse them. As the true Israel, the Church is the locus of God's blessing in the world today. To align with Christ and His body is to be blessed. To set oneself against the Church is to invite ruin. This is not arrogance; it is the declared reality of the universe. Our task is to live as the blessed people we are, and to call all men everywhere to come and share in that blessing through faith in the exalted King, the Lord Jesus Christ.