2BC BIBLE STUDY NOTES

Wednesday in the Word

Second Baptist Church

February 12, 2020

Numbers 21, 22

1. Verses 1-3. Remembering that we shared two weeks ago that the book of Numbers skips over the next 37 years of wandering in the wilderness to the beginning of the last year before the Israelites would enter the Promised Land. The Israelites are getting closer to the promise land and to the end of their 40-year judgment. After the death of Aaron, the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived just north of where Israel was camped, fought against Israel and took some of them captive. At this point Israel did what they should have done earlier and sought the Lord. They vowed that if God delivered these Canaanites into their hands, they would destroy their cities. God granted them victory, the first in Canaan.

2. Verses 4-5. But then, rather than go into the land from the south, the Lord directed Moses to turn around and lead the people to the Red Sea, by the Gulf of Aqaba, to take a circular route around the land of Edom. At this point, the people became impatient because of the journey because they could see that they were going in circles. This was a test. God was about to purge the Israelites once more of the faithless faction. They grumbled against the Lord and Moses, accusing Moses again of bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. And they complained about what they called “the miserable” manna and the lack of water. It had been 30 plus years and they are still talking about Egypt. God is going to eventually rid the Israelites of any that used to be in Egypt so there won’t be any that can make this ridiculous claim and spoil the faith of the other folks. It was one thing to complain when they first got to the desert, but now after all these years to complain was just blasphemous.

3. Verses 6-9. The Lord then sent venomous serpents to bite them, causing many to die. The people ran and confessed their sin to Moses and asked him to intercede for them. He prayed and God provided this unusual remedy of a bronze snake on a pole. Whoever looked to the bronze snake would be healed and live (which is why medical doctors often have a snake on a pole). The snake was their judgment and their salvation. What a strange scene. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus. This is a picture of Christ. He is the judgment and the salvation. Jesus convicts us of sin, but He is also able to save us from sin. (See John 3:1-16 emphasis on verse 14).

4. Verses 10-35. The remainder of chapter 21 describes those events immediately preceding the introduction of Balaam in chapter 22. Israel is making its way to Pisgah (verse 20), which seems to be a ridge near the top of Mount Nebo. This spot provided a panoramic view of the Promised Land. It is from Pisgah that Moses will view the promised land before his death on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). When the Israelites send messengers to Sihon, the king of the Amorites, asking for his permission to pass through his land, he refuses, assembling his army to wage war against them (Numbers 21:21-23). The Israelites prevail and take possession of his land (21:24-31). They then capture Jazer, defeating and dispossessing the Amorites who live there (21:32). Going up by way of Bashan, the Israelites encounter Og, the king of Bashan, who comes out to fight them. Like Sihon, Og is defeated, and the Israelites possess his land as well (21:33-35). These movements and victories began to put fear in the hearts of the nations that were in their way.

5. Chapter 22. Verses 1-7. As the Israelites settled near the Jordan River, the people of Moab were terrified that they would have to fight the Israelites. We know from the book of Deuteronomy 2:9, 17, and 19 that God told Moses to not harm the Moabites because he had promised that land to them. Unfortunately, the Moabites were not God-fearing people and didn’t know that the Israelites meant them no harm. Instead of talking to the leaders of the Hebrews, the leaders of Moab go to the leaders of Midian and try to-come up with a way to rid themselves of the presence of the Hebrews. It appears that the Moabites and the Midianites were afraid that the large number of Hebrews would drain their resources. The fear of king of Moab caused him to seek help from a man by the name of Balaam. The idea was that Balaam could put a curse on the Hebrews and make it easier for Moab to defeat them in battle. The king of Moab never thought to ask the Israelites if they even meant him harm. He was afraid for no reason. So the elders of Moab left Midian with the intent on taking money and a message to Balaam from Balak.

6. Verses 8-12. Balak’s men reach Balaam and they tell him the situation and Balaam asked them to stay the night with the idea that he would seek God’s direction on the matter. We are not sure of Balaam’s devotion to God because Balaam often inquired of the Lord like the pagans did. It would appear that he was a backslidden prophet. He knew of God and God probably used him, but he dabbled in divination. In the middle of the night, God spoke to Balaam and told him not to go with the men and not to offer a curse because the Hebrews were blessed. You can’t curse a blessed person. God basically was telling Balaam that the Hebrews were protected by God and no curse could change that. So, Balaam sends the men away informing them that he could not honor their king’s request.

7. Verses 13-20. The next day when the elders of Moab returned to Balak, they inform him that Balaam isn’t coming. Balak decides to send an even greater offer of money to appeal to Balaam. The idea is that Balaam can be bought. When the men arrive for a second time, instead of giving them a clear no, Balaam asked them to stay the night. Balaam was seduced by the offer and probably was going to go no matter what after he saw the money. In the night, God comes to Balaam and gives him permission to go, but only to say what God instructs him to say. Balaam may have thought at this point that God was going to allow him to curse the people, but God was going to teach Balaam a lesson and the people of Moab a lesson as well. God is going to use Balaam to curse some folks, but it won’t be the Hebrews.

8. Verses 21-34. So Balaam sets off the next morning on his donkey to go see Balak. As they go, an angel of God stands in their way with a sword, but only the donkey can see it. Balaam cannot “see” the Angel of the LORD, but the donkey can, and this donkey then speaks to Balaam, rebuking him (cf. 2 Peter 2:16) for his sin. The donkey is a better “prophet” (or “seer”) than Balaam. Let no prophet ever attempt to take credit for what he sees and says, for God can do as much through a donkey. Three times the donkey will see the Angel of the LORD and refuse to continue on the path in an attempt to spare Balaam from his sword. The first encounter comes where the path ran through an open field. The donkey sees the Angel and turns aside, into the field. Balaam is furious with his donkey for turning off the road. He beats his donkey severely, virtually forcing her to get back onto the path. Sometime later, Balaam and his mount pass through some vineyards. Just as Balaam’s donkey is making her way between two walls, she sees the Angel of the LORD once again. In order to avoid the Angel, the donkey presses hard against one wall, crushing Balaam’s foot between her body and the wall. Greatly angered by her seemingly senseless behavior, Balaam beats his donkey once again. Going on farther, the Angel blocked the donkey’s path while she was confined to a very narrow place, and so all she could do was to lie down, refusing to go on. This really angers Balaam, who now employs his staff to beat his donkey. I cringe as, in my mind; I can hear the squeals uttered by the donkey in her pain, as she endures the brutal blows of Balaam’s staff. What happens next seems absolutely incredible to the reader, and yet it did not appear to make much of an impression on Balaam. The donkey suddenly speaks to her master. She asks Balaam what she has done wrong for him to beat her so severely these three times. Balaam hardly appears to notice the incredible fact that a donkey is speaking to him. Balaam was angry with his donkey because she had made him look like a fool. The donkey’s actions seemed completely inexcusable, so long as one is unaware of the presence of the Angel of the LORD, with His sword poised to kill Balaam. Balaam’s actions were irrational and cruel to a donkey who could see the Angel, who was aware of the danger He presented, and who sought to save his life. It is only now that Balaam’s eyes are opened so that he is able to actually see the Angel of the LORD, standing in the way, with His sword drawn. Instantly, Balaam is on his face, prostrate before the Angel of the LORD. The Angel then asks Balaam essentially the same question, “What reason did you have for beating your donkey these three times?” The Angel does not wait for Balaam to respond. Instead, the Angel explains, “I came out here to oppose you, because what you are doing is perverse. The donkey is a better ‘seer’ than you. She saw me and turned back these three times. This was to save you from certain death. Had she continued on, I would have killed you and let her live. You were about to kill her for saving your life. She is a far better prophet than you.” Think of it. If Balaam’s words to the donkey could kill, that donkey would have been dead (see 22:29). In effect, Balaam was cursing his donkey. Balaam cursed the donkey, yet she was the only reason Balaam had not been killed by the Angel of the LORD. Balaam was cursing his one and only source of blessing. Balaam cursed and would have killed the instrument of his deliverance. Is the connection between this incident and what Balaam is seeking to do to Israel not clear? God had promised to bless Israel and also to make Israel a source of blessing to all who treated His people with favor. Balaam was seeking to turn God’s blessing into a curse, and by so doing, he was bringing a curse upon himself. Balaam can think of no excuse that will adequately explain or justify his actions. He admits his sin, though some think he has not owned up to it in full measure. His only excuse is that he did not realize it was God who opposed him on his journey. He offers to go back home if it is evil in the Angel’s sight.

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