Blog 127: Balaam's Prophesy, Numbers 22-25
Revealing the primary themes for the Feast of Sukkot, the Book of Numbers prepares followers of Yeshua for eternity. YHWH arranged Israel’s Camp to reflect His celestial holy city. Through the sojourn to the Land, YHWH’s covenant was not thwarted by human nature’s rebellions. As the old generation died, giving rise to the new spiritual generation, the Creator King encouraged His people with laws celebrating abundance in the Land of His Dwelling. The blue tassels constantly reminded each member of their essential connection to the high priest, through whom they accessed the powerful holy YHWH, and of the significance of their holiness through obedience. Proving His love for them, nothing could separate them from Him and His plans. YHWH’s purpose for Israel, rooted in His promise to Abram, ‘I will bless those who bless you, and curse him who curses you, and in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed’ (Gen. 12:3), could not be thwarted by hostile nations. What do Balaam’s prophecies have to do with the Feast of Tabernacles?
Balak’s attempts to curse Isreal recall God’s curse on the serpent (Gen. 3:14) and against Cain (Gen. 4:11). Could sorcerer Balaam curse Israel, the nation YHWH had blessed, and redirect history? Through Aaron’s uplifted hands, YHWH put His blessing and His Name upon Israel (Num. 6:22-27), carrying forward His blessing Abram (Gen. 12:1-3). In Numbers, “bless” (barak) occurs seventeen times, three times in the Aaronic blessing and fourteen times in the Balak-Balaam episode, in which Balaam blesses Israel three times. YHWH’s sovereign response to Balak’s evil eye against Israel and Balaam’s lust for riches was, “No, you will not curse the people because they are blessed.” Controlling the words of Balaam’s mouth, He demonstrated His supreme power, turning the enemy’s curse into blessings.
After Balak took Balaam up to the high places of Baal, where he might observe the extent of Israel, YHWH put words in Balaam’s mouth to speak to Balak. Since YHWH is sovereign, the fourteen lines “pronounce the futility of threatening Israel and proclaims the blessedness of Israel in terms of the nation’s consecrated status and vocation, its divinely induced proliferation and abundance – all with echoes of YHWH’s promises of blessing to Abraham” 1. Balaam sees YHWH’s treasured possession, numerous as dust (Gen. 28:14), numbered in the four directions (Num. 1-2),2 kept and guarded by His holiness to a fulfilled destiny.
From Pisgah, Balak hoped he could control Israel by a Balaam curse. But YHWH’s fixed holy nature and that of His people is life and blessing. The heart of the covenant is YHWH’s victory shout; no enemy (iniquity) can stand against them. From the top of Peor, Balaam, by the Spirit of God coming upon him, sees Israel’s divine three-tier concentric camp array and utters his third oracle, revealing peaceful Israel established in the Land exalting their King YHWH after He warred with the nations.
After Balaam sees YHWH’s conquering Israel’s national and internal enemies and blessing her with Eden-abundance flowing out to the nations, YHWH puts words in Balaam’s mouth for a fourth time. Introduced in Balaam’s third prophecy, a Ruler will come out of Israel, establish His Kingdom in the latter days, and utterly defeat YHWH’s enemies in a climaxing pinnacle of blessing and cursing.
Daniel 7:27 comes readily to mind when the greatness of the kingdom under the whole of heaven is given to the holy people of El Elyon (God Most High). For YHWH Elyon is feared, a great King over all the earth. He will subdue the nations under our feet (Psa. 47:2-3), “that all know that You, whose name is YHWH, are Elyon over all the earth” (Psa. 83:18). YHWH makes Himself known when Israel is blessed while in divine justice, the wicked are ensnared in the work of their own hands (cursed).
Takeaway:
As Morales quoted, ‘Few sections in the Pentateuch are more important theologically than this remarkable narrative. In a real sense, the Balaam story may be said to summarize the revelation of God’s purpose as it was communicated to Moses.’ 3 The Balaam narrative is ‘one of the most eloquent expositions of YHWH’s deep and abiding relationship with His people Israel,’ 4 a credit to the sovereign power of Yeshua’s atoning covenant love, taking unbelief’s curse upon Himself and turning it into the blessings of Abraham (Gal. 3:13-14; 2Co. 5:21) . It guarantees each of His images, by the promised Spirit, will become who they are numbered and registered in heaven to be, just humans made perfect, and assume their assigned role in the holy city of the living God.
Fun Factors:
Balaam’s four prophecies of 980 letters (142 + 282) in 265 words (112 + 122) totaling 61211, (23 × 53)(52 + 62) + 211, contain the sum of two squares, the stamp of YHWH’s holiness upon Israel. The total of 61, 211 tells us that YHWH’s thousands (23 × 53) are reality (cubed) in Tabernacle (62, 36) holiness (52, 25), plus 211, equaling “these are My feasts” (Lev. 23:2, end of verse). YHWH’s salvation plan is engraved with 61, the center of a triangle of 153, and His Feasts, 211, His Sabbath and Feasts.
Footnotes:
1 Morales, L. Michael, 2024, Numbers 20-36, Apollos Inter-Varsity Press, London, p.152.
2 Ibid., p.157. Numbering (mispar) Israel occurs nineteen times in Numbers 1, and the camp is divided into four directions: east, south, west, and north in Numbers 2. Who can count even one of Israel’s four divisions?
3 Ibid., p. 100, Moriarty, F. L., (1968), ‘Numbers’ in Jerome Bible Commentary, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.; Prentice-Hall, p. 95.
4 Ibid., p. 100, Allen, R. B., (1981), revised 2012, ‘Numbers,’ Numbers – Ruth, EBC, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, p. 84