I hope you didn’t miss the miracle of inspiration in the previous lessons. Look who’s listening! Did you wonder how Moses recorded the dignitaries’ conversation to Balaam in far-off Mesopotamia? Or heard the mountaintop arguments between Balak and Balaam? God was standing by, of course, and dictated it all to Moses. Just a reminder: God […]
Balaam gave Balak a bonus prophecy, one which he didn’t want: all who defy God will be losers! From the heights of Peor, Balaam concluded his third pronouncement, saying, “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you” (Num 24:9). Enough! “Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his […]
“He saved others!” “This Man receives sinners!” That’s honey from Satan, the defeated lion’s carcass. As Balak heard Balaam’s so-called “curse” over the children of Israel, it sure sounded like a blessing to him. “What have you done to me?” he yelled. “I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them […]
Don’t be wishy-washy about your eternal destiny. Jesus must be your Savior or Judge. You choose! The most remarkable thing about Balaam’s donkey speaking is that Balaam answered him! The donkey was more aware of the situation than this false prophet. “Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with […]
Read More… from October 5, 2022 — A Fatal Flaw: Spiritual Ambivalence
“The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush, but the speech of the upright rescues them” (Prov 12:6, CSB). There is an incident in Numbers 22 that seems confusing. First, God gave Balaam permission to go to Balak, then was angry because he did. What gives? Many times over, the Proverbs warn about those […]
Read More… from October 4, 2022 — To Go Or Not To Go: That Is The Question
Balaam must have been some fellow. They traveled 800 miles—twice—to acquire his services! From the beginning of Numbers 22 to the end of the book, “the children of Israel…camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho” (Num 22:1). Enter “Balak the son of Zippor…king of the Moabites” (v […]
Read More… from October 3, 2022 — Balaam, The Rent-A-Prophet
If the enemy can’t win through a frontal attack, he’ll try subterfuge and sabotage to get us! The children of Israel had hardly settled down after the rout of the Amorites when “Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei” (Num 21:33). There’s something about that […]
Read More… from September 30, 2022 — One More Battle East Of Jordan
Can you feel the excitement as Israel moves into position to enter Canaan? Almost there! Listen. “From the wilderness they went to Mattanah, from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, and from Bamoth, in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah” (Num 21:18-20). They aren’t spending much […]
Blessings around us should cause the wellsprings of our hearts to burst forth in praise to God. Instead of the dry and desolate conditions in what Moses called “all that great and terrible wilderness” (Deut 1:19), the children of Israel are beginning to see the first hints of what the Lord called “a land flowing” […]