GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
NUMBERS 22:36-41
Balak Meets Balaam
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Didn’t I send for you urgently when I summoned you? Why didn’t you come to me? Don’t you know that I can really reward you?” 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you now. But am I really able to say anything? I will speak only the words that God puts in my mouth.”
Balaam’s trip south from his home on the Euphrates to the border of Moab near the Dead Sea was almost at an end. To get there, he had traveled on his donkey through the regions of Bashan, Gilead, and Ammon. Bashan had once been ruled by Og, the giant Rephaite king, now buried in a new grave near Edrei– killed this very year by the Israelites (Psalm 136:18-22). Gilead had been inhabited by the tribes in and around Jazer, but now no longer. They had been killed or driven out this very year by the Israelites (Micah 7:14). Ammon had been the domain of Sihon the Amorite, and he, too, was dead– killed this very year by the Israelites. “The blaze from the midst of Sihon scorches the foreheads of Moab” (Jeremiah 48:45).
This is what Israel had done at a single command from the Lord their God. This was why Balak was terrified of them. The frightened king was at the edge of his territory and at the end of his wits when Balaam finally arrived. His “what took you so long?” speech fell on ears that were, for the moment, not much interested in the reward Balak was promising. Balaam was afraid. The words God had spoken to him preached a sermon of warning and doom. The grim trip probably preached a similar message: the conquered lands, the slashed and sliced-up tents, the burning buildings, a handful of wandering sheep here and there in the valleys and hillsides. Abandoned camps and villages. Wrecked chariots. Smoking ruins. Then there was Balak’s pitiful army. No company or brigade of Moabites could impress Balaam when set against the half million veterans of Israel with their polished shields, glinting spears, and 3-and-0 record here in the land east of the Jordan. First Sihon, then Og, and soon, Balak trembled, soon…?
39 Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent for Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. From there, he saw the outskirts of the people.
Kiriath Huzoth must have been a good-sized city. In Greek its name is translated “city of houses” (πόλεις ἐπαύλεων). It must have been a few miles east of the north end of the Dead Sea, near where Israel was then camped. This must have been the case since the next morning Balak and Balaam climbed a high hill or mountain, the “high place of Baal” (that’s what Bamoth Baal means) and could see the “outskirts of the people,” that is, their camp.
We see a sin committed here, and Balaam doesn’t lift a single finger to object, which is further evidence of his false belief, that is, unbelief. Balak the Moabite sacrificed these cattle and sheep to the local Baal, since the place was called “high place of Baal.” Christian readers are sometimes confused about Israel’s sacrifices, but what should we make of these pagan offerings? These fall into the same category as those Paul describes as “food sacrificed to an idol” in 1 Corinthians 8:4,7. These weren’t offerings to atone for sin, but simply to honor the local rain and fertility god (Baal). Once the meat had cooked on the altar or boiled nearby, it was time to eat. Some little portion might be dedicated (burned up) for the god, and a libation of wine would usually be poured out (Jeremiah 44:25; Psalm 16:4). These sacrifices may have provided food for Balak’s military escort, as well, but it’s also possible that Balak let the soldiers fend for themselves, taking contributions from (robbing) local farms or flocks (Ezekiel 22:29; Amos 3:10). I don’t suppose Moab had the same Third Amendment that we have.
The human capacity for self-delusion is immense. Balaam had seen first-hand the destruction by the hand of God on an area of land more than a hundred miles long, all along the road he had taken through Bashan, Gilead and Ammon. Now he was taking part in a heathen sacrifice to a false god, despite the power he had witnessed from the true God, and even though he had now spoken with the Lord God three times over. He never even thought to lift up his hands in the sanctuary of the true God and praise him (Psalm 134:2).
Let’s consider this in terms of our life of faith. When a Christian struggles with temptation or with the guilt of having fallen into a certain sin, we can remember our baptism where all of our sins were washed away, and say to ourselves: “I am a Christian. I am baptized. Only unbelief can damn me, and I believe in Jesus for my forgiveness. God is faithful in all his promises (Hebrews 10:23; 11:11), and I have received the sign of his forgiveness in my baptism. If God is for me, who can be against me?” (Romans 8:31).
In a similar way, the Old Testament believers looked to the gospel promises of God which, though less personal in some ways, were more obvious and clear in others. Whenever the Israelites turned to God in repentance, they remembered above all the exodus from Egypt for encouragement. This is even how God introduced the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt…” (Exodus 20:2; Deuteronomy 5:6,15; Jeremiah 11:4). They remembered God’s gospel promise and his great gospel act of rescuing them from the bondage of Egypt. In a still greater way, baptism is our rescue from the oppressive Egyptian bondage of our sins. Our sins are blotted out, squashed, and blown away like leftover flour or sugar into the trash and we can pat our hands clean remembering that our faith in Christ, given at baptism, is all the reassurance we need. Tempt us as he might, the devil cannot chain us up and drag us down into hell so long as faith in Christ remains, the faith of a little child, a nursing infant, as Jesus says (Mark 10:14; Luke 18:15:17). And the rest of the Scriptures attest to the same saving faith in us (Psalm 78:4-7; Proverbs 22:6; Joel 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:15).
In our text, Balaam is therefore on the side of Satan, who also heard the Lord and spoke with him but was proud and rejected him (1 Timothy 3:6; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7. He was on slippery ground, about to be swept away by terrors (Psalm 73:18-19). We need to teach our children to recognize the devil’s traps and avoid them, like the game children play when all of the furniture is safe but the floor is hot lava. Use the gifts God gives to you, especially the help of the Holy Spirit, to stay clear of the devil’s temptations and traps, and to strain and fight to lead a godly life every single day. We want to ask: How can I follow my Savior more closely today even than I did yesterday?
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota
God’s Word for You – Numbers 22:36-41 the floor is lava