Feb 18: Numbers 21-23
The
Israelites are trying to get through the desert to the Promised Land, but they
are having difficulty getting permission to travel across the land. It’s little
wonder that people didn’t want this huge crowd walking through their land,
drinking their water, eating their food, and leaving a mess behind. But despite
their promises to merely pass and not be a disturbance, they were refused. As a
result of attacks on the wanderers, God allowed his people to overtake their
enemies and inhabit the towns. Can you imagine how wonderful it must have been
to sleep in a real house for the first time in decades? Even if it wasn’t your
own.
The king of
Moab hears about these battles and is terrified of the Israelites. He calls on
Balaam, a well known oracle, to curse the group.
So who was
this Balaam? He is mentioned in eight books of the Bible! He wasn’t an
Israelite, at least not a devout one, but he obviously knew a lot about the
history and current status of God’s people.
In his discourses he mentions Jacob and the exodus from Egypt. He knows
about the sacrificial practice and the significance of the number seven. I
wonder who he was actually offering these sacrifices to, for the Lord was very
clear about the process for offering sacrifices to him.
And it is
obvious that he has heard from God and respected (somewhat) what he heard. My
study Bible points out that the author of Numbers (Moses) didn’t have much
respect for Balaam’s contact with the Lord. If you look closely, the ‘narrator’
of the story uses the term ‘God’ (original term Elohim) most often when referring
to the interaction between God and Balaam, yet uses the word ‘Lord’ (Yahweh) when quoting Balaam.
I wonder what
surprised Balaam more – hearing his donkey speak or seeing the angel of the
Lord?
There is
actually an inscription related to Balaam at an archaeological site in Gilead,
east of the Jordon River. It is a poetic story of a vision supposedly given to
Balaam by the god El that he relayed to the leaders regarding an impending
disaster. This reinforces the theory that Balaam was not a follow of the one
true God, but a mystic who professed to speak to multiple gods. I bet he was
surprised when our Lord actually
responded!
TOMORROW’S TEXT: Numbers 24:1 – 26:34
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