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This week our parasha is “Balak,” named after the wicked King of Moab and covers Numbers 22:2 – 25:9. In this parasha we learn that no one can stop the will of God and that the Lord can sometimes use the most unlikely and unwilling of people to accomplish His will.
Numbers 22 begins with Balak, King of Moab, afraid of our people and knowing He was unable to defeat us in battle. So instead of waging war, Balak decided to send for the prophet-for-hire known as Balaam. Balaam was a prophet known for his willingness to curse or bless anyone if the price was right. Balak trusted in Balaam’s powers to give Balak victory over our people. Balak trusted that a man as powerful as Balaam could help him defeat our people, but instead he set off a chain of events no one would have predicted.
Balak sent a grand procession to Balaam with payment for his services. Balaam responded to Balak’s servants that he must first consult with the Lord before he decided to go with them. When he did so the Lord told Balaam not to go with the messengers because our people were blessed, so Balaam refused to leave. However, Balak, knowing how a man like Balaam thought, sent his messengers back again with offers of more honor and money. Balaam decided to ask the Lord again for permission to go with them and curse our people hoping the Lord would change His mind. The Lord told Balaam he could go; however, Adonai commanded that Balaam only speak what He told him to speak.
Balaam set out on his donkey with Balak’s entourage but the Lord was angry at Balaam’s willingness to curse our people for money. The Lord sent an angel to block Balaam’s way three times, and each time the donkey refused to allow Balaam’s and the angel’s paths to cross. Each time Balaam beat the donkey for her trouble. The third time, however, the donkey could not avoid the angel that Balaam could not see. So she laid down and was beaten again by Balaam. It was at this point the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. The donkey told Balaam she was faithful and did not deserve to be beaten. Balaam began to argue with the donkey, and was so angry he did not even register his donkey was talking. He wished for a sword to kill his faithful animal completely unaware that there was a sword nearby in the hands of an angel ready to kill him.
The Lord then allowed Balaam to see the angel, and his mood quickly changed. He immediately threw himself on the ground, and the angel told Balaam his donkey had saved his life. He then told Balaam he could now continue his journey but warned him severely to only speak as Adonai commanded. This section of the story is deliberately meant to be humorous. The creature possessing the deepest spiritual insight on this journey is the simple donkey Balaam was riding. For all his supposed power and knowledge and communication with the Lord, Balaam was blinder than the beast on which he rode. A man believed to have great power and knowledge was humbled by his own donkey.
Eventually Balaam reached Balak, and they set up the ceremony to curse our people. Three times at three different high places Balaam tried to curse our people. With the first two attempts, Balaam tried to use his pagan craft to find omens for his cursing; but the Lord, instead, caused him to speak blessings. The third time Balaam abandoned his omen-seeking behavior; and the spirit of God came upon him to deliver his third and most powerful blessing, which was a prophecy about King David and King Yeshua the Messiah!
After every attempt Balak was furious that his plans had been reversed with Balaam telling him though he tried to curse our people he could only speak what Adonai allowed him to speak. After the third attempt sent Balaam back home with his plan of cursing completely reversed by the Lord into one of blessing.
But sadly the parasha does not end here, Numbers 25 records a very shameful chapter in our history. Camped near the Moabite people, many of the men of Israel decided to have relations with the young Moabite women. Besides promiscuous behavior with these enemies, our people began to worship their gods. This idolatry caused a plague to come upon the people. To stop the Lord’s anger against our people, Moses was commanded to kill all those who had sexual relations with these women and had become idolaters. The parasha ends with 24,000 recorded as dead from the plague.
Much of parasha Balak focuses on Balaam the wicked prophet, who has provoked much discussion throughout history. We see throughout the parasha Balaam always seems to say the right thing; he identifies Adonai as his God and repeatedly tells everyone that he can only say what the Lord allows him to say. When he finally comprehends the angel of the Lord barring his way, he offers to turn around. He hears from God and even gives a prophecy about King David and Messiah Yeshua! Because of this some argue Balaam was not really that wicked, just misunderstood.
If you judge Balaam by what he says, it is easy to come to this conclusion; but his actions show he was only loyal to one person — himself. Balaam’s desire for wealth was great enough that he was willing to curse others for his own gain including people blessed by God. His actions are clearly those of a man filled with selfish ambition at the expense of everyone else.
Balaam is remembered throughout Scriptures as one of the most wicked individuals who has ever lived. Scripture also mentions, those who walk in the way of Balaam, those who say the right things and at first glance seem to follow the Lord. But their actions tell another story; they are willing to sin and harm God’s people in the pursuit of wealth and power.
We live in a world that rewards those like Balaam, but the Lord has revealed to us the sad ultimate fate of those who would embrace Balaam’s way and not the Lord’s, death and eternal punishment. May the Lord enable each of us to choose His way over our own, and continue to protect us even when we are completely unaware.