After the encounter with the talking donkey and being told time and time again that he wasn’t to go to Moab, Numbers 22:21-41, Balaam now has seven altars made, and he offers sacrifices on them, Numbers 23:1-2.
Balaam tells Balak to stay where he was beside his offering, while Balaam will go aside, Numbers 23:3. He says, perhaps the LORD will come to meet with him, and whatever God reveals to him, he will tell Balak.
Then he went off to a barren height, Numbers 23:3. God met with him, and Balaam said, He has prepared seven altars, and on each altar he has offered a bull and a ram, Numbers 23:4.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘God served His own purposes through the arts of Balaam and manifested His will through the agencies employed to seek it, dealing thus with Balaam in an exceptional manner. To God’s own people auguries were forbidden, Leviticus 19:26.’
The LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, Go back to Balak and give him this word, Numbers 23:5. So Balaam went back to Balak and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials, Numbers 23:6.
Balaam tells them that Balak brought him from Aram, which was Balaam’s home, Deuteronomy 23:4, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. Come and curse Jacob for him, come, denounce Israel, Numbers 23:7. How can he curse those whom God has not cursed? How can he denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced? Numbers 23:8.
Because Israel believed in the One true God, they would live among the nations who worshipped false gods, and so, Israel would live apart because of their faith in God, Numbers 23:9.
Notice Balaam prophesied that Jacob, that is Israel, would be like dust, Numbers 23:10. In other words, they would grow into a mighty people just as God promised Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3 / Genesis 13:16 / Genesis 28:14. Balaam says let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs, Numbers 23:10.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The word ‘righteous’ here, Numbers 23:10, is plural and therefore refers to all of the nation of Israel. He also speaks in the same context of the nation “as a corporate unity.’ As far as it pertained to Balaam, such a request was futile. He died fighting on the side of the enemies of Israel, Numbers 31:8.’
Israel was a righteous nation, that is, a nation that lived right with God, and because of this, they didn’t deserve to be cursed. After hearing all of this, Balak realised that because Israel couldn’t be cursed, they would end up against him, Numbers 23:11. Balaam then tells Balak that he could only speak what God put in his mouth, Numbers 23:12.
Balak asks Baalam to go with him to another place where he can see them; he will not see them all, but only the outskirts of their camp, and from there, curse them for Balak, Numbers 23:13.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Balak thought that the sight of such an immense camp had intimidated Balaam, and this he might gather from what he said in Numbers 23:10, who can count the dust of Jacob, he thought therefore that he might get Balaam to curse them in detached parties, till the whole camp should be devoted to destruction by successive execrations.’
Here again, seven altars are built, and offerings were made, but in a different location, Numbers 23:14.
Coke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Zophim, signifies watchmen; and the field of Zophim seems to have been a plain on the top of the mountain, where watchmen were placed in order to give a signal upon the approach of enemies, Isaiah 21:11 / Isaiah 52:8. Pisgah was a very high mountain in the country of Moab, from some parts of which almost the whole extent of Canaan might be seen, Deuteronomy 3:27. But Balak, it appears, brought Balaam to that side of it where he could not see much of the camp of Israel.’
Balaam once again tells Balak to stay where he was beside his offering, and Balaam will meet with him over there, Numbers 23:15.
The Pulpit Commentary says the following.
‘Balaam does not say whom or what he is going to meet, but from the use of the same term in Numbers 24:1-25. It is evident that he employed the language of soothsayers looking for auguries. He may have spoken vaguely on purpose, because he was in truth acting a part with Balak.’
And once again, the LORD met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, go back to Balak and give him this word, Numbers 23:16. Balaam goes and meets Balak, who was standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials, and Balak asked him, what did the LORD say? Numbers 23:17.
Notice that God speaks directly to Balak and tells him that He is not human, He is not a liar, and He doesn’t change His mind, Numbers 23:18-20. In other words, He isn’t a false god, a god made after the imagination of men, like Chemosh. He can’t lie like Balak wanted Him to, and He won’t change His mind as Balak wanted Him to.
Allen, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Balaam is constantly shifting, prevaricating, equivocating, changing-he is himself the prime example of the distinction between God and man.’
Notice he says, the LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them, Numbers 23:21.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Does this verse say that Israel, at the time this was written, was under the monarchy? Indeed, it says no such thing; but this very mention of such a word sets off a whole truckload of allegations to the effect that this episode was not written until long after Moses, in the days following the Judges, after which the monarch was set up in Israel. As a matter of truth, the word ‘king’ does not even belong in the rendition here. The Septuagint (LXX) and the Samaritan versions of the Pentateuch both render the passage: ‘The Lord his God is with him (with Jacob), and royal majesty accompanies him.’ This gives the true meaning of the passage. The ‘king’ in view here was in no sense an earthly ruler of the Jews, but God Himself.’
God reminds Balak that He was with Israel, and history has shown this to be true, especially concerning God bringing them out of Egypt, Numbers 23:22, and because of this, Israel was as strong and confident as a wild ox, Numbers 23:22.
Notice the KJV uses the word ‘unicorn’, Numbers 23:22 / Numbers 24:8. The word used in Hebrew is the word ‘r’em’, which is used nine times in the Old Testament.
The idea behind the word is either of one horn or a mighty horn. Some commentators suggest it refers to a rhinoceros, others suggest a wild ox or a strong goat.
God tells Balak that there is no divination against Jacob, no evil omens against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, See what God has done! Numbers 23:23 / Joshua 13:22.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning divination.
‘More strictly ‘augury’ and ‘soothsayer’s token’, or the omen that was superstitiously observed. ‘Soothsayer’ is the term applied to Balaam in Joshua 13:22.’
God tells him that Israel only existed as a nation because of Him, not because of any man, Numbers 23:23. Notice God says Israel would rise up like a lioness and like a lion, eat until the prey was consumed, Numbers 23:24 / Jeremiah 49:19.
In other words, there wasn’t any nation which existed that would be able to stand against them. If Balak chose to go against Israel, the nation of Moab would be eaten for breakfast.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Israel would be victorious in battle as well as enjoy God’s blessing, Numbers 23:24 / Genesis 49:9-11 / Micah 5:8-9. This was the opposite of what Balak wanted to hear. No one can curse someone whom God has blessed.’
We can almost hear the frustration coming from Balak’s words; he knows that Balaam can’t curse Israel, and so he asks Balaam to say nothing at all, Numbers 23:25. And so, once again, Balaam reminds Balak that He can only say what the Lord puts into his mouth, Numbers 23:26.
Once again, Balak takes Balaam to a different location in order for Balaam to curse Israel, Numbers 23:27. The first two messages came from the top of Pisgah, but the stage is now changed to the top of Peor, Numbers 23:28 / Deuteronomy 34:6.
Coke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘As the Syrians imagined that some gods were powerful in the hills, who could do nothing in the plains, 1 Kings 20:23 / 1 Kings 20:28, so it seems there was such a conceit at this time in these countries, that some gods had more power on one hill than on another. The idea of local deities was very general. Thus, Balak might imagine that his God had hitherto been withheld by the gods of Israel from granting his desire, but might be more powerful in another place.’
Notice again, there are another seven altars made and seven sacrifices are made, Numbers 23:29. Balak did as Balaam had said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar, Numbers 23:30.
It’s certainly coming across that Balak is becoming more and more desperate to do something about these Israelites. In the next chapter, we read that Balak goes on to seek some kind of divine help in defeating the threat of Israel.