Today started week 7 and I couldn’t be more confused right now. Today was all about Balak and Balaam and Balaam’s oracles. Did I miss something somewhere along the way? Who are these people? I am really having trouble following their story.
Yesterday got a little tricky when it started naming the people they were encountering and defeating, so I tried to quickly summarize it and move on. I had no idea today would continue with names I don’t know. I really feel confused as to where they even came from. I will be relying on my study Bible a lot today trying to figure out what the hell is going on!
My understanding so far is that Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho, which was their staging area. From that point, they would launch their attack on Canaan, beginning with the ancient city of Jericho. Moab did not trust Israel’s intentions, however. Moab’s fear led to a remarkable interval in the story of Israel: the account of Balak and Balaam.
Balak was the king of Moab, but didn’t know that Israel had no plans against him. He was very afraid of the people of Israel because there were so many. Balak made an alliance with the Midianites to oppose Israel, and said to them, “This horde will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass in the field.”
Since Balak believed there was no military way to withstand Israel, he sought to oppose them through pagan divination, sending for Balaam, a diviner with an international reputation. He said, “Come now, curse these people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian set out with the fees for divination. They went to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. Balaam told them to stay the night there while he spoke with the Lord.
God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?” Balaam explained what Balak had said and the Lord told him that he could not go with them, and he could not curse the people because they were blessed.
Apparently Balaam didn’t know that the people Balak was talking about, the people of Israel, were God’s people?
The next morning Balaam got up and said to the men Balak sent, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” So the men went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Once again, Balak sent men to Balaam to try to convince him to come with them to curse the people of Israel. Balaam refused saying he could not go beyond the command of the Lord. He invited the men to stay the night, so he could speak to the Lord again. This time the Lord told him to go with the men back to Balak, but only do as the Lord would tell him to do. So, Balaam rose the next morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the men of Moab.
This seems to be a contradiction between the permission God granted Balaam here and the prohibition he gave him earlier. The anger of the Lord was shown on Balaam’s journey. This was basically a test of Balaam’s character. God had forbidden him to go to curse the people of Israel, but then allowed him to go, but only if he would follow the Lord’s direction.
God was very angry that he went and he sent an angel of the Lord to stand in the way of the road to oppose him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.
Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards with walls on each side. When the donkey saw the angel, she pressed up close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.
Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn in either direction. When the donkey saw the angel, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and he beat her with his staff.
Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
Balaam answered saying she had made a fool out of him and if he had a sword in his hand, he would have killed her right then.
The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” Balaam said, “No.”
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. The angel asked him why he was beating his donkey; and said that the only reason the donkey was acting that way was because she had seen the angel. If not for her turning away those three times the dumbass would be dead, and she had saved him.
Balaam said that he had sinned and that he would go back. But, the angel told him to continue on with the men, but speak only what he was told.
When Balaam got to Balak he told him to build seven altars, and to prepare seven bulls and seven rams. They offered on each altar a bull and a ram. The Lord spoke to Balaam and he blessed the people of Israel. Balak was angry because he sent for Balaam to curse the people, not bless them. But, Balaak was obeying the Lord. This was Balaam’s first oracle.
Then Balak took Balaam with him to a place where they could look out over the people of Israel so he could see how many there were. They went to the top of the mountain and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each. The Lord spoke to Balaam again, and again he was told to bless the people. Balak was angry saying if he wasn’t going to curse them, then he shouldn’t bless them either. But Balaam said he must speak what the Lord put in his mouth. This was Balaam’s second oracle.
Then Balak took him to another place hoping the Lord would allow Balaam to curse the people from there. They built seven altars again and offered a bull and a ram on each. Balaam looked out and saw the tribes of Israel encamped tribe by tribe, and the Spirit of God came upon him. Balaam’s eyes were opened and he wanted to be part of Israel’s blessing.
Balak was furious that he had summoned Balaam to curse his enemies, but he blessed them three times instead. He told Balaam to go back to where he came from, but Balaam had one more oracle where he warned Balak of what the people of Israel would do to his people in days to come.
With that, Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.
After rereading, studying, and journaling I feel a lot better about this section. I like that if I don’t understand something at first, by the time I finish the day’s “lesson” I am able to grasp the concept better. Today was a perfect example of that.
I have been getting very frustrated lately when I don’t understand something. It makes it difficult to want to continue on, when I’d rather just skip it or shut down and not do anything. Plugging away at this, even when it gets difficult, makes me appreciate all of the different resources out there to help me understand; and by the time I’m done for the day, I know that I am learning!
Also, where is Moses? He wasn’t mentioned at all in this section. I thought I was following his story, and now he’s nowhere to be found…
That’s a frustrating part as well. I know I’ve complained about this before, but it is irritating that by the time I am somewhat able to follow a story and figure out the names of people and places, it just changes. That’s what happened today, and I feel it’s going to continue happening. Ugh!