Stand Firm – Balak – July 16

Discerning the truth in our world today is not easy.  I don’t know if it ever has been easy to discern the truth from a lie, however, the lines of integrity and absolute truth are becoming more and more blurred by rationalization and deception in our day and age. I see this almost everyday especially as I monitor politics in Israel, in America, and around the world.

How can we discern truth from a lie? How do we stand firm in the truth in a world of deception? In this week’s Torah Portion we read about a familiar story that pierces the darkness of deception by the word of truth.

בלק – Balak

The name of this week’s Torah Portion is “בלק” – “Balak,” which is the name of the King of Moab who conspired against Israel.  Balak became terrified of the sons of Israel when they camped in the plains of Moab (Num. 22:1).  The Israelites had recently defeated Sihon King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan (Num. 21:21-35).  Balak was concerned that his kingdom would be next.

Balak called together the elders of Midian and made a plan to come against Israel.  Rather than begin with a military strategy, Balak chose to begin with a spiritual attack by cursing the Israelites through a certain well-known spiritual guide of that time, Balaam:

So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” – Num. 22:5-6

Balak’s strategy was to use the powers of darkness to curse the Israelites and make them weak so that he could destroy.

The Curse

Balak used the word “curse” three times in the second verse above (Num. 22:6). The word for “curse” in this verse is the Hebrew word “ארר” – “arar.” We first see this word used in the Bible in the Genesis account of the Fall of Man:

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life;”  (Gen. 3:14)

The serpent had deceived Adam and Eve and as a result sin and death entered the perfect world which God had created.  Adam and Eve tasted death in their separation from God and were expelled from the Garden. Through the serpent’s deception he also brought a curse upon himself, as we read above. There are several connections to the Genesis 3 account of the Fall of Man in this week’s Torah Portion.

The Plan of the Enemy

Balak’s plan was to curse the Israelites in order to weaken them and then to expel them from the Land (Num. 22:6). The Hebrew word used for the phrase “drive them out” is “לגרש” – “le’garesh,” which literally means “to expel, drive out, drive away, or divorce.”

It is interesting to note that history has not changed at all in regard to the enemies of Israel wanting to curse them and drive them out of the Land. Today Israel has several outspoken enemies that want to expel them from the Land of Israel; The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranian regime, ISIS, and others.  The plan of the serpent in the Garden of Eden is the same plan today of the enemies of Israel; to bring a curse on the people of God and to drive them out of the Land.

בלעם – Balaam

Balak sought to use Balaam as his tool in order to bring down the children of Israel with a curse.  The first delegation of officials went to Balaam and told Balaam of Balak’s offer to honor him greatly if he would agree to come and curse Israel.  Balaam invited the men to stay as he sought the counsel of the LORD.  The LORD responded to Balaam that very night:

God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” The leaders of Moab arose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.” – Num. 22:12-14

God’s message was clear, “don’t go with them and do not curse this people for they are blessed.”  Balaam accepted God’s answer and sent the delegation back to Balak.

After the delegation returned to Balak and informed him of Balaam’s response Balak sent a second, more distinguished delegation in order to try to persuade Balaam to take his offer. Balak also promised to honor him richly and to do whatever he would tell him to do.  Balaam’s response to the second delegation was quite cleaver:

Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the LORD my God. Now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the LORD will speak to me.” God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.” – Num. 22:18-20

It seems like Balaam was being steadfast in his faithfulness to the LORD in his response to the second delegation, however, in reality he was seeking “to add” to the words of God.  Balaam was hoping that God would change his mind and give him permission to go.  God gave Balaam the desire of his heart.

Self-Deception

I truly believe that what we see in the life of Balaam, through his words and actions, is a lifestyle of deceit.  God had already clearly spoken to Balaam about Balak’s request.  God had said “NO!” but Balaam was seeking another answer.  Balaam was literally seeking to add to the words of God.  To read more about the subject of “adding to God’s word” I recommend last year’s commentary on this Torah Portion: When God Says No!

There is a serious warning to us in this story of Balaam: we must heed God’s Word the first time and not attempt to change or add to God’s known Word to us. We can easily do this in so many different ways. We must never act against what we know to be the truth, the clear teaching in God’s Word.

Truth & Deception

It is the deceptive lie of Satan to question what God has clearly stated and to seek another alternative.  This is exactly what happened in the Garden of Eden when the serpent spoke with Eve: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1) Satan questioned God’s word, twisted it, and then provided another alternative: “The serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely will not die!…’” (Gen. 3:4). This was the lie that Eve and Adam believed.

Whenever we question God’s Word and seek to alter it in any manner, we are playing with fire.  We can easily rationalize our actions and words by finding someone to agree with our twisted thinking. We need to guard against this by standing firm on the truth of God’s Word. We must constantly discern between the truth and the lie.

Balaam’s Deception

God did not want Balaam to go with those men, however, God realized that Balaam did not really want to obey the word which He had already spoken to him.  As a result of this, God gave Balaam over to the desire of his heart and told him to go with a warning; to only act according to the word of the LORD. So Balaam went but God opposed Balaam on the way:

So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab. But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. – Num. 22:21-22

God was angry that Balaam went to meet Balak in Moab. God knew that deceit was in Balaam’s heart and He was about to teach him a lesson.

We read that as Balaam journeyed to Moab, the angel of the LORD came and stood in the way “as an adversary against him.”  The Hebrew word for “adversary” is the word “שטן” – “satan” which literally means “adversary” or “Satan” as a proper name.  It seems unusual that this word that is connected to Satan would be used in reference to the actions of the angel of the LORD, since the angel of the LORD is commonly believed to be the LORD Himself.

The Adversary

The Hebrew word “שטן” – “satan” is generally used of one person who opposes another in any manner (2 Samuel 19:23) and is used as a proper name for Satan several times in Job chapters one and two.  In the prophet Zechariah we see the Hebrew word “שטן” – “satan” used in a general way and as a proper name side by side:

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. – Zech. 3:1

The word for “Satan” and “accuse” are the same Hebrew word: “והשטן עומד על ימינו לשטנו” – “ve’ha’satan omed al yemino le’sitno.” Satan gets his name because he is the great adversary and accuser of mankind. Satan is also the great adversary against God.

When the angel of the LORD came out and stood as an adversary against Balaam, God was declaring that He was opposed to what Balaam was attempting to join with Balak. Balaam had disobeyed God’s original word to him and had sought to add to the words of God. Because of Balaam’s opposition to God’s word and God’s people, God Himself stood as an adversary against Balaam. In essence, Balaam was agreeing to work with Balak and together they were acting as an adversary against the people of God. The angel of the LORD stood as an adversary against Balaam.

The Talking Donkey

As Balaam continued on his journey the angel of the LORD stood in the path of Balaam with a drawn sword three different times.  Each time that Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the LORD she turned aside and the third time she laid down.  Balaam didn’t see the angel of the LORD and as a result of this, he became angry with his donkey and he beat her three times:

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.” – Num. 22:28-30

Balaam was so angry at his donkey for not obeying his word that he beat her three times and didn’t even realize that his donkey was having a conversation with him.  The donkey asked Balaam questions and Balaam answered.

The Angel of the LORD

As the conversation between Balaam and his donkey came to an end, the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes so that he could see the angel of the LORD standing before him:

The angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me. But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” – Num. 22:32-33

God was teaching Balaam a lesson and used a donkey as His teaching tool.

Balaam was angry at his donkey for not listening to his command and for taking him off the path that he wanted to travel on.  Balaam told his donkey that he would have killed her if he had a sword in his hand. Ironically, the angel of the LORD was standing with a drawn sword in His hand and could have killed Balaam but he was saved because his donkey saw the angel of the LORD and turned away.

The Path of God

The angel of the LORD was standing in Balaam’s way because He was opposed to his going to Moab.  Balaam had disobeyed the LORD’s original word to him and departed from the path of God.  Balaam was going down the wrong path and the angel of the LORD was there to remind him of the path of God.

Are you walking in the path that God has set for you or are you walking on the path of your choosing? It is good to periodically ask ourselves this question and to make sure that we have not chosen our own way, which is contrary to God’s plan for us. It is easy to act and look “religious” like Balaam and totally miss the way of God. We need to be careful to listen to God’s voice and not manipulate our prayers and relationship with God for selfish gain.

The Correction of God

After the face to face confrontation with the angel of the LORD Balaam realized the seriousness of the situation that he was in and how he had transgressed the word of God:

Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak. – Num. 22:34-35

Balaam admitted his sin and seemed to be willing to do whatever the angel of the LORD would say to him at that moment.  The angel of the LORD told him that he could continue with the men but that he should only speak the words which he would give him.

Balaam actually walked in obedience to what the angel of the LORD spoke to him.  The next two chapters in the book of Numbers are filled with the oracles of Balaam by which Balaam spoke blessings over Israel and curses over Moab, Amalek, and the Kenite. Although it appears that Balaam walked with God, in the end he proved himself to be deceitful by helping to lead the children of Israel into a great sin.

The Sin of Baal Peor

In place of cursing Israel, Balaam counseled the Moabites and Midianties in how to defeat the Israelites by worshiping foreign gods and committing sexual immorality:

While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. – Num. 25:1-3

As a result of this great sin of Israel, the judgement of God was sent throughout the camp and 24,000 Israelites died.

We read later in the book of Numbers how Moses led the Israelites to take vengeance on the Midianites.  It was at this time that the Israelites killed Balaam as he was residing with the Midianities (Num. 31:8).  We also read of Moses’ response to the Israelites who wanted to spare the women of Midian:

Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. And Moses said to them, “Have you spared all the women? Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD. – Num. 31:14-15

Balaam was a master deceiver who spoke what God put in his mouth but failed to learn to fully walk with God.

Balaam was a deceitful man who had a very unusual encounter with the God of Israel. It seems that Balaam had a repentant heart toward God, however, the fruit of his life speaks otherwise. Balaam’s walk with God appears almost flawless as we continually read about his seeking God and prophesying over Israel, however, Balaam was a man full of deception as is verified in this New Testament verse:

…forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; – 2 Peter 2:15

In the end, Balaam’s deceitful life was exposed.

Standing Firm in Faith

There are so many practical life lessons to be learned from the story of Balak and Balaam. One of the core lessons that we learn is to obey the Word of God without reservation. Deviation from God’s Word leads to all sorts of confusion in life. We live in a world today that is constantly challenging God’s Word and trying to conform God’s Word to suit a lifestyle that God’s Word clearly rejects.  We must hold fast to the truth and not seek to add to God’s Word.

Another core lesson from this week’s Torah Portion is to be ever vigilant against the plans of the evil one.  The enemy is deceitful and will attack us when we least expect it. The Israelites let down their guard and allowed the enemy to come into their camp. The people were led away by the deceit of sin and they brought great judgment upon themselves.

We need to remain faithful to the Word of God and be ever vigilant. I want to end this week’s study with the following exhortation from the New Testament:

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. – 1 Peter 5:8-9

Be vigilant and stand firm in the faith!

 

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Num. 22:2 – Num. 25:9

Hafatara: Micah 5:6 – Micah 6:8

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