King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, March 05, 2026
Chapters: Numbers 22-24
Message: Numbers: Balaam and Balak
Hello My Friend,
God may have been angry with the Israelites for the rebellion and disrespect that kept bringing judgment upon them, yet they were still His people, and among them were many who truly believed. Word traveled far that the Israelites were headed to Canaan and taking out every nation who went up against them. As we continue in the reading of Numbers we learn that Moab was no different. In fact, their king came up with a plan to defeat them.
[Numbers 22:2-3,5-6 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.]
When physical strength cannot defeat God’s people and weapons prove useless, the only option left is spiritual warfare. Unable to overpower Israel by force, Balak hired Balaam, a man who, oddly enough, was able to communicate with God. Balaam was not a prophet of the Lord in the true sense, he was a pagan diviner, a man known throughout the region as a “wise man,” which in their culture was simply another way of saying he was a sorcerer or wizard, who dealt in spells, omens, and enchantments. So when Balak came with money, flattery, and the promise of honor, Balaam did not hesitate. Greed stirred in him, and he eagerly accepted the challenge, never considering that he was stepping into direct conflict with the God whose voice he claimed to hear.
[Numbers 22:7-12 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.]
As if God did not know who these men were or what Balaam was up to. When God asks questions, it is never because He lacks information. He asks in order to reveal the truth within us, to expose what we will say, what we will choose, and where our loyalties truly lie.
The world has always recognized that God’s people carry a blessing that cannot be explained by human strength, which is why the enemy so often resorts to spiritual tactics when physical ones fail. So, here is Balaam, being summoned again by Balak to come to him, this time he makes it more appealing by sending his own sons and giving him an offer.
[Numbers 22:15-18,20 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.]
Balaam had the audacity to speak as though God were his God, all while plotting to curse the very people whom God had chosen and blessed. When God told Balaam he could go, it was not a blessing on Balaam’s intentions. It was a test. God wanted him to go when He commanded, not when Balaam’s greed pushed him forward. Balaam’s heart was already leaning toward the riches Balak promised, so God allowed him to walk the path he insisted on taking. That is why God’s anger burned against him even though He had allowed him to go.
[Numbers 22:22-23,26-27 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.]
This might sound like a contradiction, but it is not. God told Balaam that he could go only if the men called for him, and even then, he was to go at God’s command, not at the command of Balak’s princes. Balaam ignored that condition. When the princes arrived and he went with them on their terms instead of God’s, that is when God’s anger burned against him. Balaam followed the opportunity, not the instruction. He followed the invitation of men, not the timing of God. Balaam’s response reveals something far more sobering about the human heart: how quickly it bends when greed, pride, and ambition are left unrestrained, []
Notice that Balaam was hitting the donkey, who was only responding to what she saw, which by the way was God was trying to stop him. Balaam’s reaction to the donkey exposes a painful truth about the human heart. He struck her as though she were disobedient, when in reality she was the only one responding correctly. Believe it or not, God does try to intervene more than we realize, He will make several attempts to get us to stop from making a poor decision, but if we persist He will step aside and what befalls us will be our own fault. The angel of the LORD is none other than Jesus Himself, and what happened next sounds like something that would come out of a fairytale.
[Numbers 22:28-31 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.]
I do not know about you, but if I heard a donkey making its usual sounds and suddenly found myself able to understand every word, I would not be arguing with her. Balaam, however, was so blinded by anger and frustration that he never stopped to consider the miracle taking place. He simply argued back as though this were normal until he realized what was going on. Balaam was so consumed with anger, pride, and frustration that he never paused long enough to recognize the miracle happening right in front of him. However, when Balaam finally sees what the donkey had been seeing all along, the truth hits him with the force of divine reality.
[Numbers 22:32-35 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.]
Do you see that these are the very same words God had already spoken to him? God does not alter His voice one bit. Why this man was even able to speak directly to God is beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, God allowed Balaam to continue on and meet Balak. And when he finally arrived, it became clear that Balak was anything but hospitable. His fear, frustration, and desperation overshadowed any courtesy, revealing just how determined he was to secure a curse against God’s people.
[Numbers 23:1,3-5 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.]
Balaam dedicated his sacrifices to God, yet offered them on a high place consecrated to a loathsome heathen idol. Balaam’s foolishly believed that by presenting a rich offering to God it could gain His favor and persuade Him to permit the cursing of Israel. Let me tell you, this has Satan’s name written all over it, only he would guilt someone into believing that ill intentions placed on God’s people brings great honor. However, it did not work, God blesses them a second time, with even more of a blessing
[Numbers 23:8-11 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! 11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.]
The forth part of Israel are the Gentiles who would be graphed into the family of God, also known as spiritual Israel. While we are really quite few in number compared to the world, yet we are all together as much as each and every grain of dirt on this earth, which no man can number, [Revelation 7:9-10 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.]
Instead of admitting the truth, he blamed the failure on the conditions and location, as though the setting, not God, had prevented the curse. He was determined to try again, convinced that a different vantage point might produce the result he wanted. Balak, sends Balaam to a third place.
[Numbers 23:13-16,19 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?]
Immutable divine counsel is the natural outflow of God’s own faithfulness, for His will is an expression of His very essence. The blessing could not be revoked, and Balaam had no power to alter it, no matter how much he might have wished to do so. Since God found no criminal wickedness, moral or spiritual corruption of the kind in Israel at this point, His blessing remained upon them, [Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.]
Think about it, God’s people are His people and He will deal with them on His terms. If they sin against Him, just as they did when they brought the evil report and He judged them for forty years, He will deal with them as he sees fit. That still does not give anyone permission to curse them. God goes on to remind him Balaam of that.
[Numbers 23:21-25 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. 23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! 24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.]
Since the Lord found no criminal wickedness, moral or spiritual corruption of the kind in Israel that brings a curse, His blessing remained upon them. God saw them through the lens of His promise, not through the accusations of their enemies. Balaam finally figured this out.
[Numbers 24:1-2,5-7 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.]
We just read about Israel defeating the Amalekites. Agag was a common name of the Amalekite Kings, as Abimelech was of the Philistines, Pharaoh of the Egyptians. However, this is a prophecy of the first king of Israel, Saul, and of his conquering Agag, king of Amalek, [1 Samuel 15:7-8 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.]
At this point Balak was beside himself. He was downright furious with Balaam, because he could see exactly what was coming, Israel was about to be blessed in a mighty way. Every attempt he made to secure a curse had only resulted in a greater declaration of God’s favor.
[Numbers 24:10-14 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. 12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.]
The harder he pushed against the will of God, the more clearly God’s blessing shone over His people. Balak’s anger was not just frustration; it was the rage of a man who finally realized that no human scheme can overturn what God has decreed. Balaam knew that he was powerless against the Almighty God, in fact, there is a much bigger kingdom to be recognized here. God will send one KING, who is higher than all kings, one in which Christ will reign as KING. Watch. as God gives Balaam this incredible vision.
[Numbers 24:16-19 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. 18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.]
The One who broke the curse of death for all who open their eyes to the truth is Christ Himself, the beautiful Star of Bethlehem. He alone can save us from every curse, and He does so for all who believe in His perfect, sinless death on the cross, that He was buried in a tomb, and that three days later He arose from the dead. His resurrection shattered the power of death, confirmed His victory over sin, and secured eternal life for all who trust in Him, [Galatians 3:13-14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, Thank You for giving us the power to break the curse of death and hell when we called on You as our Saviour, You instantly broke that curse, and anointed us with Your blood. Now, no one can touch us, not even Satan, but that does not stop him from tempting us. Lord, lead us and guide us, put Your hedge of protection around us and shield us from all his evil tactics. Help us to keep our eyes on You so that we do not fall into his temptations, give us Your strength to walk away from all evil, and even know when getting near it. And give us Your mercy and grace to suffice the day, and see us through. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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