Numbers · chapter 24 of 36
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Numbers 24 records Balaam's last oracles. This time he does not look for omens: he sees Israel camped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God comes on him and he blesses the people a third time. Balak is furious, and Balaam speaks a fourth oracle about a star and a scepter that will rise out of Jacob and defeat Moab and Edom, along with brief words about other nations.
After two blessings and a third place chosen by Balak, Numbers 24 brings the story of Balaam to its high point. It is the chapter where the diviner leaves the rituals, speaks by the Spirit of God and looks to the future. His message ties the promise made to Abraham to the hope of a king who will come from Israel.
Balaam sees that it pleases the Lord to bless Israel, and he no longer resorts to omens as he did before. He looks toward the wilderness and sees Israel camped tribe by tribe. The Spirit of God comes on him, and he speaks his third oracle: he presents himself as the man whose eyes are opened and who hears the words of God, and exclaims how lovely are the tents of Jacob and the dwellings of Israel, like spreading valleys and gardens by a river. He announces that Israel's king will be greater than Agag and his kingdom exalted. God brought them out of Egypt, and whoever blesses Israel will be blessed and whoever curses them will be cursed.
Balak is furious and strikes his hands together. He reproaches Balaam for having been called to curse and blessing them three times, and tells him to flee to his home, since he had planned to honor him but the Lord has withheld the reward. Balaam replies that even for a house full of silver and gold he could not go beyond the word of the Lord, and he announces what this people will do to Balak's people in days to come.
He then speaks the fourth oracle, about one he sees but not now: a star will come out of Jacob and a scepter will rise out of Israel, which will crush the forehead of Moab and the sons of Sheth. Edom will be dispossessed, and one from Jacob will exercise dominion. He then adds brief words about Amalek, the Kenites and Asshur, and announces that Asshur and Eber will also be afflicted by ships from Kittim. Balaam rises and returns to his place, and Balak goes his own way.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Balaam lifts his eyes, sees Israel camped tribe by tribe and the Spirit of God comes on him. He no longer uses divination; the word comes from God himself, and what he sees is an ordered and blessed people.
Balaam exclaims how lovely are the tents of Jacob and the dwellings of Israel. A diviner hired to curse ends by admiring the beauty of the camp, a beauty that comes from the Lord's presence and blessing.
Balaam says that whoever blesses Israel will be blessed and whoever curses them will be cursed. It echoes the promise made to Abraham and announces that the fate of the nations is tied to how they treat God's people.
Balaam sees someone who will come later: a star will rise out of Jacob and a scepter out of Israel. Many Christian readers see here the hope of the Messiah, and Jewish and Christian tradition link it to a future king, like David and his descendant.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He no longer sought omens; he looked toward the wilderness and saw Israel camped tribe by tribe. — Numbers 24:1-2
Answer: The Spirit of God. — Numbers 24:2
Answer: He exclaimed how lovely are the tents of Jacob and the dwellings of Israel. — Numbers 24:5
Answer: That those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse them will be cursed. — Numbers 24:9
Answer: He was furious, struck his hands together and told Balaam to flee to his home. — Numbers 24:10-11
Answer: A star that will come out of Jacob and a scepter that will rise out of Israel. — Numbers 24:17
Balaam went from being a diviner to speaking words God put in his mouth. The chapter reminds us that God can speak even through unexpected people, but also that hearing God's word is not the same as obeying it. In a small group you can discuss the difference between knowing the truth and living it.
The star out of Jacob gives hope: God does not abandon his plan, and history is moving toward a king who will bring justice. Christians read this promise in the light of Christ, and can be encouraged to wait patiently, knowing that God's promises are fulfilled in his time, even if they are seen from afar.
Numbers 24 ends with Balaam and Balak each going his own way, and with Israel untouched and blessed. But chapter 25 will show that the danger was not the curses from outside but the temptation from within: Israel itself falls at Shittim.
The text speaks of a star and a scepter that will rise from Jacob and defeat Moab and Edom. It has been read as King David, who subdued those peoples, and also as a promise pointing to the Messiah. Many Christians see its full fulfillment in Jesus, though the passage does not name him.
The text says the Spirit of God came on him and that he spoke what God gave him. Yet his later conduct shows someone who did not follow God wholeheartedly. God can use whom he wishes, and that is not the same as approving of his life.
Agag appears to be a title or name for the kings of Amalek. Balaam says Israel's king will surpass the best-known of the enemy kings. It is an announcement that Israel's kingdom will prevail.