*Scripture: Numbers 22:1-20 (NKJV)* 1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5 Then 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: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall 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.” 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’” 12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.” 14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’” 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” *Devotion* Today’s text introduces us to the sad figure Balaam. This man whom Balak tried to engage in cursing Israel is one of the most mysterious and complex characters of Old Testament history. His nationality cannot be determined with certainty, and Balaam’s religious convictions are even more mystifying. On the one hand he acknowledged and obeyed the Lord, but he also persisted in heretical pagan practices. This non-Israelite went so far as to speak of the Lord as “my God,” but in spite of his professed recognition of the true God, he succumbed to his desire for rich rewards and repeatedly sought a way to comply with his benefactor’s nefarious request regarding Israel. The tension between Balaam’s self-determination and the will of God is a good example of the complexity of human perversity, as well as the dangers of mixing orthodoxy with heresy. His story is a warning against trying to serve both the true God and false idols or one’s own wicked desires. Balaam also serves as an example of the omnipotence of the Lord, for when he attempted to ply his trade as a clairvoyant or psychic to give Balak an advantage over Israel, God put true words of prophecy on his lips that delivered the opposite. Our text also presents the value of Scripture interpreting Scripture when the New Testament books of 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation refer to the story of Balaam as a warning against the sins of avarice and idolatry. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
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