Journey to an Inauguration Interrupted

[In case you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of our long journey] We heard Balaam’s inaugural address in part in Numbers 24:3-9, first introduced in Part 1. Now we return to his journey toward the ceremonies of that momentous occasion.

[ctt title=”Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.” tweet=”Numbers 22:31 after an ass had to tell a prophet to see the angel of the Lord.” coverup=”8dHCr”]

Numbers 22:

32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times.

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How about this: your way is ‘perverse’ יָרַט [yarat] before the Lord!  Your self-driven actions precipitate, push headlong and drive recklessly. You oppose the LORD! In fact, even your ass [אָתוֹן] saw the Angel of the Lord, but you did not.

Can you imagine the reaction of the prophet Balaam? First, his ass rebukes him, and now he finally sees the Angel of the Lord with a drawn sword asking why he struck his faithful donkey.

“… If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”

³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”

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Awoken from Sin

35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

[At the end of their long 400 mile journey a King prepares for the Inauguration of a new era with the great prophet of God on his side, so he thinks.]

³⁸ Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”

[Indeed, what can a man or woman belonging to the Lord say, except the word of the Lord?]

41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Numbers 23:

Next, we see ceremonies of the high event planned by Balaak. Seven altars become the focus of Inauguration events. But Balaam does the unexpected and blesses Israel.

“From Aram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

… 11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” …

18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

19 [ctt title=”God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. ” tweet=”Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? – Numbers 23:19″ coverup=”97P9C”]

Balak objects once more and desperately takes Balaam to a third place to worship and proclaim the ‘good omen’ of inauguration of a new era where Israel will not prevail. If you recall Balaam’s inaugural address from the beginning of our story, the speech follows from the third mountain ahead.

Numbers 24:

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him, 3 and he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened…

… 14 And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”

Prophesy of the latter days

15 And he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
falling down with his eyes uncovered:

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Balaam will now speak of things to come.

I would like to turn to the King James translation, revealing from the original Hebrew much more than a clashing of kings. My conclusion and image from the wilderness of this parable may challenge your perspective of this inauguration. Here I will share links to the scripture for your further Bible study.

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star [ כּוֹכָב ] out of Jacob [יַעֲקֹב], and a Sceptre [שֵׁבֶט] shall rise [קוּם] out of Israel [יִשְׂרָאֵל], and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

An apocalypse spoken for the land of Moab and all the descendants of Sheth [שֵׁת ]. The land of Moab destroyed; but who are these ‘children of Sheth?’

Let those with ears to hear hear the parable of Balaam, a parable of veiled meaning. שֵׁת [pronounced, shāth] means, “compensation,” but you will recognize the proper Hebrew name for which שֵׁת is used, “Seth,” third son of Adam.

Consider the destruction of all the sons of Seth!

[ctt title=”Could another inauguration of evil in the high places bring about completion of these last days? For even brash sons of perdition and a prophet turned from God would not heed the warnings of an ass.” tweet=”Hear the parable of Balaam for another unexpected inauguration.” coverup=”Fos4Z”]

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Let us pray that leaders of powerful countries heed the Word of the Lord.

“I am the Son of David, the Lion of Judah, Redeemer of Israel, Savior of the nations.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. Amen.

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