Introduction
In Numbers 22, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, made a league with the Midianites, and together they sought after Balaam, son of Beor, to come and curse the children of Israel for fear of them.
After a very eventful courtship, so to speak, and a talking donkey, Balaam finally made his way to the plains of Moab at the behest of Balak. In Numbers 23 and 24, Balaam gave four oracles concerning Israel that are extremely prophetic and Messianic in nature.
This four-part series will look at The Oracles of Balaam and highlight the Messianic content along with references and allusions to the Millennial and Eternal Kingdoms that were presented in the Name of God, by the Spirit of God, through the prophet Balaam of Pethor.
When it comes to Balaam, Balaam seemed to be, at one time, a true prophet of the Lord. However, later it appears, Balaam became a “soothsayer” or diviner (Joshua 13:22) which certainly deviated his heart towards greed and covetousness and ultimately apostasy from, and opposition to, the Lord Himself when he counseled the Midianites and Moabites to seduce the Israelites (Numbers 31:16) at Baal-Peor (Numbers 25).
Yet, God did use Balaam despite his fallen prophetic nature to prophesy of His chosen people, the Messiah, and the Latter Days; to bless rather than curse the people of God, the people of Israel.
Previous article:
All underlined Scripture passages are my own emphasis.
The Second Oracle of Balaam
As with The First Oracle of Balaam, it was the Lord who “put a word in [Balaam’s] mouth.”
“And the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.” – Numbers 23:16
Balak, thinking Balaam would heed his request to curse the Israelites, even after hearing The First Oracle of Balaam that would only bless Israel, was in for another dire disappointment!
“What hath the Lord spoken? And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 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?” – Numbers 23:17-19
The first Words of God through Balaam note the inability of God to change and/or to lie, as there are certain character traits that the holy and righteous Lord cannot do, affecting all God’s Words to come to absolute fruition and all His divinely sovereign designs sure.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:8-11
When Samuel reproved Saul for his transgressions and testified that the Lord had rent the kingdom of Israel from his hands and given it to David, he added:
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” – 1 Samuel 15:29
In referencing God’s covenant with Abraham and His swearing of the covenant by Himself and its relation to the believer in the new covenant, the writer of Hebrews noted…
“That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” – Hebrews 6:18
God does not lie (1 Samuel 15:29 & Hebrews 6:18) and God does not repent as a man does (1 Samuel 15:29).
[For more on God and repentance, please see Does God Repent?]
In Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Temple, he said, regarding God’s sovereign ability to speak and to make good, …
“Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.” – 1 Kings 8:56
In all, God’s promises are sure and certain, from the promises He has made to His chosen people, Israel, to His promises to His sons and daughters who have been saved by grace through faith in the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ through His sacrifice for sins on the cross, His death, burial, and resurrection.
“Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 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.” – Numbers 23:20-21
As we mentioned in The First Oracle of Balaam, before Balaam even went to Canaan at Balak’s request – when God told him not to go with Balak’s contingent – God had this to say to Balaam regarding Israel:
“And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.” – Numbers 22:12
God had indeed blessed Israel through her patriarch, Abraham, and these blessed promises for His chosen people, Israel, would have profound consequences on individuals and nations regarding God’s blessings and curses from that time forward.
God had told Abraham:
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” – Genesis 12:2-3
While Israel had certainly exhibited “iniquity” and “perverseness” in their wilderness wanderings, God’s grace is being proclaimed in Balaam’s second oracle.
God forgives iniquity for those who love Him and serve Him with a pure heart.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities…” – Psalm 103:1-3a
And by God’s amazing grace, the Lord often forgives His people when they do not deserve it – which is the essence of His glorious unmerited grace.
Only God is able to forgive sins, and that would ultimately come through His anointed King, the Messiah, the Son of God!
When it comes to Israel’s future in the Messianic Millennial Kingdom, the Lord, through the prophet Jeremiah, spoke of His future covenant with his chosen people, Israel:
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” – Jeremiah 31:33-34
Citing Psalm 32:1-2, Paul confirmed that through Messiah Yeshua’s redemption for those that believe on Him and His work on the cross for their forgiveness of sins…
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” – Romans 4:7-8
Long before Israel would ever have a king, Balaam prophesied God’s Word by stating, “the shout of a King is among them.” This King would be none other than the Lion of the tribe of Judah, first prophesied by Jacob to Judah before his death:
“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” – Genesis 49:9-10
God through Zechariah prophesied of Messiah Yeshua approximately 500 years before His arrival that He would come as King of Israel, which was fulfilled in Messiah’s First Advent:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation…” – Zechariah 9:9a
The prophet Zechariah also prophesied of Messiah’s Second Advent, proclaiming Him King over Earth and Lord of hosts:
“And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one… And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” – Zechariah 14:9, 16
Paul said of King Jesus, as the churches await His appearing to redeem them from Earth at the resurrection/rapture of His bride…
“That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords…” – 1 Timothy 6:14-15
To conclude, in the last book of the Holy Bible, Messiah Yeshua is worshiped as mighty King, the Lamb of God, “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David”:
“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof….
“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth…
“Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” – Revelation 5:5, 9-10, 12-13
“God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. 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!” – Numbers 23:22-23
“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.” – Psalm 44:1
Balaam, as a fallen false prophet of God, was accustomed to using sorcery in his spiritual pursuits for economic gain and often used occultic enchantment and divination in attempting to contact God and/or false gods (demons/fallen angels) for reward. This “enchantment against Jacob” and “divination against Israel” was why he came in the first place at the behest of Balak. Yet the Spirit of God inspired Balaam to speak against the very thing that had made him wealthy and prominent in the eyes of the pagan world and noted that enchantments and divination could never prevail against Israel because of the sovereign protection of the God of Israel.
However, when it comes to Israel herself and her future relationship with enchantments and divination, we should note that again and again Israel would rebel against their God through the worship of false gods. But in the end, all Israel will be saved as “no enchantment” or “any divination against Israel” could ever succeed and thwart God’s ultimate plans for His chosen people.
Moreover, the salvation Israel’s Messiah procured for those who have accepted His sacrifice for their sins on the cross and are saved by grace through faith, and when Israel will finally come to the end of herself and recognize that Yeshua is their Messiah, accepting His free gift offering of salvation at the end of the Tribulation and delivers them at His glorious Second Coming, “it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, What hath God wrought!”
Then all the precious promises given by God to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants will finally be realized in the glorious Millennial Kingdom of Messiah Yeshua!
“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.” – Numbers 23:24
In the Millennial Kingdom, Israel “shall rise up as a great lion” because of the King of creation, the Lion of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:9-10, Revelation 5:5).
First, however, this King and His people must metaphorically “eat of the prey” of His and their enemies “and drink the blood of the slain” when He destroys His and their enemies at His Second Coming:
“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle… And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped…
“And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
“And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.” – Revelation 14:14, 16, 18-20
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God…
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords…
“And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” – Revelation 19:11-13, 15-16, 21
Finally, “the righteous shall rejoice” when they see their Savior coming to save them with the destruction of their enemies, and triumphantly proclaim, “Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily He is a God that judgeth in the earth.”
“The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
“So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.” – Psalm 58:10-11
Amen!
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May we all keep Answering the Call of The Great Commission, and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks us, “Why Am I Here and What Is It All About?”
Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!
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