Lesson date: 03/02/5857AA

This chapter has a most unlikely hero and also an odd prophet and an even stranger villian but for me it is a beautiful tale of YHVH appearing to His servants in the most unlikely of ways.

Verses 1-4 – After the Children of Yisra’el’s run in with Sihon and Og they have camped along the Jorden River opposite Jericho and draw the attention of Balaq son of Tsippor: H1111 – בּלק – bâlâq -BDB Definition: Balak = “devastator”, waster. Now, with a really cool sobriqet like “devastator” you would expect him to be the son of Rambo or Terminator but unfortunately for him he is the son of sparrow: H6834 – צפּור – tsippôr – BDB Definition: Zippor = “sparrow”. This may be one of the reasons that he seems to be afraid of the Children of Yisra’el instead of sending messengers to go and speak with the leaders of Yisra’el. Here is little something very special: Pro 26:2 As a bird wanders, as a swallow flies about, So a curse without cause does not come.

H5110 – נוּד – nûd – BDB Definition: to move to and fro, wander.
H5774 – עוּף – ‛ûph –  BDB Definition: 1) to fly, fly about, fly away (verb)

What this verse is trying to tell us is that like a bird searches for food, a nest, a place to land, a curse being directed against us while we are walking in YHVH’s ways it will not find us. If, on the other hand, we are outside the ways of YHVH and His Word, His curse will find us. Yeshu’a even gave us a Scripture very much like this: Luk 11:24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest. And finding none, he says, ‘I shall return to my house from which I came.’

Luk 11:25 “And when he comes, he finds it swept and decorated,

Luk 11:26 then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

Walking in Yah’s Ways is the central theme of this chapter and we will look at it more closely later.

Here is a curse upon us if we walk contrary to YHVH: Deu 28:26 “And your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth, with no one to frighten them away.

We see that Moab, once again, instead of sending messsengers to Yisra’el and inquiring as to the nature of their visit to the borders of Moab go and consult with Midyan. The word Midyan (H4080) means quarrelsome, strife, so the devastator goes to a troublemaker for feedback on Yisra’el. Yisra’el is describes as an ox that licks up all the grass of the field. Remember, the Hebrew letter “aleph” is represented as A an ox or bull’s head which is also the first letter of El or Elohim.

Verse 5 – Now enters the central character of this chapter Bil’am (H1109) – “not of the people”, son of Be’or (H1160) – “burning” who is at Pethor (H6604) – soothsayer. We see in Joshua that Bil’am is also called a diviner: Jos 13:22 And the sons of Yisra’ěl killed with the sword Bil‛am son of Be‛or, the diviner, among those who were killed by them. Divination is expressly prohibited: Deu 18:10 “Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer,

Deu 18:11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

Here we see the culmination of the situation; the devastator, seeks council from the quarrelsome and also calls a practitioner of divination (man’s traditions) to curse YHVH’s people. But it actually goes deeper than this: Edom, a brother to the people, who sold his birthright (Torah) who gathers together the quarrelsome and seeks a diviner of man’s traditions to curse their brothers, the remnant who follow Torah and even seeks the help of a prophet of Elohim to speak evil of “the people”. I think I have heard this plot somewhere before.

Verses 6-8 – It is obvious that Bil’am was well known and very effective because Balaq tells the messengers to tell Bil’am that whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” This is quite a resume and one to be taken seriously. As we say in Texas, this is not his first rodeo.

We also see an interesting word come to light here: H7081 – קֶסֶם – qesem – keh’-sem – From H7080; a lot; also divination (including its fee). Now we’re talking. This guy was well known and he was known as a man who got the job and of course we will reward you for your time and trouble. Who knows, maybe putting him up in a 5 Star Tent was part of the fee. A prophet for hire.

You may not believe this, especially since I try to stay away from controversy, had a well known prophet for hire not only speak out against what I taught but even put out a tract called something like, “The Doctrine from Hell.” It was a catchy title. At that time he was worth tens of millions of dollars and was later exposed for paying numerous prostitutes to do his bidding, just as he had destroyed another preacher’s ministry for doing the same thing. But, he repented and is still preaching in the same church because the congregation forgave him, since he owned the church, and the day care, and the school and the university and etc.

Notice that the messengers were not flunkies but were indeed the “heads of Moab”. These were important men in their own right. And we see Bil’am go and inquire of Elohim what he should do.

One word I would like to point out is used for “stayed” with Bil’am: H3427 – Yashab –  to sit, remain, dwell. This is the root word for the modern Hebrew word Yeshiva – school. Remember, Sha’ul sat at the feet of Gamaliel or was schooled by Gamaliel.

Verses 9-12 – Seeking the wisdom of Elohim. YHVH tells Bil’am not to go because He has blessed the people that the princes of Mmoab want to curse.

Verse 13 – Here is where we miss things, nuances in Hebrew, being translated into English: for יהוה has refused to allow me to go with you.” This is a true statement on the surface but it is being translated word for word. But the conditionality of the verbs are such as to impart a sense of longing like: “I would love to go with you but…”. He did not denounce them for what they were trying to do. Did he convey the message that this people that they wish to curse were in fact the chosen Children of YHVH? No, he didn’t.

Verse 14 – “Bil‛am refuses to come with us.” I bet you have heard almost the very same words: Daryl refuses to eat with us or, Daryl refuses to come with us on Shabbat, etc.

Verses 15-19 – So by not denouncing what was proposed by Balaq, Balaq now falsely believes that it was just a bargaining tool so he ups the ante, instead of just sending a few lower level preachers, oops, princes he sends in the big dogs and more of them. And, he uses even more flattery than before. He appeals to Bil’am’s vanity.

Verse 18 sounds like a refusal but it is actually saying, “You didn’t offer enough. What you are asking me to do is so serious that I may never be able to practice my trade again.”

1Ti 6:10 For the love of silver is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some, by longing for it, have strayed from the belief, and pierced themselves through with many pains.

Verse 20-21 We see YHVH telling Bil’am “If…Only” Did Bil’am listen? No. Did he wait for the heads of Moab to call him and inquire of him what YHVH had said? No. He rose in the morning and saddled his donkey, ready to go probably at first light. YHVH gave him instruction and instead Bil’am took it as permission. Have we heard or read about something similar?

Verses 22-35 – Bil’am and the Donkey: H860 – אתון – ‘âthôn – BDB Definition: 1) she-ass, she-donkey

Now look at the root word for donkey: H386 – איתן – ‘êythân – BDB Definition: 1) perpetual, constant, perennial, ever-flowing. Isa 40:8 “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, but the Word of our Elohim stands forever.” ((It’s perpetual, constant, ever-flowing.))

Mat 5:18 “For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one yod or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.

I know, you think I am crazy for comparing Torah to a donkey but let’s look at the situation carefully. Bil’am is on a journey from which he will receive a handsome reward and this little donkey is going to get him there. But, YHVH sends His Messenger with His Name upon it and the donkey sees the Messenger with a drawn sword about to kill Bil’am because he violated what he was told to do. The donkey turns Bil’am from the path of death and destruction and brings him into a field. Psa 23:1 יהוה is my shepherd; I do not lack.

Psa 23:2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters.

Bil’am strikes the donkey because the donkey is not letting him do what he wants so badly to do. What did he do he turned the donkey back onto the path he wanted to follow: H5186 – נטה – nâṭâh – BDB Definition: 1) to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow

Bil’am perverted the word he had been given for his own gain. Have you known anyone pervert YHVH’s Word?

Next, we see the Messenger of Elohim is in a narrow path, between two vineyards and between two walls and the donkey once again sees the messenger ready to strike Bil’am and the donkey “crushes” Bil’am’s foot against the wall and Bil’am once again beats the donkey.

Finally, the Messenger comes to a point in the road where there is no turning to the right or to the left Bil’am must come by this path and to keep Bil’am from being struck the donkey stops in her tracks and lies down. This time we see Bil’am use his staff, the symbol of authority, to beat the donkey. He was probably awarded that staff when he graduated the seminary.

Let me show you something really neat:

Num 22:23 And the donkey saw (H853) the Messenger of יהוה … So Bil‛am struck (H853) the donkey

Num 22:25 And when the donkey saw (H853) the Messenger of יהוה, … crushed (H853) Bil‛am’s foot against the wall

Num 22:27 And when the donkey saw (H853) the Messenger of יהוה, … and he struck (H853) the donkey with his staff.

Num 22:28 Then יהוה opened (H853) the mouth of the donkey,

Each time we see the little donkey plodding along trying to follow the path but when it arrives at a point where death is imminent it preserves Bil’am’s life by changing his course and gets him back on the correct path. Bil’am tried to pervert the path of the donkey (Torah) and make it say and do as he wanted it to do. Finally, in an attempt to once again save Bil’am’s life, it stops him in his tracks on his perverted path and now, to show his disgust with the little donkey he rears up and beats the donkey with his authority. It was then that YHVH opened the mouth of the Donkey(Torah). Only then did YHVH open (H853) eyes and Bil’am saw (H853) the Messenger.

The Message of the Messenger – “Why have you struck (H853) your donkey” … because your way is reckless before Me. (The word reckless H3399 – yarats – means perverted, perverse) Remember the word natah above and it also had the connotation of being perverted.

Num 22:35a – And the Messenger of יהוה said to Bil‛am, “Go with the men, but only (H853) the word that I speak to you…

Bil’am perverted the Word of YHVH for his own gain and it almost cost him his life: Deu_4:2 “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you.

Deu_12:32 “All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.

Rev 22:18 For I witness to everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, Elohim shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book,

Rev 22:19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, Elohim shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and out of the set-apart city, which are written in this Book.

Verses 36-41 – I just got a chill, it started in my arms and the hair stood up, it ran up to the top of my head but there was nothing there to stand up and at the same time it ran down my legs to my toes and made them tingle.

We see Balaq salivate all over Bil’am and flatter him even more and look where he brings Bil’am, Qiryath Hutsoth, (H7155) – a “city of many streets”. He could now chose which path he wanted to follow. There were numerous paths all laid out in front of him. I realized how many times I have had numerous “paths” laid out in front of me and I wish I could say I turned them all down but I didn’t. Sometimes, like Bil’am, I took the money and compromised things in my life and faith. Other times I stood for my faith and when I did, I had people comment to the effect of: “I don’t think I could have done that.” And, still other times, I wished for Bil’am’s little donkey to try and straighten me out or just to stop me in my tracks.

Ahavah vberakhot