Week 54, Day 5: Invitation to sin
Today’s Reading: Numbers 25:1-18
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
The daughters of Midian invite the people of Israel to come to the sacrifices to Baal. There they ate and bowed down to their gods. Thus Israel was enticed to enter into sin through the daughters of Midian. The anger of God is aroused by this and he strikes the people with a plague which kills 22,000. I want to point out how many this is when you compare it to the census in chapter 26. The tribe of Simeon was one of the smaller tribes and had 22,200 men in it. The total number of men in Israel was 601,730. Almost 4 percent of the people fell at this one time. Much more than they would have lost in any battle with Moab or Midian and more than the tribe of Simeon had in it. As mentioned yesterday, this “strategy” was employed by Moab because of the advice given them by Balaam (31:16). Balaam had told Moab how to get Israel to stumble and be punished by God. And thus Midian was able to trick Israel (18).
Question: Why do you think the jealousy of Eleazar for His God pleased God? How do you think this example might apply for us today?
Week 54, Day 4: Held back from honor
Today’s Reading: Numbers 24:1-25
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
Balaam has now blessed Israel three times. Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and told him to flee to his place. Balaam seems to have learned the lesson from the angel of the Lord that he must speak only the word of the Lord. And now he is in trouble with Balak. Balak tells him that he would have greatly honored Balaam but God has held him back from honor (11). Sometimes people are more concerned about receiving honor from man than from receiving honor from God. People sometimes view God’s commands as keeping them back from pursuing “honor” or esteem. What they miss is that God’s commands do keep us to a certain track. His commands are a light to our path, guiding us and directing our steps. So yes, His commands direct us away from certain things and “keep” us away from certain practices. But we should always recognize that God knows what is best for us, what will be for our good. And we need to recognize that we do not need to be worried about receiving honor from man. So many get caught up in being praised or “patted on the back” by others that they let go of keeping God’s commands. Soon you see prominent preachers willing to “bend” or teach more leniently in order to be more popular. Or Christians are willing to do underhanded, corrupt practices at work to make their boss happy.
After chapter 25 we start to go away from hearing about Balaam so much. If this was all that was said about Balaam you would think that he has held to his principles and only said what God had spoken to him. But when you consider what we mentioned in 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 1:11, something went wrong with Balaam. Verse 25 says Balaam rose and returned to his place. So it sounds like Balaam left. But we will see Balaam still around and mentioned in chapter 31:8 & 16 and he has a direct hand in what happens in chapter 25. I think that it is interesting that we find out about some of Balaam’s actions and motives by other passages or references later. The text at this point seems to focus on the words of blessing directed toward Israel.
Question: What other areas of life might someone choose to set aside the commands of God in order to receive honor from man?
Week 54, Day 2: A Prophet for hire
Today’s Reading: Numbers 22:1-41
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
In chapter 22 Israel now comes to the plains of Moab, just outside of the promise land. They are on the verge of entering into the land. But here we have yet more trouble for Israel. They have defeated Arad, Sihon king of the Amonites, and Og the king of Bashan. So when they come into the plains of Moab it is only understandable that the king of Moab would be in great fear. But their king, Balak, realizes that he cannot defeat Israel without help. So he sends off to a city thought to be on the Euphrates river (all the way to the region of Mesopotamia). This would be a far journey and would take a while to get there. At first he sends messengers to request that Balaam come to aid them by cursing Israel. Balaam is an interesting person because he appears to be some sort of prophet or priest who God speaks to. God tells Balaam not to go with the men to Moab because the people of Israel are blessed. When Balak receives the response he sends another group but this time leaders more numerous and more distinguished than the first group. They ask again for Balaam to come. Balak has promised to honor Balaam richly and do whatever he wants him to do. Balaam’s response sounds good, “though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the command of the Lord my God.” But then he goes back to inquire of God again. I believe that God was angry with Balaam beause He had been very clear in telling Balaam the first time that he was not to go. Thus God sought to kill Balaam along the way, even though God told him to go with them.
Later Balaam is warned again to only speak the word which the Lord tells him. We see from NT passages that Balaam is described as a man who “loved the wages of unrighteousness” 2 Peter 2:15 and that “for pay have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam” Jude 1:11. Even though Balaam said he wouldn’t do anything contrary to the word of God, even for all the riches of Balak’s house, we find out that the temptation of riches and honor did indeed lead to his downfall. Balaam at some point turned away from only speaking what God told him to say. We will see that he paid for this with his life.
Question: Why do you think God opened the mouth of the donkey to speak to Balaam and also open his eyes to see the angel of the Lord?