Numbers 23-24
Dear RTB’ers,
Frankly, these chapters leave me confused. Left to my own consideration, I would be lauding Balaam – first, he refused (twice) to go to Balak to do his bidding (even if he were paid an enormous sum); then he went as the Lord directed him; then the incident with his donkey; then finally he blessed Israel instead of cursing them. Although he is a pagan who worshiped strange gods and practiced divination, Balaam seems to be an upstanding guy. However, the rest of Scripture disagrees with that perspective. Look up the references that STS provided yesterday (II Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Num. 31:16; Rev. 2:14) – which they said should be read even before reading Numbers 22. They are all negative toward Balaam. My Study Bible added even more references to Balaam and Balak: Deuteronomy 23:3-6; Joshua 13:22, 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:1-3; Micah 6:5. Finally, my Study Bible also had this to say about Balaam: “Balaam is universally condemned in Scripture for moral, ethical, and religious faults.” So, please forgive my initial positive perspective on Balaam. Your thoughts?
As to his actual words, his blessings… Tomorrow.
Blessings!
See also: February 15 (2023) / Numbers 21-24