Balaam and balak pdf notes scholar

And balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. Balak sent some of his princes with gifts to entice balaam to come to curse israel. And according to balak, the king of moab whod really like to defeat and destroy the israelites, balaams work really does the tricki know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed 22. In his seven prophetic oracles, balaam proclaims gods great blessing for his people see 23. When balaam realized he had sinned by traveling to moab, he offered to go back home, but the angel told him to go on to moab, and to say what the angel told him to say. He wants you to curse these people that have recently come up out of egypt. However, balak refuses to take no for an answer, and thinks he can change balaams prediction if he offers him more money numbers 22. Balaam was apparently willing to do this but said he needed gods permission verse 8. No prophet like moses had risen in israel, but such a one has. Balaams oracle suggests that this growth would continue, something balak did not want to hear numbers 23. He is well aware of their military conquests of the nations around. God told balaam, you must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed verse 12.

Misrepresentations 22 the new testament and balaam 22 josephus and balaam 23 philo and balaam 25 jewish tradition and balaam 27 8. And balak the son of zippor saw all that israel had done to the amorites. It is necessary for our purpose to notice the other biblical accounts with respect to balaam, and, first of all, to consider the following passage of deuteronomy. He sends emissaries 3 times to enlist balaam, a nonjewish prophet, to curse israel. Balaams ass first presbyterian church, jackson, mississippi. Numbers 2224 english standard version esv balak summons balaam. Balak, king of moab, hires balaam to curse the israelites, but every time he tries, balaam instead blesses them. The princes of moab have not told balak that the reason why balaam is refusing to come with them is because hwhy refused to give him permission. Balaam, a nonisraelite prophet described in the old testament num. Since the oracles of balaam have long been regarded as the test case for literary criticism, a rather thorough study is made of the reconstructions. Three times balak attempts to force a curse on israel out of balaam s mouth and three times he fails.

Balak s disappointment, and second sacrifice, balaam again blesses israel. King balak and the moabites, a nation wellversed in the occult arts, become alarmed by the israelites because their numbers are many, and they have gained stunning victories against their. In a battle between israel and the midianites, balaam was slain while fighting on the side of balak numbers 31. He was the son of beor who lived in pethor near the euphrates river v. What does the bible say about balaam the son of beor. Frightened by the fall of the lands of the amorites and bashan, the kings of moab and midian, implacable foes for many generations, united for the purpose of a common attack upon the children of israel. And balak and balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram. Now if balaam would curse them, then the moabites might go to battle against them and win a. This strange intercourse between men so different in position and character has come to an end. Numbers 22 international childrens bible icb balaam and balak. Parasha balak is a fascinating study on blessings and curses. Intro to numbers biblica the international bible society. Balaam piously says he cant do anything god wont allow but he goes.

King balak sends for his prophet twice and balaam barely responds. This recalls gods covenant with abraham in genesis 15, in which he prophesies abrahams offspring. The events of balaam and balak are found in the bibles book called numbers, chapters 2224. Though some sources may only describe the positive blessings he. In parashat balak, king balak and the people of moab, central characters in the weekly torah portion, are afraid of the children of israel. For the right fee, hell bless or curse whomever you want. Every ancient reference to balaam considers him a nonisraelite, a prophet, and the son of beor, though beor is not clearly identified. God raised up moses for israel and balaam for the peoples of the world num. Balaams name becomes a byword and a proverb for almost fiendish profligacy. Balaam hired of balak and used of god sermon index.

There is generally a clear delineation of character that the holy spirit gives to us in a few words. And moab said to the elders of midian, this horde will now lick up all that is. Vernon mcgee numbers 22 across the pages of scripture march men and women from all walks of life. Balak, the newly elected king of moab, had been put in charge of the plans. In numbers, chapter 22 a pagan king named balak who is a type of the antichrist. Balaam in modern scholarship 55 introduction the reconstruction of wellhausen.

The balaam oracles at qumran 4 q testimonia the damascus document the order of warfare summary the balaam oracles and bar kochba the balaam oracles and the church fathers balaam in the talmud balaam in the quran summary iii. We began our study in the story of balak and balaam and israel last lords day evening. Balak went into a rage, but balaam reminded him that he could not go beyond the words of god. Author bsfcl1 posted on march 24, 2015 categories 24 moses tags bible study moses, bsf moses, bsf numbers, how big is god, the notes are good, why did balaam bless israel, why did balaam move around, why did balak have balaam move, why did balak offer 7 altars, why did balak offer 7 sacrifices, why didnt balaam curse the jews 2 comments on 24. Balak had confidence in him because of his accuracy in his. Balaam states that he will utter only what his god yahweh inspires, but he is willing to accompany the moabite messengers to. They camped near the jordan river across from jericho. The account of balaams three futile attempts to curse israel are found in 23.

The one to whom balak sent messengers to hire him to come and to curse israel. Ephasus smyrna pergamos thyatira sardis philadelphia laodicea scripture ref. It is named after balak, the king of moab, and begins with an interaction between him and a wellknown pagan prophet, balaam, son of beor. Balaams donkey only part of the story of balaam and the balak the king of moab 22. And balaam said to balak, stand beside your burnt offering, and i will go. Summary of biblical text balak, king of moab, is afraid of israel, who are numerous and close. When he attempts to curse israel at the instigation of balak king of moab, balaam finds his mouth unable to express the curse he desires to pronounce. When balaam eventually goes to meet balak, the outcome is not what balak expects. The account of balaam s three futile attempts to curse israel are found in 23. And the princes of moab rose up, and they went unto balak, and said, balaam refuseth to come with us. Moab king balak who employs a seer balaam to curse his enemy, israel. In the end, balaam counselled balak to use their women to seduce israel so that israel would come to worship the gods of moab and thus god would punish israel.

Numbers 2224 esv balak summons balaam then the people. They saw in him one of the seven prophets who prophesied to the peoples of the world bb 15b. Person, series editor parashat balak study guide themes theme 1. Balaam, of course, had no power, in himself, to curse israel, but, if god were willing to curse israel, balaam would be rewarded through balak. You can read the whole story over three chapters numbers 2224. The man of the spirit has fallen lower, incomparably lower, than the man of. Possible references to balaam in the quran are also discussed. Three times, from three different vantage points, balaam attempts to pronounce his curses.

And balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place. Balaam apparently tells balak how to defeat israel through seduction. Tan, balak, 1, and believed that in many respects he was greater than moses. On his way to king balak, balaams ass keeps seeing an angel with a sword blocking his way and gets off the road. In the parashah, balak son of zippor, king of moab, tries to hire balaam to curse israel, balaams donkey speaks to balaam, and. On the way, balaam is berated by his donkey, who sees, before balaam does, the angel that g. Despite his best efforts, the powers of balaam cannot bring about a curse on israel. Balaam never sees it, strikes the ass every time, and brings her back to the road. To balak it seemed that the israelites covered the whole earth.

The presence of nearly 3 million israelites causes the king of moab, balak, considerable discomfort. Instead, from his lips come blessings on israel and curses on its enemies chs. Balak summons balaam then the people of israel set out and camped in the plains of moab beyond the jordan at jericho. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of israel. Introduction to the doctrine of balaam what surprises us first of all is that this doctrine of balaam is less a teaching of balaam, albeit example, and more what balaam did and said in rebellion against god. And balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of balak, get you into your land. However, balak refuses to take no for an answer, and thinks he can change balaam s prediction if he offers him more money numbers 22. Balaam said unto balak, build me here seven altarsbalak, being a heathen, would naturally suppose these altars were erected in honor of baal, the patron deity of his country. When balaam meets balak, he blesses the israelites instead of cursing them.

And he balaam said to them, lodge here tonight, and i will bring back word to you, as the l ord speaks to me. Balak, king of the moabites, sent messengers to balaam, the son of beor, saying, curse this people for me, since they are stronger than i. Jan 02, 2020 balaam was apparently willing to do this but said he needed gods permission verse 8. We hold to the letter of gods law but at the same ti. Balaam was a man who followed the letter of the law of god, but violated the spirit of that law. Balak, the king of moab, summons the prophet balaam to curse the people of israel. The first time balak requests he curse israel, balaam following gods directive responds no. This torah portion, balak, begins with israel camped on the border between the moabites and the amorites, poised to enter the promised land. The holy spirit customarily gives a camerasharp picture of each one of them. Balak hebrew for balak, a name, the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah is the 40th weekly torah portion, parashah in the annual jewish cycle of torah reading and the seventh in the book of numbers. We find in these chapters the connection of the name of god with the power of satan. And balaam said to him, i have arranged the seven altars and i have. King balak and the moabites, a nation wellversed in the occult arts, become alarmed by the israelites because their numbers are many, and they have gained stunning victories against.

And moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Finally the ass speaks and asks balaam why he is hitting her. Torah discussion on balak was the prophet balaam good or bad. Balaam states that he will utter only what his god yahweh inspires, but he is willing to accompany the moabite messengers to balak. He then counsels balak to send moabite and midianite women into the camp of israel to seduce the men and invite them to the sacrifices of their god numbers 25. The problem with balaam, robert alter points out, is that balak assumes that he can hire balaam as a technician of the spirits to put a hex on the people of israel and balaam for his part does little to argue with him. In saying that israel was a people dwelling alone, balaam notes its separation by covenant from the rest of the world and to god.

Since the oracles of balaam have long been regarded as the test case for literary criticism, a. Perhaps the lord will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me i will tell you. The bible mainly talks about good and sound doctrine, but also about bad and false doctrine. Balaam, hired of balak, and used of god numbers 2224 it is a wonderful thing to see the way in which, through the overruling power of god, the efforts of satan against the people of god only bring them out the more distinctly in their own place of blessing. Balaam is universally condemned in the new testament. And gods anger was kindled because balaam went to balak. Open as pdf balaam, hired of balak, and used of god numbers 2224 it is a wonderful thing to see the way in which, through the overruling power of god, the efforts of satan against the people of god only bring them out the more distinctly in their own place of blessing.