August 18, 2010 Lesson 17 of Numbers 23 and 24 (first study)

Two studies are to be give to these chapters. On this occasion concentrate attention on Balaam’s oracles. Make a list of the statements in them which indicate God’s special purpose for, and care of, the people of Israel. Answer:
Ch 23
V8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed
V20 I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
V21 No misfortune is seen I Jacob, no misery in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
V22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
V24 The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.
Ch 24
5-7 How beautiful are your tents, oh Jacob, your dwelling places, oh Israel. 6 Like the valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river…7Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. “Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.”
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness –who dares to rouse them? “May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed.”
18-19. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.


Seek to appreciate the full significance of each one of these statements. What were the grounds of Balaam’s assurance of Israel’s victory and success? What similar grounds have we for thankfulness of wonder? Cf. e.g. 1 Pet 2:9-10. Answer: Balaam’s assurance comes from God. Balaam sees this when he says that God has opened his eyes.


Note. 23:10. ‘The righteous’: the word is plural, and refers here to the Israelites.