Balaam

The Ultimate STD

Balaam refuses to curse Israel because the Lord is with them. All good, right? Well, Balaam is worried about them dolla-dolla bills, and they are on the line because he was unable to give the King of Moab what he was after. So he concocts a plot to draw the Israelites away from their God and — thus ‚ His protection (cf. Rev 2:14). His plan? To use the potent male libido against the Israelites. The King of Moab sent down women to seduce the Hebrew men and draw their hearts away from God.

Things get a little confusing here as the author doesn’t provide as many details as I would like to see attached to this story (unlike the census information in the following chapter, very robust and complete). So stick with me as I try to tease this out…

Some of the Israelites are engaging in ritual sexual intercourse with Moabites, Midianites, and other worshippers of Baal. This was… not great. So God tells Moses to round up the leaders who were sending their people astray. While there is some contention about what this word “leaders” means (some suggest “ringleaders”, others suggest that these are the leaders Moses appointed in Exodus 18:5 to watch over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens) but I favour the ringleader reading, only because it makes a clear differentiation between these leaders and the judges. So, Moses tells his judges (I think these are the men from Exodus 18:5) to gather up the ringleaders of this rebellion within their cohort of responsibility, kill them, and display their bodies before the people.

While that is happening, God has sent a plague to kill those who are engaging in ritual sexual intercourse and worship of the fertility god Baal. Hence the title of today’s devotional. One particularly egregious example of which is this fellow who take a Midianite girl right into his tent WHILE Moses and the leaders and discussing what needs to be done to address this situation. So Phinehas charges in and spears the guy — not like Goldberg, more like a javelin — and also the girl underneath him. They must have gotten right down to business. And with this decisive act, God was satisfied that the issue would be handled with due seriousness and decisiveness, so that he stopped the plague.

Of course, I also suspect that this was divine timing, because God’s plague had already done its work.

So what do we take from this?

I think we can see how rebellion tests leadership. How we (you, me, whoever) deal with open rebellion against the authority and responsibility God has given us will show what kind of leaders we are.

So grab your spears, people! Let’s go heresy-hunting! <- NO. DO NOT DO THAT.

But while I think the time for capital punishment has passed, we should still give rebellion its due weight. Do we stand by and allow things to occur right under our noses, or do we boldly step out and address it? Do we turn a blind eye to sin in the name of some misguided altruism, or are we willing to sacrifice a human relationship to preserve a divine one?

Satan wants to draw us away from God. It probably won’t be clear and obvious that he is doing so. Satan certainly will not be TELLING us that is his plan, but instead he is okay to play the long game and draw us away slowly. Don’t allow that to happen. Stand watch. Be on guard. Be prepared to fight. Keep your sword1 at the ready!

Numbers 25-26 | 066/365
  1. Sword of the Spirit, that is. ↩︎

A Fickle God?

Today’s devotional is more of an apologetic concerning one of the more confusing exchanges in the Old Testament. Balak, the King of Moab sends a contingent down to get the prophet Balaam. Apparently a well-known man among the leaders of the region, he was able to commune with the gods. One wonders what he did when dealing with gods who were NOT Yahweh. Since they do not exist and were unable to answer him in any meaningful way. I suspect he was able to give most people what they wanted, since the imaginary gods of the region wouldn’t put up much of an argument. Balaam could likely leave most of his customers feeling happy.

In this case, though, he is commissioned to speak a curse over the nation of Israel. He goes to the one true God and the reply is simple: don’t go with these men. Which is what Balaam conveys. However, Balak was not so easily dissuaded. He sent another, larger contingent of even more important people who offered Balaam even more money to come and pronounce a curse over Israel. What follows is my attempt to reconcile what seems to be a fickle God changing His mind with what we know should be a steadfast God who is immutable. We also need to consider the principle that Scripture Interprets Scripture. So we have to account for 2 Peter 2:15 & Jude 1:11 as well.

Balaam goes back to God after talking with the entourage and it seems God has changed His position, now saying, “If they come to call you, go”. But then when he does go with them, God puts an Angel is his path to block his way. We know that God doesn’t change His mind, and we know that Balaam was motivated by greed (Peter/Jude), so putting it all together, I think we get this:

  1. Balaam is told by God to not go with them.
  2. A great deal of money is offered so Balaam goes back to God.
  3. God says IF they come for you, you may go.
  4. Balaam goes to them before they can come to him.
  5. God shows Balaam the error he has made, yet offers grace.
  6. Balaam truthfully shares what God said, and so was denied his treasures.

The takeaway is this: if God has given you an answer, don’t go back to Him again a if He is some kind of slot machine that might provide a different outcome if you only ask again. God will let you do your thing if that’s what you really want… but is it?

Numbers 22-24 | 065/365