THE MAD PROPHET

Gloria Phifer

You have heard of “The mad scientist?” We are going to be find “the mad prophet”.

We are going to see someone who I am very surprised The Lord used…but He did.

The children of Israel have been rescued from Egypt. Moses is leading them through the wilderness. They have been to Mount Sinai, where The Lord gave them the law. The Tabernacle has been made, following the patterns and instructions, Jehovah God gave to Moses. They have a cloud that leads them by day and becomes a pillar of fire by night. When the cloud moves…they break camp and move with it. (How wonderful would that be???)

The Tabernacle is set up in camp when they stop. The tribes are put in the order God commanded, as they camp.

They are nearing Canaan (the land of Israel). The fear of them are on the nations. This is when we come to a Moabite king named Balak. Numbers 22:1-4 “What was Balak afraid of?” LAB actually says they were all “terrified.” (I looked up Balak in Hebrew it means…”Waster…devastator.” Not a good definition. Thoughts?

LAB footnotes. “Chemosh, the national god of Moab was worshiped as a god of war. This false god, however, was no help to this nation when it fought against Israel. Israel’s God was stronger than any of Canaan’s war gods.” (So here we see people who are idol worshippers.)

Numbers 22:4-5 Notice Balak says these people arriving from Egypt “are threatening me.”

Sounds scared to me.  What did Balak do? Who did he send? Who did he send them to?

What did The Lord say to Abraham? Genesis 12:1-3. What will happen to anyone who curses Abraham and his descendants?  We need to remember this in our country. God will bless the nation that blesses Israel.

Now, Balaam is a strange character. Lab footnotes. “Why would God speak through a sorcerer like Balaam? God wanted to give a message to the Moabites and they had already chosen to employ Balaam. So, Balaam was available for God to use, much as he used the wicked pharaoh to accomplish His will in Egypt. Balaam entered into his prophetic role seriously, but his heart was mixed. He had some knowledge of God but not enough to forsake his magic and turn wholeheartedly to God. Although the story leads us to believe he turned completely to God, later passages in The Bible show that Balaam couldn’t resist the tempting pull of money and idolatry.”

In Hebrew Balaam means “not of the people.” From another word…”a failure, not at all, neither, no, none, nothing. To fail, by implication to wear out. Decay, old, spend, waste.” So, sounds like Balaam was “a waste…a failure.”

Numbers 22:7-17 what was offered to Balaam to curse the people of Israel? What did Jehovah God tell him?  vs. 12 “These people are BLESSED.”

Vs. 14-16 Balak insisted. Who did he send next?  Balak upped the price.

Vs. 18-19 God had already given His instructions to Balaam…but he prayed again. What do you think was in his heart? Did he hope Jehovah God would change His mind? Was the money tempting?

 2 Peter2:14-17 gives us a look into Balaam’s heart. Peter calls him “The madness of a prophet.”

Vs. 20 what did God tell him? What was Balaam to do?  Do you think God had changed His mind?

Let’s read Numbers 22:21-35. It looks like God had not changed His mind from the 1^st instructions he gave Balaam…”Do not go…cannot curse these people…they are blessed!!!”

In vs. 22 “God was angry that Balaam was going.”

  Who did God send to meet Balaam? What was the angel going to do?  Who saved Balaam? How did Balaam treat his always faithful donkey (she was a she)?  

What does it tell us about a man who is cruel to his animal? (Wonder if he had a wife…yikes). Proverbs 12:10 a righteous man regards the life of his animal: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

 What are your thoughts that the donkey saw the angel first?

Out of a donkey’s mouth, she defends herself. Vs. 28-30. God given words….ability to speak.

I know of no other time in The Bible when an animal speaks. Oh, and in my life, I have never heard it. I remember in the movie Chronicles of Narnia when the children arrived in Narnia, a beaver came up to them talking. The oldest girl said something like, “he’s a beaver…he shouldn’t be speaking.”

Notice in vs. 29 Balaam reason for hurting his donkey was she made him look like a fool. He told her if he had a sword he would have killed her.   Huh…your donkey is speaking and you are so angry you are talking back?  Hello??? Thoughts?  Temper, temper.

Vs. 31-32 what happened when The Lord opened Balaam’s eyes? What did he see? Who saved Balaam’s life?  I love in vs. 32 that the angel takes up for the donkey…he would have spared her life…but not Balaam’s. (I like that he took up for her and would have spared her.)

Vs. 34 what does Balaam say to the angel? What you have sinned? Think so? What is Balaam willing to do now?

Vs. 35 what are the angel’s instructions?  I noticed Balaam went on with Balak’s officials? Do you think they were with him during this episode?  And, I am sure that faithful donkey carried him all the way…bless her heart.

Vs.36-37 ah ha…Balak was going to reward Balaam richly. Vs. 38-41. Vs. 38 I find it interesting when Balaam said he doesn’t have the power to say whatever he wants. He will now speak only the message God puts in his mouth. (Lab). I guess if God can put a message in a donkey’s mouth, He can sure put one in Balaam’s mouth.

Numbers 23:1-5.The Lord gave Balaam the message for king Balak. Let’s look at the message…vs 6-10. Balaam says the name of Jacob.  He declares that Jacob descendants are a numerous as dust. He calls them “Israel’s people.” (Remember Jehovah God gave these promises to Abraham’s seed. God changed Jacob’s name to “Israel.”) These were Jehovah God’s words…not Balaam’s.

In the King James Version it says vs. 9 “From the tops of the rocks I see Him, and from the hills I behold Him…”   I personally believe he was seeing Christ. We will look at a picture of the way the camp was laid out…it was in a shape of a cross. (And we will be coming to another incredible prophesy given.) The very last part of vs 10...reminded me of Christ also. “Let me die the death of the Righteous, and let my last end be like His.”  (Resurrection…is what I think of because he said… “Let my last end be like His.)

Okay now, Balak is really upset!!! Balaam, with God’s words in his mouth, blessed Israel. Vs.11-16. So Balak thinks if it is another mountain…there will be a different outcome. He sure is persistent…of course, he is terrified.

Vs. 17-22. God is not a man that He should lie. God is Truth. I like “Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” God is good on His Word…He never breaks it. Vs. 21 what doesn’t God see in Jacob? No iniquity…no perverseness in Israel. That is how God sees us, through Christ. No condemnation. No remembering our sins. They are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. Hallelujah!

Vs. 21…”The shout of a King is among them.” Jesus. The Tabernacle is a picture of Jesus. The way they camped was in a shape of the cross.  “The shout of The KING was among them!!!”

Vs. 23 there is no enchantment or divination against Israel. They belong to Jehovah God…no evil can come nigh their dwelling. And that is the way it is in our lives. Thoughts? God’s protection in our lives. “Look what God has done!!!”

Vs. 24. Here we find “The Lion” again. KJV “Behold, the people shall rise up as a Great Lion, and lift up Himself as a young lion.”  Remember the prophesy given to the tribe of Judah of the Lion and then we found Him in Revelation…The Lion of the tribe of Judah…as a Lamb slain for the sin of the world…He had prevailed!!! Genesis 49:9…like a lion who dares to rouse Him. Notice in this prophesy in numbers the Lion will destroy His enemies.

Balak just will not give up…he is desperate!!! Vs. 25-30. Another place…maybe God would change His mind??? No, God has spoken and He is not a man that He should lie. He will bless Israel forever.

Numbers 24:1 when Balaam saw that it pleased The Lord to bless Israel what did he do?( Did it take this long for him to understand that The Lord was pleased to bless Israel?)

Vs 2 Balaam sees Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and The Spirit of God came upon him. What was Balaam seeing? How the camp…the tribes…the tents were laid out. Let’s look at the page with the cross.  How extraordinary that The Lord had the tents…the camp, laid out into a “Cross.” Balaam was seeing “The Cross.”

 

Balaam was looking at the tents of Israel and they were in the shape of a cross.

Numbers 24:1-9. Vs. here is our Lion…”He couched, He lay down as a Lion and as a great Lion: who can stir him up? Blessed is he that blesses You and cursed is he that curses You.”

Vs. 8 shows that God will use Israel to destroy nations. Someday, when Jesus comes back He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. What stands out to you?

Vs 10-14 Balak is really upset!!! What does Balaam say to him? It is really interesting to me in vs 14 Balaam says what the people of Israel will do to Balak’s people “in the latter days.”

We are living in the latter days. We have seen Israel become a nation in 1948 after 2,000 yrs. of being dispensed around the world. Israel has Jerusalem in their possession after 2,000 yrs. We are living in those “latter days.” (I believe God uses Israel in order to judge nations…what nation will stand with Israel?)

Numbers 24:15-25. Now comes this wonderful prophesy “I shall see Him, but not now.” Jesus is going to come to earth. He will be a star out of Jacob. (Remember the star at His birth.) A Scepter shall rise of Israel (Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords.) Remember in the prophesy to Judah in Genesis…”Genesis 49: The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a lawgiver until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be. “Jesus Christ King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Lab vs. 17 “I see Him, but far in the distant future. A Star will rise from Jacob; A Scepter will emerge from Israel.” Our Lord and Savior in the fullness of time came to this earth. He will return again as the conquering King and He will rule and reign.

Balaam went home. We may think he was a good guy now, but wait…Numbers 25:1-3. Some of the men of Israel had sexual relations with the Moabite women. And they worshipped the Baal of Peor. And the Lord took judgement on them.  We will find that Balaam and Balak were behind this. After a battle with Moabites…Numbers 31:15-16. It was the counsel of Balaam to Balak to use the women to seduce the men of Israel…which brought a plague among the congregation of The Lord. Thoughts? I wonder if Balak rewarded Balaam for this after all.

Balaam meets his end. Deut. 23:3-6 judgement on the Amorites. Numbers 31:16 Balaam was slain with the sword. Joshua 13:22  Thoughts?