The Vision of the Almighty-G Bell

8/9/2019 The Vision of the Almighty-G Bell

1/22

The Vision of the Almighty

The Oracles or Parables of Balaam

Numbers 22-24

by George Bell

http://www.biblecentre.org

Numbers 23:-!"

A frightene# $ing

We usually think of parables as being only in the New Testament. Many of them arefamiliar to us because they were told by the Lord Jesus. owe!er" there are also parables

in the #ld Testament. #n two occasions the speeches made by Job are described as

parables $Job %&:'( %):'*. +n ,salm -) a parable is tantamount to a dark saying( difficultto understand without help. fter all" the disciples of the Lord Jesus found some of is

parables hard to take in. e had to eplain them to them.

We are going to speak about 0alaam1s parables or oracles. There are four of these. The

circumstances surrounding these parables are !ery strange. There is a king scared out ofhis wits2 There were !ast armies 3ust about to in!ade his country" as he thought. Whate!er

was he to do4 is description of these in!aders was !ery graphic( this is how he describes

them: 1Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us" as the o licketh up thegrass of the field1 $Numbers %%:-*.

5ing 0alak was !ery sure that he was no match for these armies. 6o he sent for 0alaam

who li!ed about four hundred miles away. 0alaam is mentioned in eight books of the

0ible: fi!e in the #ld Testament and three in the New" therefore we must pay attention towhat is said about him.

A %&ro&het%

+n the New Testament 0alaam is referred to as a prophet $% ,eter %:'7*. !ery strange prophet indeed2 e is also described as a soothsayer" making contact with e!il spirits. We

read that he sought for enchantments. +t was because of his reputation in this area that

0alak sent for him. Nowadays he would be known as a spiritualist medium.

Nowhere in the 0ible does he get a good name. 0alaam is altogether a comple character(!ery difficult to understand2 e seems to ha!e had a knowledge of 8od howe!er

per!erted it may ha!e been. 0alak1s plan was to hire the ser!ices of 0alaam to put a curse


2/22

upon the armies of +srael. 0alak was in no doubt as to the latter1s ability. Just listen to

what he says: 19ome now therefore" + pray thee" curse me this people( for they are too

mighty for me: perad!enture + shall pre!ail" that we may smite them" and that + may dri!ethem out of the land: for + know that he whom thou blessest is blessed" and he whom thou

cursest is cursed1 $Numbers %%:*. We are now able to see what a de!ilish scheme was

being worked out.

A co'etous man

owe!er" 8od had different thoughts. ;emember that the armies which 0alak was so

afraid of were 8od1s people. What could puny man do to stop them4 nd so" when themessengers of 0alak came to 0alaam" they had in their hands the rewards of di!ination. +t

is clear that 0alaam was well known as a co!etous man.

The prophet in!ited the messengers from 0alak to lodge that night while he en


3/22

9oming back to our story" 8od does all e can to turn the prophet from his e!il design.

e puts the angel of the Lord in his way. There are many who belie!e that this angel is a

presentation of the 6on of 8od in #ld Testament times before the +ncarnation. 0alaam didnot at first see this angel. owe!er" his ass saw it and stopped in its tracks. This made

0alaam angry with the ass and he treated it brutally. The ass rebuked the madness of the

prophet" speaking with human !oice. 0ut he still went on.

The first blessing

We must come now to the first oracle. 0alak must ha!e thought that he had 0alaam

where he wanted him. 0ut it must ha!e shaken him when the prophet answered him insuch a forceful way: 1ow shall + curse" whom 8od hath not cursed4 or how shall + defy"

whom the L#;= hath not defied41 $Numbers %A:B*.

The position they took up to !iew 8od1s people is !ery interesting: 1from the top of the

rocks + see him1 $Numbers %A:)*. +t is e!ident that he could see the whole camp from this

!antage point settled 3ust outside the borders of Moab.

0ut the top of the rocks suggests that he saw the armies of +srael from 8od1s point of

!iew. +t is a good thing to get away from the thoughts of men and their opinions

sometimes. ?!en with oursel!es as 9hristians there are times when we becomediscouraged and self occupied. We think the world is falling apart. The top of the rocks

speaks of the stability of 8od1s purpose.

The roc$s

There is something immo!able about rocks. + remember my wife and + spending a

holiday in =e!on some years ago. s most people do" we !isited =artmoor and saw thosegreat rocks. They call them 1tors1" don1t they4 We partly climbed up aytor. We both hadan impression of something absolutely immo!able. That is one of the lessons we learn

from the rocks.

+t also says: 1and from the hills + behold him1 $Numbers %A:)*. The hills speak of a clear

atmosphere where we think soberly. +f the rocks speak of stability" the hills tell of a placewhere we can understand 8od1s thoughts of grace towards is people. ,salm 'A) was

written by =a!id" and he says: 1ow precious also are thy thoughts unto me" # 8od2 how

great is the sum of them21 $,salm 'A):'&*.

+t is !ery good to see other belie!ers as 8od sees them. Let us think about this for amoment2 ow does 8od see belie!ers in the Lord Jesus 9hrist4 The postle ,aul" in his

Letters" !ery often uses the epression 1in 9hrist1. e e!en says we were 1chosen in im

before the foundation of the worldC $?phesians ':-*. +t is one of the easiest things in theworld to find fault and criticise one another. 9hristians ha!e been transferred" through

8od1s purpose and grace" to a new position. This is the way we can apply the top of the

rocks position to oursel!es.


4/22


5/22

8od has ne!er stopped working in this way2 6pringing from braham came the nation of

+srael when they were brought out of bondage in ?gypt. #ne of the later prophets wrote

about this: 1#ut of ?gypt ha!e + called my son1. Just as bram had been called out of Hrof the 9haldees" so the nation was called out of ?gypt.

They were to be separate from the nations around them. These nations were steeped inidolatry and all the e!ils that went along with it. +srael was to be a witness that

J?#I was the true 8od. The sad story is that +srael became like the other nations"worshipping idols also. They did not bear a faithful witness for 8od. +t was because of

this that +srael was e!entually taken into capti!ity to 0abylon. +t should be said" howe!er"

that 8od ne!er intended that +srael should look down on the 8entiles. They should ha!e brought the knowledge of 8od to them.

Let us mo!e on a bit further. What about oursel!es as 9hristians4 We belong to the

9hurch2 The first mention of the 9hurch is in Matthew chapter ' !erse 'B. The Lord

Jesus was addressing ,eter who had confessed im saying: 1Thou art the 9hrist" the 6on

of the li!ing 8od1. Jesus said unto him: 1nd + say also unto thee" That thou art ,eter" andupon this rock + will build My 9hurch( and the gates of hell shall not pre!ail against it1.

We ha!e said that 8od has consistently worked in the same way as e did in braham1stime. Let us think about the word 19hurch1. The meaning of the word is 1called out of 1.

6o belie!ers who form part of the 9hurch today are called to be separate from the world.

This does not mean we are to be hermits or shut oursel!es in a monastery. We are to be

acti!e" pointing men to 9hrist. When the Lord Jesus was here" referring to is disciples"e said: 1They are not of the world" e!en as + am not of the world1 $John '&:'-*.

owe!er" before going back to is Gather" e ga!e them a commission" and said: 18o ye

into all the world" and preach the gospel to e!ery creature1 $Mark ':'7*. The world of

pleasure seeking and money making should ha!e no attraction for the 9hristian. 0ut thereis a world of men and women in need of the 8ospel. We should be diligent in this

respect2

Thir# statement

The third part of the blessing is gi!en in the form of a


6/22

The Lord Jesus told a parable about a certain man who made a great supper. There were

many guests in!ited. When it was all prepared he sent a ser!ant to say: 19ome" for all

things are now ready1 $Luke '-:'&*. The strange thing is" they didn1t want to come2 6othey all made ecuses.

,eople are like that nowadays when they hear the 8ospel. They are so busy with theirown li!es that they are not interested. 6o there was a call to others to come. 0ut yet there

was room. Then the ser!ant was told Dto go out into the highways and hedges" andcompel them to come in that my house may be filled1 $Luke '-:%A*. The gospel in!itation

is the same today and goes out to all" Jew and 8entile alike. The call is to come2 ?!ery

thing has been prepared. #nly trust and belie!e.

*ourth statement

s we close this chapter" let us think of 0alaam1s fourth epression. This is !ery solemn:

1Let me die the death of the righteous1. las" he was not prepared to li!e the life of the

righteous.

e came to a sad end" still in the company of 8od1s enemies. s 9hristians" let us li!e so

that we may en3oy the blessing of 8od now" and look forward to its full en3oyment in

eternity.

Numbers 23:!+-24

A more limite# 'ie, of srael

,oor 0alak" the first part of his scheme did not work out2 s we saw in our first chapter"

he had sent for 0alaam to put a curse on the armies he was so afraid of. is confidence in

the famous soothsayer must ha!e been badly shaken. 0alaam had done the !ery opposite

to what 0alak wanted. e was not able to curse these armies( he had blessed them. Justlisten to 0alak: 1What hast thou done unto me4 + took thee to curse mine enemies" and"

behold" thou hast blessed them altogether1 $Numbers %A:''*.

+n spite of this setback" 0alak went on and suggested that they go to another place to see

the armies of +srael: 1Thou shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence1. Was heso foolish as to think that if they took a more limited !iew of 8od1s people that would

make any difference4 ow !ery little these two men really knew of 8od2

The unchangeable Go#

The


7/22

Let us 3ust forget this incident for a while and relate these words to oursel!es. 8od will

always remain faithful to is word. There are times when circumstances press in upon us

and our faith in 8od weakens and we become depressed. We should not forget theunchangeable 8od. What e promises to do" e will fulfil2 The apostle ,aul" in his Letter

to the ;omans chapter ''" writes of the unfaithfulness of +srael. e goes on to say that as

far as 8od1s promises to them were concerned: 1The gifts and calling of 8od are withoutrepentance1 $;omans '':%)*.

Just think again of ,aul1s words in another place" this time directly concerning 9hristians:

1+n hope of eternal life" which 8od that cannot lie promised before the world began1 $Titus

':%*. We need in our day to rest entirely upon 8od1s word.

A .ustifie# &eo&le

+n our first chapter we were thinking of 8od1s people as sanctified" that is" as set apart for

imself. Let us recall the epression: 1The people shall dwell alone" and shall not be

reckoned among the nations1 $Numbers %A:)*. 8od1s lo!e was set upon them.

+n the second oracle another truth comes to light. Listen to the net part of this blessing:

1e hath not beheld ini


8/22

There came a point when the +sraelites cried out for freedom from this ser!itude and 8od

heard them. Moses and aron were appointed by 8od to approach ,haraoh with the call"

1Let My people go1 $?odus 7@'>*. There was !ery little hope of this happening at first.owe!er" sent by 8od" se!eral plagues were inflicted upon the land of ?gypt" increasing

in their se!erity. ,haraoh was at times so affected by them that he agreed to let the people

go. 0ut when the plague was remo!ed" his heart was hardened and he refused to let themgo free.

?!entually" when all had failed" the most se!ere 3udgement of all fell on the ?gyptians.

The firstborn in all the land of ?gypt was to be killed. The firstborn of ,haraoh" of the

ser!ants" and of the beasts. +t was to happen at midnight. +nstructions were gi!en to the+sraelites as to how to deal with this last plague. They were in!ol!ed in this as much as

the ?gyptians. +t was to be a new beginning in their national history. They were to take a

lamb out of their flocks and kill it and take of the blood and put it on the two side postsand on the lintel of the door of their houses.

+t was !ery important that this was done2 8od said: 1When + see the blood" + will passo!er you1 $?odus '%:'A*. =eath did not enter the houses of the +sraelites because they

were co!ered by the blood. ,haraoh was now !ery glad to let them go. They were set freefrom their bondage at last2 What a remarkable picture it is of redemption by blood.

This may help us to understand how it was that 8od was able to say $we repeat the words

again*: 1e hath not beheld ini


9/22

They were an ungrateful people2 8od was angry with them and sent fiery serpents among

them that bit them and many of them died. When the people confessed their sin" Moses

prayed that 8od would take away the serpents. lthough they were totally undeser!ing"immediately the remedy was found. What a 8od they had2 e was full of mercy and

compassion.

We in our day should be thankful that 8od is unchanged. Listen to the New Testament:

10ut 8od" who is rich in mercy" for is great lo!e wherewith e lo!ed us" e!en when wewere dead in sins" hath


10/22

there was the ark" the mercy seat and on each end of the mercy seat were cherubim of

gold. +n between these two cherubim 8od dwelt. is presence was indicated by a pillar of

cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 8od guided is people in all their mo!ementsacross the wilderness.

+t was always 8od1s intention to dwell with men" and it still is. The 9hurch is 8od1sdwelling place today. These are the words of the apostle ,aul in his Letter to the

?phesians: 1+n whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of 8od through the6pirit1 $?phesians %:%%*. This dwelling place of 8od was formed on the day of ,entecost

when the oly 6pirit was gi!en.

6o all 9hristians ha!e part in the house of 8od. We must get away from thinking of the9hurch as bricks and mortar. The apostle ,eter says: 1Ee also" as li!ing stones" are built

up a spiritual house" an holy priesthood" to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to 8od

by Jesus 9hrist1 $' ,eter %:7*. Worship is the pri!ilege that belongs to all those who make

up this house. There is also a manner of life that is suitable to the house of 8od. ,salm

)A:7 says: 1oliness becometh Thine house" # L#;=" for e!er1. The same messagecomes through in the New Testament. +n ,aul1s first Letter to his son in the faith"

Timothy" there is a call for godliness. #n one occasion ,aul writes of 1the doctrine whichis according to godliness1 $' Timothy :A*. Whate!er teaching there would be" godliness

must be the end product.

/oyal &riests

The net epression in this second blessing is: 1nd the shout of a king is among them1

$Numbers %A:%'*. Let us think about this2 There might be a future bearing here. +n the last

section we thought of belie!ers as a holy priesthood" offering up spiritual sacrifices to

8od. owe!er" this refers to 1the shout of a king1. This is royal" no doubt.

+n Girst ,eter where we are said to be a holy priesthood" we are also called a royal

priesthood. What do they do4 ere it is: 1That ye should shew forth the praises of im

who hath called you out of darkness into is mar!ellous light1 $' ,eter %:)*. ere weha!e another pri!ilege2 +t is also a witness going out to others" telling of all that 8od has

done for us.

The blessing then goes back to +srael1s redemption. 18od brought them out of ?gypt1

$Numbers %A:%%*. They were ne!er to forget that memorable day2 ;eading through the#ld Testament we find this. The prophets were constantly reminding the people of +srael

of it.

?!en in the New Testament it comes up. +n the book of cts we ha!e the account of the

defence of 6tephen to those who were baying for his life. Eou may remember that he didlose his life at the end of his defence. e reminds his Jewish audience of their rescue out

of ?gypt: D8odK brought them out" after that e had shewed wonders and signs in the

land of ?gypt1 $cts &:A*.


11/22

=o you remember when you first trusted the Lord Jesus for sal!ation4 Eou came under

the shelter of the blood2 +t was a new beginning2 +srael1s end is that they will o!ercome

all their enemies: he has as it were the strength of an unicorn $buffalo* $Numbers %A:%%*.The 9hristian1s end is also sure.

A generous Go#

+n !erse %A of our chapter" 0alaam concludes: 16urely there is no enchantment againstJacob" neither is there any di!ination against +srael1. The plot had failed.

0ut notice the


12/22

which we thought about in the pre!ious chapter" +srael was seen as 8od1s justified people.

+n the third oracle" it is the order seen in the nation of +srael.

This time 0alak took 0alaam to another location from which he was able to see the wholecamp. +t was probably a fair distance away. +t must ha!e been


13/22

8od made imself known to bram" saying to him: 1+ am the lmighty 8od( walk before

me" and be thou perfect1 $8enesis '&:'*.

bram was ninety@nine years old at the time. Nearly twenty@fi!e years before this" 8odhad promised him a seed. No family had materialised from his marriage to 6arai thus far.

s the years passed by the situation became humanly impossible. uman efforts weremade to gain a seed but they ended in disaster. Ne!ertheless bram maintained his faith

in 8od1s promise( we read in the New Testament of bram that 1he staggered not at the promise of 8od through unbelief( but was strong in faith" gi!ing glory to 8od1 $;omans

-:%>*. ?!entually" when bram was about '>> years old and 6arai was )> years old" +saac

was born.

We are told that the meaning of 1the lmighty 8od1 is 1the 8od of infinite resources1. This

8od was on the side of is own people +srael and 0alaam was still set on cursing them2

This 8od is ours today. The real +saac has come" speaking of the risen 9hrist. We can

re3oice that 1all the promises of 8od in im are yea" and in im men" unto the glory of

8od by us1 $% 9orinthians ':%>*.

The or#er of the cam&

There was something !ery attracti!e about the camp of +srael. The tents were e!identlyset out in a perfect order and none were out of place. s you read the passage" you gain

the impression of rows of tents all e!enly placed. They could not camp where they liked"

8od ordered the arrangement for their benefit. When you consider the thousands of people in!ol!ed" there had to be a highly disciplined order. ll was set in relation to the

centre" which was the tabernacle where 8od dwelt.

+n the early chapters of the book of Numbers we learn about this order. There were" as weknow" twel!e tribes all named after the sons of Jacob" making up the nation of +srael. Thetwel!e tribes were numbered according to the men of war in each tribe. There was no

tribe called after Joseph. e was represented by his two sons" Manasseh and ?phraim.

The tribe of Le!i was separated to ser!e( they were workers. There was also a family whowere priests who acted for 8od in matters of approach to 8od.

The twel!e tribes" 1all that were able to go forth to war1 $Numbers ':A*" were on different

sides of the camp. There were four camps" each one comprising three tribes. #ne was on

the east side toward the rising of the sun. nother on the south side" another on the westside and another on the north side. Their positions were far off from the tabernacle. They

were for the protection of the whole camp. Where 8od had put them" there they muststay.

Le!i had three sons" 5ohath" 8ershon and Merari. The families of these men occupied positions on the north" south and west of the tabernacle. Their work was concerned with

the tabernacle" therefore they camped close by. ?ach family had a particular work to do.

The family of 5ohath had the charge of the furniture of the tabernacle. They wereresponsible for carrying the items upon their shoulders. The family of 8ershon had


14/22

responsibility for the curtains and the co!erings. They carried the hangings of the court

and of the gate when the camp mo!ed on. The family of Merari carried the boards of the

tabernacle and the bars" also the pillars around the court and their sockets and pins andcords. +t was also their work to set up the tabernacle when they mo!ed to a new site. They

were to dismantle it when they had notice to mo!e on. ?ach had his own work to do.

They were not to co!et the work of another. 6omeone who had to carry the pins tent@ pegs"K were not to be en!ious of the 5ohathites who carried the furniture of pure gold.

There is a lesson for us here.

We ha!e already referred to ,aul1s first Letter to the 9orinthians. The sub3ect is 9hurch

order. e addressed them as 1the 9hurch of 8od which is at 9orinth1 $' 9orinthians ':%*.Therefore it was to a local 9hurch. There was much which needed putting right. s well

as points of teaching" there were also matters of practical 9hristian li!ing.

+n the first chapter we learn that man1s wisdom has no place as we consider the cross of

9hrist. The second chapter tells of the oly 6pirit as the only power for re!ealing the

things of 8od. +n the following chapters many areas of practical li!ing are considered. +nchapter '' there is the proper conduct to be obser!ed when they gathered together to keep

the Lord1s 6upper( all !ery important to us in our times. +n chapter '% the 9orinthian9hristians are all said to be members of one body. e writes: 10ut now hath 8od set the

members e!ery one of them in the body" as it hath pleased im1 $' 9orinthians '%:'B*.

lso we are told that each member of the body was gi!en gifts to use for the building upof the whole. 6o e!ery belie!er has a part to play2

=o you remember what we said about the Le!ites and their ser!ice in the tabernacle4

They were not to be en!ious of one another. +f one of the family of Merari refused to

carry the tent peg" how insecure the building would be. 8od had gi!en him that 3ob to do"

that1s what counted2 Let us go back to Girst 9orinthians again and listen: 1+f the foot shallsay" 0ecause + am not the hand" + am not of the body( is it therefore not of the body41

?!ery gift gi!en by 8od is needful. ,aul also goes on to say" 1nd the eye cannot say untothe hand" + ha!e no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet" + ha!e no need of you1 $'

9orinthians '%:'7@'*.

#ne of the problems today is that in many places e!erything is in the hands of one man.

6ome belie!er who has a gift is not able to use it. This was ne!er intended2 Let us askoursel!es if we are fulfilling the function that 8od has gi!en us to carry out. We must not

forget chapter 'A of Girst 9orinthians. + can almost hear someone thinking to themsel!es"

that1s the chapter about lo!e. Eou are absolutely right2 ow !ital this is2 +t has been

described as the lubrication necessary for the smooth running of the body. We all knowthat in a mechanism" if the oil is not supplied" there will be a breakdown. Let us listen to

one or two !erses from this chapter: 1Lo!e suffereth long" and is kind... seeketh not her

own" is not easily pro!oked" thinketh no e!il1 $' 9orinthians 'A:-"7*. 10eareth all things" belie!eth all things" hopeth all things" endureth all things1 $' 9orinthians 'A:&*. + think

you will agree how necessary this is.

*our #escri&tions of the cam&


15/22

Let us think now about the four descriptions of the camp gi!en in Numbers chapter %-:.

The first of these is: 1s the !alleys are they spread forth1. !alley is !ery attracti!e"

usually running between hills on each side. When the sun is shining and the !ariousshades of green present themsel!es" it makes a !ery beautiful picture. owe!er" nothing

is said about water" it is the valley itself we are to notice.

When John the 0aptist" the forerunner of the Lord Jesus" appeared" he had some !ery

searching things to say to the Jews. e called for reality. +n Luke1s gospel he


16/22

lthough they possess fragrance" both myrrh and aloes are bitter to taste. We think of

myrrh in connection with suffering. ow often we hear of 9hristians called to pass

through sore trials" yet a fragrance is present with them because they accepted the trial asfrom the Lord.

+t says in our !erse too: 1...which the L#;= has planted1. There is part of a !erse of ahymn" which says: 1 Gather1s hand will ne!er cause is child a needless tear1. The lesson

for us is submission to the Lord1s will.

*ourth #escri&tion of the cam&

The fourth of these descriptions is: 1s cedar trees beside the waters1. The cedar tree is!ery tall and stately. When 6olomon built the temple in Jerusalem" most of the trees used

were cedars from Lebanon. They seemed to be more suitable for the magnificent house

being built as 8od1s dwelling place.

lthough we ha!e been thinking of our submission to the Lord1s will" at the same time"there is a dignity which 8od has put upon us. No credit to us" it is all of is grace. The

postle ,aul" in his Letters" tells us of our relationship as the sons of 8od.

These cedar trees are beside the waters. We ha!e already thought of water as the !itality

gi!en by the oly 6pirit for fruit bearing. This time" howe!er the oly 6pirit is to help usen3oy the relationship we possess: 1nd because ye are sons" 8od hath sent forth the

6pirit of is 6on into your hearts" crying" bba" Gather1 $8alatians -:*. We should be

e!er thankful for what we owe to grace.

)haring the blessings

s we near the close of this blessing" in !erse &" there was a concern that others should

share in what +srael had recei!ed. Listen to this !erse: 1e shall pour the water out of his buckets" and his seed shall be in many waters1.

Water out of our buckets is the blessing we ha!e recei!ed and long to share with others.

The many waters point to this world in its need. The seed is the life gi!ing Word of 8od

that men are in need of.

0alaam again reminded 0alak of +srael1s past and future blessings. 0alak was !ery angrywith 0alaam. e was told to go without any honour2 Let us pray that we may practise the

lessons we ha!e learnt from this passage.

Numbers 24:!-24

A &eo&le blesse# by the or#


17/22

s we start the fourth oracle" we remember from our last chapter that there were frayed

tempers and hard words spoken. 0alak" the king of Moab" felt badly let down by 0alaam

the prophet in whom he had put such trust. e said to 0alaam: 1+ called thee to curse mineenemies" and" behold" thou hast altogether blessed them these three times1 $Numbers

%-:'>*. The conspiracy had gone badly wrong2

s we ha!e seen in the first three chapters" the people 0alaam had been asked to curse

were 8od1s people. 0alaam has to admit that he had no control o!er what he had said.8od was not going to allow a curse to be put upon the nation whom e had blessed.

,lease remember the messages of these blessings:

$'* +srael is 8od1s sanctified people(

$%* They are is 3ustified people(

$A* They are an orderly and united people.

A loo$ at the future

0alaam was sent back to his place in disgrace without any reward. owe!er" he wasn1tgoing without ha!ing the last word. This is how he puts it: 1nd now" behold" + go unto

my people: come therefore" and + will ad!ise thee what this people +sraelK will do to thy

people MoabK in the latter days1 $Numbers %-:'-*.

This information is gi!en in the fourth oracle. +t is


18/22

The #ld Testament 6criptures describe it as a time of trouble. Listen to the prophet

=aniel: 1nd there shall be a time of trouble" such as ne!er was since there was a nation

e!en to that same time1 $=aniel '%:'*. The godly ones will be deli!ered out of theseterrible times. 0lessing will come to the whole nation of +srael when they own their guilt

in the crucifiion of its rightful 5ing. This gi!es the setting of the e!ents described in

0alaam1s oracle.

Go# the ost 5igh

+n the blessing we considered in the pre!ious chapter" we came across a name of 8od we

had not met with before. +t was 1the lmighty1. We ha!e it again in this fourth oracle" butalso" another name of 8od occurs which we ha!e not come across before. +t is 1the Most

igh1.

+t is found in other parts of the #ld Testament" usually in connection with the closing

days. +ts first mention in the 0ible is in 8enesis '-. This is a !ery interesting 6cripture

and concerns a certain king whose name was MelchiFedek. What is more" he is said to be1the priest of the Most igh 8od1 $Matthew '-:'B" ebrews &:'*. The Most igh 8od is

1,ossessor of hea!en and earth1 $8enesis '-:')"%%*.

Looking around today we see men asserting themsel!es" 3ust as though e!erything belonged to them. 8od is hardly recogniFed and owned in is own creation. +t will not

always be like that2 We ha!e already thought of the 8reat Tribulation" bringing sorrow on

the earth. When that day has run its course" there will appear the 5ingdom of the 6on ofMan" when 8od will not stand any interference in is running of things" whether in

hea!en or on earth.

The story behind the appearance of MelchiFedek is !ery telling. e li!ed at the same timeas braham. There had been a war between certain kings and Lot" who was the nephewof braham" got mied up in it and was taken prisoner. owe!er" Lot was rescued by his

uncle $8enesis '-*. +n the New Testament" MelchiFedek is mentioned on a number of

occasions in the Letter to the ebrews $eb. 7""&*. is name means 15ing ofrighteousness1. e was also the 5ing of 6alem" which means 15ing of peace.1

e is a character of some importance because the writer says: 19onsider how great this

man was1. is greatness is because he is a picture of the Lord Jesus as the true 5ing. is

5ingdom will be righteous and the result will be peace. When e comes to reign e will bless is !ictorious people +srael" 3ust as he blessed braham when he had rescued Lot

out of capti!ity. 6o" arising out of this first mention of the DMost igh 8od1 we ha!e anincident which helps us to understand the bearing of this final blessing.

All shall see 5im

The net !erse is !ery solemn $!erse '&*. 0alaam had no real prospect in !iew. There was

one thing he does seem sure about" which e!eryone should be assured of. Listen to hiswords: 1+ shall see him" but not now: + shall behold him" but not nigh1 $Numbers %-:'&*.


19/22

+t is in the New Testament that we learn: 10ehold e cometh with clouds( and e!ery eye

shall see im1 $;e!elation ':&*. +t is the Lord Jesus whom e!ery eye shall see2 ?!en

unbelie!ers will see im" but it will be as Judge.

0alaam had no hope. e had li!ed for himself and sold himself to the =e!il. #f course"

there were men of faith in the #ld Testament whose hopes were brighter than 0alaam1s.Just think of Job and listen to what he said2 6peaking of the 8od he knew so well he says:

1Whom + shall see for myself" and mine eyes shall behold" and not another1 $Job '):%&*.

Job1s word1s ring with a sure and certain hope. The postle John con!eys the same

certainty to 9hristians today. +n his first Letter he writes about the Lord1s appearing"

saying: 10ut we know that" when e shall appear" we shall be like im( for we shall seeim as e is1 $' John A:%*. 9oming back to 0alaam he could only say: 1+ shall behold

him" but not nigh1. Let us make sure that" for oursel!es" we are really belie!ers in the

Lord Jesus so that our prospect is sure.

The )tar an# )ce&tre

The net part of our oracle concerns the 6tar and the 6ceptre. These two ideas are found

in different parts of the 0ible. There are New Testament 6criptures which deal with each.

We do not know how much 0alaam really understood" but he makes a striking statement:1There shall come a 6tar out of Jacob" and a 6ceptre shall rise out of +srael1 $Numbers

%-:'&*.

+n the other 6criptures mentioned" the word sceptre may not be used" but the idea behindit is there. The star is for watchers. We must be up early in the morning if we wish to see

the early star. The sceptre speaks of authority and rule. 6ome of you may remember the

coronation of ueen ?liFabeth ++. =uring the solemn ceremony she held in her right handthe sceptre. This represented the responsibility of rule.

We find the first mention of the star in the New Testament in the early chapters of the

8ospel of Matthew. +t was when the wise men from the east arri!ed in Jerusalem. +t was

not actually at the eact time of the birth of 9hrist" but a little while after. They must ha!e

been watchers2 They came with the re


20/22


21/22

shall li!e when 8od doeth this21 +t is clearly the same period of time. Gollowing on from

these terrible days" 9hrist will appear and set up is 5ingdom" and peace will be the

result. The message from this fourth oracle presents to us a people with a sure and certainhope.

6acob an# srael

+n each of the four oracles we ha!e seen that the nation" which 0alaam had been hired tocurse" is addressed as both Jacob and +srael. The first oracle put it plainly. 0alak1s

commission to 0alaam was: 19ome" curse me Jacob" and come" defy +srael1 $Numbers

%A:&*.

Jacob" in the first place" was braham1s grandson. s time went on" the name Jacob

became attached to the whole nation. There is a marked resemblance between Jacob1s

history and that of the nation. ll the promises made to braham would be inherited by

Jacob. Just think of the trouble Jacob would ha!e a!oided if he had waited on 8od1s time.

0ut that wasn1t Jacob2

e decei!ed his nearly blind father" +saac" by taking the blessing that rightly belonged to

?sau" his brother. e had to flee from the wrath of ?sau. Gor o!er twenty years he was an

eile in the home of Laban" his mother1s brother. Laban was 3ust as shrewd as Jacob. ewas a hard taskmaster and Jacob worked hard for !ery small wages. ;achel was one of

Laban1s two daughters and Jacob lo!ed her. bargain was struck( he was to work for

se!en years for ;achel. When the years were completed" through Laban1s trickery" it wasnot ;achel he had worked for" it was her sister Leah. This cost Jacob another se!en years

labour for the daughter he lo!ed.

The troubles endured by Jacob o!er the whole of his life were many. t ,eniel he wasrenamed +srael( this was repeated again at 0ethel. ll the way through 8od was dealingwith is ser!ant $8enesis %&@A&*. t the end of his ways" he has to speak of 8od as Dthe

8od who has fed me all my life long unto this day1 $8enesis -B:'7*. owe!er" in the New

Testament we learn of his greatest triumph: 1e worshipped" leaning upon the top of hisstaff1 $ebrews '':%'*.

There are many lessons we can learn from 8od1s dealings with Jacob. +n the Letter to the

ebrews" chapter '%" the writer refers to chastening. Maybe we are a little wary of this

sub3ect. The word really means 1child training1. We must not despise the chastening of theLord nor faint when we are repro!ed by im. Listen carefully to !erse '': 1Now no

chastening for the present seemeth 3oyous" but grie!ous: ne!ertheless afterward ityieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto those who are eercised thereby1. #none occasion at the end of Jacob1s life" he almost reached the end of his tether. Just listen:

1ll these things are against me1 $8enesis -%:A*. a!e you e!er felt like that4 We can not

really say that" can we4 8od assures us: 1ll things work together for good to them thatlo!e 8od" to them who are the called according to is purpose1 $;omans B:%B*.


22/22

We ha!e already pointed out the similarity between Jacob1s personal life and +srael1s

national history. Think of their centuries of eile. ?!er since the capti!ity in 0abylon in

7BB 09 they ha!e ne!er been free. 6ome of us can remember the setting up of the 6tateof +srael in ')-B. owe!er" it is a !ery fragile situation at the moment. 0ut soon all will

be fulfilled( their eile will be o!er for e!er. May these chapters from these obscure

oracles be an encouragement to us in our day.

8eorge 0ell

The Vision of the Almighty-G Bell

Documents