This Bible study is all about Balaam and Balak and how you can use their example to understand and follow God’s will.
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Understanding God’s will can de a daunting endeavor, complete with challenges and uncertainties along the way. In the Biblical narrative of Balaam and Balak, we see how Balaam sought God’s answer but failed to align his desires with God’s Word. Despite Balaam’s initial reluctance and flawed intentions, God persistently revealed His will to him in unmistakable ways. This story serves as a reminder to us that although discerning God’s will may not come naturally at first, His clarity and guidance are always available to those who earnestly seek Him.
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Read all about Balak and Balaam, before reflecting on their story below.
Numbers 22-25
Balak summons Balaam
The Israelites continued on their journey and set up camp outside of Moab, cauding great concern among the Moabites. They had heard the reports of the miracles performed by the God of the Israelites. Balak, the King of the Moabites, realized that he could not defeat the Israelites through physical warfare alone. He needed to win a spiritual battle first.
So, he consulted Balaam, a prophet who was well-known among the nations. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites because in that culture, cursing someone was thought to be as good as done. If he could get the Israelite God to curse the Israelites, he knew he could win the battle.
Balak knew that the Israelite’s strength came from God, and thus, he knew that he was not merely fighting against flesh and blood, but the battle would have to turn spiritual for Him to win. Are you fighting physical battles when you should be focused on Spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:12)?
Balaam – a corrupt prophet but not a false one
Balaam was a prophet, but he was neither an Israelite nor a prophet of the One true God. He was a prophet for hire, and throughout this story, we will see where his heart lies. When Balak sent the messengers to bring Balaam back to prophesy, Balaam responds by hosting the messengers while he waits to hear from God. But when God appeared to Balaam telling him to not go to Balak, Balaam’s response shows his susceptibility to bribery. Balaam responds that the Lord has forbidden him from going, and that not even all the silver and gold in Balak’s palace could convince him. Although this may sound like a righteous response, it would have been well understood by Balak that if he increased the fee, Balaam would prophesy.
As the story unfolds, the corrupt nature of Balaam is exposed. But despite his corruption, he is not a false prophet. He never claims to speak anything that God has not told him.
Are you like Balaam, corrupt and willing to be bought if the price is right? Or are you a false prophet, claiming to hear things from God that contradict scripture? Are you faithful in only speaking what God has told you to say (Ephesians 4:29)?
Balaam’s Donkey
When Balak’s messengers returned to Balaam, he again encouraged them to spend the night so that he could see what God would have him do. Even though Balaam already had an answer from God and knew the right thing to do, he still entertained the sin rooted in his own evil desires. There is no need to ask God a second time when His first answer is so clear. When God told Balaam he could go, God did not change His mind. Rather, He gave Balaam over to his own sinful desires.
While Balaam was traveling to meet Balak, His donkey saw an angel of the Lord and turned away from him three times, resulting in three beatings from Balaam. When Balaam’s eyes were finally opened to see the Angel, he repented, stating that he would go back if God was displeased. However, this repentance was insincere; Balaam was more interested in meeting Balak than following God’s will.
Is your path reckless before God? Do you seek to follow your own desires or God’s will (Psalm 25:4-5)?
The First message of Balaam to Balak
Before Balaam gave his first prophecy, he built seven altars and sacrificed animals on them. This was not a righteous display, but a pagan attempt to bribe God. God did not sanction these offerings, nor where they done according to the guidelines given by God to the Israelites. Nevertheless, God met with Balaam and spoke to Him.
In Balaam’s first prophecy, instead of cursing the Israelites as Balak had requested, he highlighted their uniqueness. He described how they were chosen by God and set apart for His glory. The “Dust of Jacob” metaphorically represented their vast numbers and their protection under the covenant God made with Abraham.
Balaam knew that it would be impossible to curse those whom God had not cursed. Do you seek to undermine or oppose God’s people and purposes? Or do you treat others with the respect that is due to them as children of God (Philippians 2:3)?
The second message of Balaam to Balak
After Balaam failed to denounce Israel, Balak led him to another place to try again. Balak hoped that this change in position would change the perspective of Balaam so that he would not be impressed by the size of Israel. This, however, was not the case, and the second oracle of Balaam speaks to the divine nature of God. Balaam states that God is not a human being that He should lie or change His mind. God already decided that Israel was blessed, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. In this prophecy, Balaam doesn’t just fail to curse Israel. He blesses them as God’s chosen and protected people instead.
Part of God’s character is that He does not speak and then not act, or promise without fulfilling it. God is always faithful to His word. Is there an area in your life where you are waiting for God’s faithfulness to shine through (Deuteronomy 7:9)?
The Third message of Balaam to Balak
Balaam was finally convinced that God could not be swayed to curse Israel. Instead of trying to coerce Him into cursing His chosen people, Balaam laid aside his sorcery and simply turned his face toward the wilderness and God. In his third prophecy, Balaam speaks to the prosperity of the Israelites as a people blessed by God. Here, their strength and abundance is highlighted in this blessing, while the surrounding nations are cursed for trying to go against Israel.
How often do you try to persuade God to give you what you want instead of allowing Him to open your eyes to His will (Psalm 119:18)?
Balaam’s fourth through seventh messages
The fourth oracle of Balaam speaks to the coming Messiah. This incomplete vision of the star and scepter that would arise represents the pinnacle of Israel’s blessing and strength. The fifth, sixth, and seventh messages extend this message, highlighting the far-reaching power of the Israelites, who would conquer the surrounding nations with the help of their God. The Amalekites thought they were secure because they had lived in the area longer than any other nation. The Kenites thought they were secure because of their positioning in the land. But the Israelites would subdue the surrounding nations through the power of God, bringing glory to Him.
Do you find false security in your own abilities and circumstances? Or do you rest in the security and peace that comes from God (Deuteronomy 33:12)?
The Israelites seduced
Although there was no nation that could curse Israel when God’s protection was on them, Israel itself could remove the protection of God by rejecting His word and law and following evil. While they were settled in the region close to the Moabites, they took their focus off of God and placed it on lusts of the flesh. Balak didn’t need God to curse the Israelites because they willingly gave themselves up.
Related post: 31 of the Best Bible Verses to Help You Focus on God
Do you keep your eyes focused on God, or are you dragged away by your own evil desires (James 1:13-15)?
Consequences of actions
The Israelites had rejected the laws of their God. As a result, God commanded those who were engaging in perverse behavior to be put to death. During this time, an Israelite man brazenly brought a Midianite woman to the entrance of the Tabernacle to engage in immoral acts. This was particularly abhorrent, as all the Israelites knew that no unauthorized person was allowed to approach the Tabernacle, and anyone who did would have to be put to death (Numbers 3:38).
When Phinehas, a descendant of Arron and a priest, saw the man and woman together, he took his spear and drove it through both of them, ending the plague that had come upon the Israelites. Numbers 25:11 tells us that Phinehas was zealous for God’s honor. He was not willing to sit by while others dishonored God. Instead he took His vocation seriously, and as a priest with the authority given by God, he put to death the sin he saw in front of him.
Do you stand for righteousness or do you sit int he presence of the wicked (Psalm 1:1-2)?
Reflect on Balaam and Balak and their inability to follow God’s will
God’s will was made clear throughout this encounter between Balak and Balaam. Yet they consistently chose to ignore it. In the same way, God had made His will known to the Israelites through His law, yet they chose to reject it.
Often, the problem does not lie with understanding God’s will for your life but with applying it. If you have the Bible – God’s living and active Word – then you have access to His will for your life. Do you follow God and seek His will, or are you consumed by your own desires (Ephesians 5:15-17)?
