Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר
(BaMidbar - in the desert)

CHAPTER 21

1 Then the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, and he fought against Israel and took some of them captive.
2 So Israel made a vow to Yahweh and said, “If You will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”
3 Then Yahweh heard the voice of Israel and gave the Canaanites over; so they devoted them and their cities to destruction. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah.
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

The Bronze Serpent

6 So Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people so that many people of Israel died.
7 Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you; pray to Yahweh, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a standard; and it will be that everyone who is bitten and looks at it, will live.”
9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it happened, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
10 Then the sons of Israel set out and camped in Oboth.
11 They then set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, east toward the sunrise.
12 From there they set out and camped in Wadi Zered.
13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh,
“Waheb in Suphah,
And the wadis of the Arnon,
15 And the slope of the wadis
That extends to the site of Ar,
And leans to the border of Moab.”
16 And from there they continued to Beer, that is the well where Yahweh said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song:
“Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
18 “The well, which the leaders dug,
Which the nobles of the people carved out,
With the scepter and with their staffs.”
And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,
19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the wasteland.

Sihon and Og Struck Down

21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,
22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.”
23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24 Then Israel struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon was Jazer.
25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her towns.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Now it was he who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
27 Therefore those who use proverbs say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!
So let the city of Sihon be established.
28 “For a fire went forth from Heshbon,
A flame from the town of Sihon;
It devoured Ar of Moab,
The dominant heights of the Arnon.
29 “Woe to you, O Moab!
You perish, O people of Chemosh!
He has given his sons as fugitives,
And his daughters into captivity,
To an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 “But we have cast them down,
Heshbon perishes as far as Dibon,
And we have made desolate even to Nophah,
Which reaches to Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its towns and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet them, he and all his people for battle at Edrei.
34 But Yahweh said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.”
35 So they struck down him and his sons and all his people, until there was no survivor remaining for him; and they possessed his land.

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 21.

21.1-35

The word "devote" in this passage means so much more than the casual reading of it delivers in the English language: "Then Yahweh heard the voice of Israel and gave the Canaanites over; so they devoted them and their cities to destruction. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah." (Nu 21:3).

The word devote is from the Hebrew חָרַם (ḥā·rǎm): devote to God, i.e., give a gift exclusively to God, which (once given) must then be destroyed so there will be no human use made of it. "Nevertheless, anything which a man devotes to Yahweh out of all that he has, of man or animal or of the fields of his own possession, shall not be sold or redeemed. Anything devoted to destruction is most holy to Yahweh." (Lev 27:28)

Such was the sacrifice to Yahweh, of these cities who God delivered into their hands. The children of Israel prayed that God would do so, and for His glory and complete reward, they received none of the spoils of the victory, but rather "devoted" it all to Him.

Despite this, the pattern of complaining persisted. No matter how many lessons the children had to learn, their petulence persists. We cannot make this accusation without reflecting on our own nature, as God intends for us to see this accordingly. The Bible is not written merely to be cathartic for a people who were once and nevermore again inadherent to a covenant. No, it is an honest admission unlike any other book from any other religion, truthful in the declaration of the unfaithfulness of its own. If we are to learn from it, we too must recognoze our own consitency in the same thing - our inconsistency and patterns of petulently complaining to God when we don't get our way, even though He has been faithful throughout the ages, time and time again demonstrating both His lovingkindness and His justice.

So despite having just prayed a vow to Yahweh that if He would deliver their enemies into their hands, they would respond in devoting them to Him, the people forget His faithfulness and complain that God has not not provided what they want - verse five is the epitome of a paradox when they declare there is no food, yet in the same sentence they say "we loathe this miserable food." God, having just provided what they need, now endures their complains, even lies, about what they want. Hypocrisy at it's finest. The response is more poignant than even the children of Israel could have imagined - "So Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people so that many people of Israel died." (v6)
In Matthew 7:9-11, Christ responds to the problem of hypocrisy, and the context of His response is nearly identical to Yahweh's, but who among those listening understood that Christ was reminding them of the Israelite's hypocrisy in the wilderness, and when their Father had given them snakes:

“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Whether the disciples understood, or those listening to Christ in that day, or the Pharisee to whom they reported, or many later readers of Matthew's Gospel, remains to be seen, but the children of Israel appeared to have gotten the point (at least temporarily), as vv10-13 details further travels,continuing toward the Promised Land, confirmed in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh (vvvv14-15). The Bible does not need any extra biblical validating sources, but this is a reference that the Jews would have known to be a historical record of their people. In this case, it would not have been the record validating the Bible, rather the Bible validating the record. The Book of the Wars of Yahweh is a book we no longer have access to, but with it having been cited in the Bible, "this citation at a minimum" would have been an indisputably accurate historical record.

Beginning in verse 21, we see the fullness of the Amorites' iniquity come due. This statement is only meaningful when put into the context of Yahweh's covenant to Abram from Genesis 15. Now that the Israelites are 400 years removed from Abraham, and having been led out of Egypt where they had been enslaved and mistreated for all that time, the Amorites stood between them and the Promised Land (Canaan). This is what God spoke to Abram in Genesis 15:13-16

"Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your seed will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation to whom they are enslaved, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”

As you read Numbers 21:21-35, you can see a glimpse of God's providential plan working throughout the Bible, because God's promise to Abram in Genesis 15 is fulfilled with specificity here.

CHAPTER 22

Balak Sends for Balaam

1 Then the sons of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.
2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel.
4 Then Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this assembly will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
5 So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are settled opposite me.
6 “So now, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went away with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and spoke Balak’s words to him.
8 And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as Yahweh may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”
10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me,
11 ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”
12 And God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for Yahweh has refused to allow me to go with you.”
14 And the leaders of Moab arose and came to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to go with us.”
15 Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more honorable than the former.
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, withhold you from coming to me;
17 for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Please come then, curse this people for me.’”
18 And Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, to trespass the command of Yahweh my God.
19 “So now, please, you also stay here tonight, and I will know what else Yahweh will speak to me.”
20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”
21 So Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

22 But God was angry because he was going, so the angel of Yahweh took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his two young men were with him.
23 Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; so Balaam struck the donkey to turn it back into the way.
24 Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25 And the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and it pressed itself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck it again.
26 And the angel of Yahweh passed on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left.
27 Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh and lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick.
28 And Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.”
30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head down and prostrated himself to the ground.
32 And the angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary because your way was acontrary to me.
33 “And the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If it had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let it live.”
34 And Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”
35 But the angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you shall speak only the word which I tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
36 Then Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, at the end of the border.
37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed unable to honor you?”
38 So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.”
39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Then it happened in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from there the end of the camp of the people.

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 22.

22.1-41

Here are some observations to consider in navigating this chapter:
v4 “Now this assembly will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.”
This expression would have reflected the observations the Moabites had of how the Israelites had consumed all of the nations in their path that had opposed them as they approached Midian and Moab. Their devastation of the Amorites, including overtaking their cities for themselves would be something the Moabites would fear, thinking of the Israelites as a ox who would consume all that was theirs, leaving them desolate.

v5 "So he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, at Pethor, which is near the River."
Balak, the king of Moab, sent messengers to summon Balaam, who was living in Pethor, near the Euphrates River. This location is in Aram Naharaim (Mesopotamia), which is in modern-day northern Syria near the Turkish border. The distance between Pethor and the plains of Moab, where the Israelites were camped, is estimated to be approximately 360 to 400 miles. This would have been a long and arduous journey, likely taking around 25 days on foot or by camel.

v15 "Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more honorable than the former. And they came to Balaam." Based on the distance and how long it would have taken for the messengers to return from Balaam, to King Balak, and then go back to Baalam, this would have been possibly 2 months later.

v16 “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, to trespass the command of Yahweh my God."
Despite this righteous phrase even being later declared by Balaam, he had a complicated relationship with God. He wrestled with declarations of faith that contradicted his actions. In Numbers 31:16, Balaam is blamed for advising the Midianite women to lead Israel into idolatry and immorality, resulting in a devastating plague among the Israelites. In Deuteronomy 23:4–5, Balaam is mentioned as someone who was hired to curse Israel, but God turned his curse into a blessing. In Nehemiah 13:2, Balaam is again mentioned as someone who attempted to curse Israel, but God intervened. And in 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, and Revelation 2:14, he is condemned for leading people astray for financial gain. In Joshua 13:22, Balaam is finally killed by the Israelites during their conquest of Midian.

Beginning in v22, we read of the Angel of Yahweh. The Angel of the Yahweh was a manifestation of the presence of the Lord Himself. Beginning in Numbers 22:22, we also read of one of the most unique messengers in the Bible - a talking donkey.

CHAPTER 23

Yahweh Speaks Through Balaam

1 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
2 So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.
4 Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.”
5 Then Yahweh put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.”
6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.
7 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“From Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’
8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
9 “For I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
Behold, a people who dwells alone,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.
10 “Who can number the dust of Jacob,
Or count the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
And let my end be like his!”
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have blessed them repeatedly!”
12 And he replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Discourse

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, but you will only see the end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.”
14 So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet Yahweh over there.”
16 Then Yahweh met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
17 So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?”
18 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!
19 “God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
20 “Behold, I have received a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.
21 “He has not observed misfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
Yahweh his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.
22 “God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
23 “For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!
24 “Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.”
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.
29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”
30 And Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Legacy Standard Bible (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022), Nu 23.

23.1-30

Why would God choose to speak through Balaam? Almost any question that begins with “Why would God…” is flawed in the very concept of believing we can know the mind of God. Yet, God purposes for us to know Him, and He demonstrates His nature in the ways that He does things, oftentimes in ways that are unexpected. Balaam is an unexpected prophet. Writers of the New Testament condemn Balaam’s motives as leading others astray for personal gain:

- 2 Peter 2:15-16 – Peter warns against false teachers who follow "the way of Balaam," describing him as someone who "loved the wages of unrighteousness" and was rebuked by a donkey for his wrongdoing.
- Jude 1:11 – Jude condemns those who have gone "the way of Cain," "rushed for profit into Balaam’s error," and "perished in Korah’s rebellion," linking Balaam’s actions to greed and corruption.
- Revelation 2:14 – Jesus, in His message to the church in Pergamum, warns that Balaam "taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality," showing how Balaam’s influence led to spiritual downfall.
- And here in Exodus 23, Balaam instructs Balak to build seven altars and prepare a sacrifice, which he does. These sacrifices are made by a pagan, on pagan altars, to obtain a curse against God’s people. Yet Yahweh still gave Balaam his oracle.

One consideration of “why” can come from the perspective of who was asking originally. Balak was asking for a prophet of Yahweh - to petition the God of the Israelites - to curse “the Israelites.” We know that God isn’t surprised by anything, so the irony of this didn’t catch Him off guard. But certainly, He intended for us to see this. God could have responded with silence. Had He, it likely would have escaped mention in the biblical canon. But by responding in this manner, God also demonstrates what we still see of His nature today. People who place their trust in themselves and the world continue to call out to God when they find themselves up against enemies and obstacles they find insurmountable. The nature of God is to remain faithful to His providential will and the covenants He has already established. That was true for the Israelites Balak faced. And it holds true still today. When Balak was looking for an answer from God, to use in a way that was contrary to God’s will, He answered. It didn’t matter that the prophet was less than perfect. Today, people with unrighteous motives will try to twist the Bible – God’s Word, to accomplish their purposes against God’s people. God’s covenant with His people is already set, and the outcome has been determined. So is the destruction for those who continue to oppose, resist, and refuse God.

24.1-25

Spirit of God Comes Upon Balaam

Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר (BaMidbar - in the desert)

21.1-35

22.1-41

23.1-30

24.1-25

Numbers בְּמִדְבַּר
(BaMidbar - in the desert)