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Read Numbers Chapter 23

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1And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

2And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

3And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.

4And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

5And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

6And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.

7And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

8How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

9For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

10Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

11And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

12And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?

13And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

14And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

15And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

16And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

17And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?

18And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

21He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

22God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

23Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

25And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

27And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

28And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.

29And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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Explanation

Numbers 23

In short

Balak, a king worried about Israel, hires the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. Three times Balaam sets up altars and seeks God's word, but each time God puts a blessing for Israel in his mouth instead. Balak grows frustrated as his hired prophet blesses his enemies and explains that God's blessing cannot be reversed.

What the text says

Verses 1-5: Balaam asks Balak to build seven altars and sacrifice animals on them. Balak does so, then Balaam goes to a high place to meet God. God comes to Balaam and puts words in his mouth, telling him to return to Balak and speak what God has prepared.

Verses 6-10: Balaam speaks publicly. He says Balak brought him to curse Jacob and Israel, but asks how he can curse those God has not cursed. He sees Israel from the rocks and calls them a people that will dwell alone. He wishes to die like the righteous of Israel.

Verses 11-12: Balak protests that Balaam has blessed his enemies instead of cursing them. Balaam answers that he must speak what God puts in his mouth.

Verses 13-20: Balak brings Balaam to another place, Pisgah, builds seven more altars, and the ritual repeats. This time Balaam declares that God is not a man who lies or changes his mind. He says he has been commanded to bless, God has blessed, and Balaam cannot reverse it.

Verses 21-24: Balaam continues that God sees no sin in Jacob and is with them. God brought them from Egypt with great strength. No curse or divination can harm Jacob. Israel will rise like a strong lion.

Verses 25-30: Balak tells Balaam not to bless or curse at all, and proposes a third location. Balaam insists again that he must do all the Lord speaks. Balak takes him to Peor, and the pattern repeats with seven altars and sacrifices.

Takeaways

  • A hired prophet cannot undo what God has decided, no matter how much payment or effort is involved.
  • God's blessing on a people is firm and cannot be reversed by human action or magic.
  • Those who serve God's word must speak it faithfully, even when it goes against what their employer wants.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.