What is the meaning of Numbers 23:28? And Balak took Balaam • Balak refuses to accept that God has already spoken blessing over Israel (Numbers 23:8, 20); he keeps trying to maneuver Balaam into a place where a curse might stick. • This relentless manipulation mirrors Pharaoh’s repeated hard-heartedness (Exodus 8:15, 32) and foreshadows Herod’s scheming against the newborn Christ (Matthew 2:8, 16). • Balaam goes along, exposing the danger of compromise—he outwardly obeys God’s words yet inwardly craves Balak’s reward (Numbers 22:18; 2 Peter 2:15–16; Jude 11). to the top of Peor • Peor sits among the Moabite high places where false worship flourished (Numbers 25:3). Balak thinks a different altar location might sway God, revealing pagan superstition that deities are territorial (1 Kings 20:23). • High elevations in Scripture often mark decisive revelations—Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:20), Carmel (1 Kings 18:20–39), and later Calvary (Luke 23:33). Peor will witness God’s unwavering purpose just as surely. • By relocating Balaam, Balak unwittingly sets the stage for an even broader proclamation of blessing; God turns every human scheme into a platform for His glory (Genesis 50:20). which overlooks the wasteland • The “wasteland” (or Jeshimon) is the barren plateau east of the Dead Sea. From this stark vantage, Israel’s camp could be viewed in full (Numbers 22:41). • The contrast is striking: sterile wilderness below, yet a nation destined for a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:17). God’s blessing is not contingent on present surroundings (Psalm 107:35–38). • The desolation dramatizes the emptiness of idolatry; while Balak trusts in altitude and altars of his own design, the living God speaks life in the desert (Isaiah 35:1–2). summary Balak drags Balaam to yet another high place, hoping geography will alter God’s unchangeable word. Peor’s height and the wasteland’s desolation only magnify the futility of resisting the Lord. In spite of human scheming and barren settings, God will bless His people and overrule every curse. |
    |