What is the meaning of Numbers 23:3? Setting within the narrative Israel is camped on the plains of Moab, just across the Jordan (Numbers 22:1). Balak, king of Moab, fears Israel’s numbers and seeks supernatural help. He hires Balaam, a well-known diviner from Mesopotamia (Numbers 22:5). The LORD has already told Balaam not to curse Israel because they are blessed (Numbers 22:12), yet Balaam keeps negotiating, revealing a heart pulled between God’s word and the lure of Balak’s reward (2 Peter 2:15). The burnt offering Balak must guard • Balak offers seven bulls and seven rams on seven altars (Numbers 23:1-2), a costly display meant to secure divine favor. • Balaam tells Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone” (23:3). The sacrifice is left smoldering as a visible plea to God, echoing earlier altar scenes where someone waits beside an offering for God’s answer (Leviticus 1:9; 1 Samuel 13:9-12). • The arrangement underscores that no amount of ritual can manipulate God; He will speak as He chooses (Psalm 50:8-13). “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me” • Balaam’s word “perhaps” shows that genuine encounter with the LORD is sovereignly granted, never guaranteed by human effort (Exodus 33:19). • This contrasts sharply with pagan divination, which claimed to coerce the gods. Balaam, despite his mixed motives, admits that only the LORD can initiate communication (Proverbs 19:21). • The scene anticipates later prophets who wait for God’s word rather than invent it (Jeremiah 23:18, 22). Commitment to speak only what God reveals • Balaam says, “Whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you” (Numbers 23:3; cf. 22:18; 24:13). On the surface this sounds faithful, aligning with Deuteronomy 18:18-20 that a prophet must relay the divine message unaltered. • Yet Balaam’s later counsel that leads Israel into sin (Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14) shows how a person can say the right words while harboring a wrong heart, reminding us that obedience must be both verbal and moral (Matthew 7:21-23). The barren height • Balaam “went off to a barren height.” High places were customary locations for both legitimate and illegitimate worship (1 Samuel 9:12-14; 1 Kin 3:4). • The bareness pictures isolation—no distractions, no human audience—so the revelation, when it comes, is unmistakably from God (1 Kin 19:11-13). • In the following verses, God indeed meets Balaam and places words of blessing, not cursing, in his mouth (Numbers 23:4-12), proving divine sovereignty over every attempted manipulation. Take-home truths • God’s word cannot be bent by sacrifices, money, or human pressure (Numbers 23:8; Isaiah 40:13-14). • An impressive ritual means nothing unless the heart submits to God’s revealed will (1 Samuel 15:22). • Even unlikely instruments—such as a foreign diviner—must bow to speak God’s truth, showcasing His absolute authority (Luke 19:40). summary Numbers 23:3 records Balaam pausing between the costly sacrifices of Balak and the sovereign voice of the LORD. The verse teaches that genuine revelation comes only at God’s initiative, that the messenger is duty-bound to share it without alteration, and that no human offering can coerce or redirect the divine purpose. |
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