Why did God permit Balaam to go with Balak's men in Numbers 22:20? Canonical Context The Balaam cycle (Numbers 22–24) unfolds on the plains of Moab just after Israel’s victories over Sihon and Og (Numbers 21:21-35). Israel now stands at the threshold of the Promised Land, and Yahweh’s covenant promise to bless Abraham’s offspring (Genesis 12:3) is about to be tested by hostile nations and a mercenary diviner. Immediate Literary Setting 1. First Delegation: Balak’s princes arrive; God answers Balaam, “You are not to go with them; you are not to curse the people, for they are blessed” (Numbers 22:12). 2. Second Delegation: More distinguished envoys come with the lure of greater reward (Numbers 22:15-17). Balaam entertains them and again seeks a divine word (22:18-19). 3. Night Revelation: “God came to Balaam by night and said, ‘If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them. But only the word I speak to you, that you must do’” (Numbers 22:20). Divine Sovereignty and Conditional Permission 1. The earlier prohibition protected Israel; the later permission reveals God’s mastery over pagan divination. 2. Divine sovereignty can employ—even overrule—human intent: “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail” (Proverbs 19:21). 3. Psalm 115:3 affirms, “Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him.” Balaam’s journey becomes the stage on which God turns intended cursing into prophetic benediction (Numbers 23–24). Balaam’s Heart Condition Scripture repeatedly exposes Balaam’s motivation: greed (2 Peter 2:15-16), doctrinal error (Jude 11), and corruption of Israel through idolatrous counsel (Revelation 2:14). The permission to go does not endorse his character; it unmasks it. Yahweh allows him enough rope to reveal the underlying avarice while still curbing his mouth (Numbers 23:12). A Divine Test and Object Lesson Deuteronomy 13:1-4 sets a principle that God can permit a false prophet to arise “to test you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart.” Balaam illustrates this dynamic: • Israel sees that no external sorcery can overturn God’s blessing (Numbers 23:23). • Balaam himself is forced to confess Israel’s ultimate triumph: “A star will come forth from Jacob” (24:17), a messianic prophecy later echoed by Matthew 2:2. Protection of Covenant Blessing Balak’s hired curse meets the unbreakable covenant oath: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). God’s permission positions Balaam where his mouth will publicly affirm that Abrahamic promise four separate times (Numbers 23:7-10; 23:18-24; 24:3-9; 24:15-24). Foreshadowing of Corporate and Individual Choices The incident crystallizes two paths: • Balaam chooses profit over obedience and dies later among Israel’s enemies (Numbers 31:8). • Israel must choose exclusive loyalty; failure to heed the warning in Numbers 25 (the Baal-peor incident) costs 24,000 lives. Inter-Canonical Commentary • Micah 6:5 calls Israel to remember “what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered,” underscoring God’s saving acts. • Nehemiah 13:2 recounts the same event, highlighting God’s reversal of the curse. • New Testament writers cite Balaam as a prototype of mercenary religion (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). Practical Takeaways for Believers • Guard the heart against compromise; outward religiosity cannot mask greed (Matthew 6:24). • God may permit sinful choices to expose motives yet still turn them for His glory (Romans 8:28). • The unchangeable blessing in Christ (“in you all nations will be blessed,” Galatians 3:8) stands immune to the world’s curses. Conclusion God permitted Balaam to accompany Balak’s emissaries not as a reversal of His earlier “No,” but as a conditional, sovereign allowance that would (1) unveil Balaam’s corrupt heart, (2) convert intended curses into irrevocable blessings, (3) instruct Israel and the nations regarding Yahweh’s supremacy, and (4) foreshadow the coming Messiah. Under divine constraint, a greedy prophet became an involuntary herald of covenant faithfulness—demonstrating that “the counsel of the LORD stands forever” (Psalm 33:11). |
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