Numbers 23 Footnotes

23:14-26 From another outpost overlooking the northeast corner of the Dead Sea and the plains of Moab where Israel is encamped, Balaam and Balak repeat the ritual sacrifices of the first encounter. In the oracle Balaam reminds Balak that God is unchangeable; if his intent is to bless Israel, his word will be accomplished without fail and without deviation. Nothing Balaam could muster via sorcery or incantation could bring violence or destruction upon God’s people.

23:27–24:14 After two failed attempts, Balaam and Balak resort to a third center of religious rites, in the heights above Peor overlooking Jeshimon; from there they can now view the entire Israelite encampment. The sevenfold ritual is again repeated without resort to divination as previously.

The Spirit of God descends upon Balaam. In an ecstatic visionary encounter his eyes are fully opened to a vision of God Almighty, his ears are fully open to the revelation, and he falls upon his face in reverent servitude. The utterance forecasts the Lord’s blessing upon the land with abundance of water rendering it highly productive and with a powerful kingship surpassing the might of Agag the Amalekite. But the strength of Israel was in the strength of her God. God’s blessing is so powerful and irrevocable that even the most sought-after divination expert of the day could not counter its effectiveness.