August 2, 2024

Numbers 24:15-25 (HCSB)
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15 Then he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened; 16 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God and has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered: 17 I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites. 18 Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant. 19 One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors. 20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem: Amalek was first among the nations, but his future is destruction. 21 Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem: Your dwelling place is enduring; your nest is set in the cliffs. 22 Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive. 23 Once more he proclaimed his poem: Ah, who can live when God does this? 24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will afflict Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction. 25 Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.

Jason Ricciardi
It would be a reasonable assumption to think that Balaam had a change of heart by the end of Numbers 24. This chapter closes with a poem proclaiming that his eyes are open, he hears God, gets his knowledge from Him, and then follows that up with a prophecy that ends up being about Jesus (24:17)! It would be reasonable...except the story doesn’t end there. Inside of Numbers, Balaam is named 55x. Outside of Numbers, only 10x. The New Testament concludes his story by saying he pursued “wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15), that his way was “error” (Jude 1:11), and his teaching a “stumbling block” (Revelation 2:14). This week, I’ve shared about some dumb stuff that I’ve done over the years. Thank goodness my story didn’t end there! Balaam’s story in Numbers 24 seems to be on the right path. My childhood looked more like a problem child than a child of promise. Stories don’t end in the middle. Will you be like Balaam and eventually walk away from God’s will after seeing His power, His strength, His goodness, and His victory? Or will you let God do some finishing work in you and see where He leads? Balaam pursued riches and got nothing. It’s much better to pursue God and end up getting all the riches that matter –SALVATION FOR ETERNITY! God’s not done with your story. What will you let Him write?