Sunday Sermonette: The definition of insanity . . .

 . . . is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. If you accept that, Balak evidently has that diagnosis. However, as I said before, the real reason for this story seems to be to provide a frame for presenting the songs, which come from a lost source. The only other comment I have at this point is to note again the oddity that the people are suddenly on the east side of the Jordan. They came from the west in Egypt, wandered around what was apparently the Sinai and the Negev (although the geography is generally quite vague) and now all of a sudden here they are on the east bank and the proposal is that they will enter the promised land from that direction, by crossing the river. It isn't implausible that they got there, the river is shallow and has many fords. Still, it seems odd that there was no mention of crossing. Anyway, we've nearly seen the last of Balaam -- in the near future, God will reward his obedience by having him murdered.

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. ² When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him ³ and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
⁴ the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
    who sees a vision from the Almighty,^[a]
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

⁵ “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
    your dwelling places, Israel!

⁶ “Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.
⁷ Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;
    their kingdom will be exalted.

⁸ “God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;
    with their arrows they pierce them.
⁹ Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed
    and those who curse you be cursed!”

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. ¹¹ Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

¹² Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, ¹³ ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? ¹⁴ Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”

Balaam’s Fourth Message

¹⁵ Then he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
¹⁶ the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
    who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

¹⁷ “I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
    a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
    the skulls^[b] of^[c] all the people of Sheth.^[d]
18 Edom will be conquered;
    Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
    but Israel will grow strong.
¹⁹ A ruler will come out of Jacob
    and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Balaam’s Fifth Message

²⁰ Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message:

“Amalek was first among the nations,
    but their end will be utter destruction.”

Balaam’s Sixth Message

²¹ Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message:

“Your dwelling place is secure,
    your nest is set in a rock;
²² yet you Kenites will be destroyed
    when Ashur takes you captive.”

Balaam’s Seventh Message

²³ Then he spoke his message:

“Alas! Who can live when God does this?^[e]
24     Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;
they will subdue Ashur and Eber,
    but they too will come to ruin.”

²⁵ Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.

Footnotes

1. Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16
2. Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
3. Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
4. Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
5. Numbers 24:23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew The people from the islands will gather from the north.