043. XXIX. The Journey From The Wilderness And Balaam’s Prophecy
§ XXIX. THE JOURNEY FROM THE WILDERNESS AND BALAAM’S PROPHECY Numbers 20, 21, 22, Numbers 23:28, Numbers 24:1-19
1.Moses’s request. Then Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, Thus says your kinsman Israel, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us: how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians ill-treated us and our fathers; but when we cried to Jehovah, he heard our voice and sent a Messenger and brought us out of Egypt; now we are in Kadesh, a city on the frontier of your territory. Pray, let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, and we will not drink of the water of the wells; we will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed your border.
2. Edom’s refusal. But Edom said to him, You shall not pass through my territory, lest I come out with the sword against you. Then the Israelites said to him, we will go up by the main highway; and if I drink of your water, I and my cattle, then will I pay for it. Only—since it is nothing—I would like peacefully to pass through. But he said, You shall not pass through. Therefore Edom came out against him with a mighty host and a strong force. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
3.The fiery serpents. Then they journeyed from Kadesh by the way leading to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became discouraged, because of the journey. And the people spoke against Jehovah and Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread and no water, and we loathe this worthless food. Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah and against you; intercede with Jehovah that he take away the serpents from us. So Moses interceded for the people. And Jehovah said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come to pass, that any one who is bitten, when he seeth it, shall live. And Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it upon the standard; and it came to pass that, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
4.Experiences in the journey about Moab. Then they encamped in the wilderness, which is opposite Moab on the east. From there they journeyed and encamped in the valley of the brook Zered. From there they journeyed and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that stretches out from the territory of the Amorites; for the Arnon is the Moabite boundary, between Moab and the Amorites. Therefore it is said in the Book of Wars of Jehovah, We passed through Waheb in Suphah, And the valleys of Arnon, And the slope of the valleys, Which extends to the site of Ar, And borders on the frontier of Moab. And from thence the Israelites journeyed to Beer [Well]. Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well;
Sing ye to it; To the well which the chieftains dug, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the leader’s wand, with their staves. And from Beer they journeyed to Mattanah; and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth; and from Bamoth to the valley which is in the region of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks out upon the desert.
5. Moab’s fear of Israel. Now Moab was seized with fear because of the Israelites. Therefore Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to the land of the Ammonites, saying, A people has come out from Egypt; behold, they have completely covered the face of the land, and are abiding over against me. Come, therefore, I pray, curse this people for me; (for they are stronger than I); perhaps I may be able to defeat and drive them out of the land. Then the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hands, and they came to Balaam, and repeated to him the words of Balak, Behold, the people that has come from Egypt is covering the face of the land; come now, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out. For I will reward you with very great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come therefore, I pray, curse this people for me. And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of Jehovah my God, to do less or more.
6. Balaam s experiences on the way. Then he saddled his ass and went with them. But God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Messenger of Jehovah placed himself in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And when the ass saw the Messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand, the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field. Then Balaam struck the ass to turn her into the way. But the Messenger stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the Messenger of Jehovah, she pressed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. Then the Messenger of Jehovah went further, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or the left. And when the ass saw the Messenger of Jehovah, she lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the ass with his staff. Then Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you, that you should have struck me these three times? And Balaam said to the ass, Because you have made sport of me; I would that there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you. And the ass said to Balaam, Am not I your ass, upon which you have ridden all your life long until to-day? Has it been my habit to deal thus with you? And he said, Nay. Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head and fell on his face. And the Messenger of Jehovah said to him, Why hast thou struck thine ass these three times? behold, I have come forth as an adversary, because thy conduct is perverse before me; and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive. Therefore Balaam said to the Messenger of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I did not know that thou stoodest in the way against me; now therefore if it displeases thee, I will go back again. But the Messenger of Jehovah said to Balaam, Go with the men; but only the word I shall speak to thee, that thou shalt speak. And when Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ir of Moab, which is on the boundary formed by the Amon, which is at the extremity of the boundary, and said to him, Am I not able to honor you? Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzzoth.
7. His testimony to Israel’s future greatness. So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks out over the eastern desert. Now when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he did not go to consult omens as he had done time and again, but he turned toward the wilderness. And when Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him, and he uttered his oracle saying, The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, Even the oracle of the man who seeth truly, The oracle of him who heareth the words of God, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down and having his eyes open:
How beautiful are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy dwellings, O Israel!
Like valleys are they spread out, Like gardens by the river-side, Like lign-aloes which Jehovah hath planted, Like cedars beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets, And his seed shall be sown in abundant waters, And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
God who brought him forth out of Egypt; Is for him like the strength of the wild-ox.
He shall devour the nations, his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And shatter his oppressors.
He croucheth, he fieth down like a lion, And like a lioness, who shall stir him up?
Blessed is every one who blesseth thee, And cursed is every one who curseth thee.
8. His reiterated prediction. Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have done nothing but bless them. Now therefore flee to your home. I intended to honor you greatly; but, as it is, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor. But Balaam said to Balak, Did I not say to your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘ If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of my own will; what Jehovah speaketh that must I speak ? ’ And now, behold, I am going to my people: come let me tell you beforehand what this people will do to your people in the days to come. And he uttered his oracle, saying, The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, Even the oracle of the man who seeth truly, The oracle of him who heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down and having his eyes open:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near; A star cometh forth out of Jacob, And a sceptre ariseth out of Israel, And shattereth the temples of Moab, And the skull of all the sons of Seth. And Edom shall become a possession, Seir, his enemies, shall also become a possession, While Israel doeth valiantly. And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
I.Reasons for the Journey. The opportunity to secure a base from which to invade Palestine, first offered itself to the Hebrews in the east-Jordan territory. The Amorites, possibly to escape Egyptian rule, seized the rolling uplands east of the Jordan. By the Moabites and Ammonites these invaders were naturally regarded as aliens. Hence in case of attack from their neighbors the Amorites could expect no aid. According to the earliest records, it was from these aliens that the Hebrews wrested the fertile lands on which they made the transition from the life of the wilderness to the settled agricultural civilization of Palestine. To reach the east-Jordan territory, the nearest way led across the northern territory of Edom and south of the Dead Sea. The Edomites, suspicious of the Israelites, refused them a passage. The journey around the southern end of Edom was long and toilsome, but the Hebrews chose it rather than battle with the Edomites.
II.The Journey Around Edom. The prophetic historians have preserved a few stories and fragments from the folk songs connected with the events of this journey. Again the people were discouraged and rebelled against Jehovah and Moses. The calamity which overtook them is interpreted as a divine judgment. The tradition states that fiery serpents came among them and bit them. Divine forgiveness and deliverance came only in response to the earnest prayers of Moses. In 2 Kings 18:4 it is stated that Hezekiah, under the inspiration of the preaching of Isaiah, “broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had offered sacrifices to it, and they called it Nehushtan (the brazen one).” From this reference it appears that the present story is the traditional interpretation of the origin and meaning of this ancient symbol. The fact that it was destroyed in connection with Hezekiah’s reform work indicates that the later age, under the preaching of the prophets, realized its true character. The early prophetic historians preserved the story because it illustrated vividly and concretely the duty of following God’s leadership, without complaint even amidst the most adverse conditions. It also revealed that divine love which ever responds to the cry of contrition. Thus to the old heathen symbol these early prophets gave an interpretation which anticipates the later Gospel message. The Song of the Well was probably sung by the women, as they went out to draw water from the famous well at Beer. It commemorates either the time when the well was originally dug, or the combined action of the leaders and people at some period of protracted drought. A list is also given of the stations in the caravan route which led from the desert northward.
III.The Two Versions of the Balaam Stories. In its present setting, the remarkable Balaam story is one of the episodes of the journey from Kadesh to the Jordan. Two complete and variant versions of this story are found in the book of Numbers. The Northern Israelite version makes Balaam a famous prophet from Pethor beside the Euphrates. He therefore lived on the borders of the land of Aram, from whence came the ancestors of the Hebrews. At the divine command he responded to the invitation of the king of Moab; but instead of cursing, he pronounced a blessing which foretold the future prosperity and military glory of the Israelites. In the older, the early Judean narrative, Balaam was a famous Ammonite seer called to curse the Israelites. Brought to his senses by the voice of his patient ass, which is thought of as gifted with speech, even as the serpent in the early Judean story of man’s fall, Balaam uttered a true and noble prediction concerning Israel’s future victories under the leadership of Saul and David.
IV.TheBalaamOracles. Underlying the ancient story is the common belief that a curse, especially if it proceeds from the lips of one who has great influence with the Deity, possesses a malign power. The Balaam story also indicates that the early Hebrew historians held that divine revelation was not limited to seers and prophets of their own race. The setting and poetic form of Balaam’s predictions are characteristic of ancient oracles. Although the exact meaning of the Hebrew is obscure, the opening words seem to indicate that the seer was in a state of trance, repeating that which he saw in his vision. The oracles, interpreted into prose, predict the fertility of the land of Palestine and the great numbers of the Hebrews. They fix the attention on the Hebrew king who was to bind together the different tribes of Israel and conquer their hostile neighbors, the Moabites and the Edomites. The picture is not of spiritual but of material splendor and conquest. The portrait of the victorious ruler is true of but one man in Israel’s history, and that is the great conqueror David. His cruel treatment of Israel’s fallen foes is made the theme of exultation rather than of condemnation. Its spirit is that of victorious Israel in the days when the united kingdom stood at the zenith of its power. The words well fit the lips of a court poet greeting the victorious army of Israel, as it came back under the leadership of Joab, sated with victory and bearing the spoils of conquest. Like Shakespeare’s prediction of the glories of the reign of Queen Elizabeth (Henry VIII), they are placed with great dramatic effect in the mouth of an ancient seer.
V.ThePeople of Destiny. As in Noah’s blessing, it is clear that Israel’s later experiences as a nation lie back of these ancient songs. They reflect the hopes of the Hebrews at the height of their military glory. There is no trace of the disasters that followed the death of Solomon. The influences of the higher ethical standards and of the law of love, which characterize the writings of later prophets, priests and sages, are nowhere apparent. Yet in these ancient oracles, Israel’s consciousness of a unique calling and destiny is clearly expressed. Apart from and hostile to the rest of the world, the Hebrew nation stands like a crouching lion, yet assured of Jehovah’s unique blessing and protection. The roots of that hope are found in the remarkable experiences of the past, and especially in the great deliverance from Egypt. The popular belief has deepened into a conviction that, not by chance but as the realization of divine destiny, the handful of fugitive slaves, in the face of overwhelming obstacles, have grown into a great and powerful nation. This sense of destiny and the conviction that they are Jehovah’s peculiar people have already become so strong, that even the earliest prophets, projecting it backward, voice it, not only on the lips of an Abraham, Jacob and Moses, but even on the lips of a heathen seer. Israel’s history as a whole is a sublime illustration of the truth that to believe is to achieve, even though the ultimate realization may be very different from the original hope.