Category: Scripture

So Balaam returned and found the king standing besides his burnt offerings wiht all the officials of Moab. “What did the Lord say?” Balak asked eagerly.

This was the message Balaam delivered:
“Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor. God is not a. man. So He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through? God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!

No misfortune is in His plan for Jacob: no trouble is in store for Israel. For the Lord their God is with them; He has been proclaimed the king. God brought them out of Egypt; for them He is as strong as wild ox. No curse can touch Jacob; no magic has any power against Israel. For now it will be said of Jacob, ‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’

These people rise up like a lioness, like a majestic lion rousing itself. They refuse to rest until they have feasted on prey, drink the blood of the slaughtered!”

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”

But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can only do what the Lord tells me?” (vv. 17-26, NLT)

Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then He said, “Go back to Balak and give him My message.”

So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. This was the message Balaam delivered:

“Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills, ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’

But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned? I see them from the cliff tops; I watch them from the hills. I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations. Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as the dust? Who can even count even a fourth of Israel’s people? Le me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.”

Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brough you to curse my enemies? Instead, you have blessed them!”

But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.” (vv. 1-12, NLT)

But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest part border of his land.

“Didn’t I ent you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away? Balak asked. “Didn’t you believe me when I said that I would reward you richly?”

Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have nor power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.” Then Balaam accompanied Balak to iriath-huzoth., where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him. The next morning, Balak atook Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he couldvsee some of the people of Israel spread out below them. (vv. 35-41, NLT)

So the next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so He sent an angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between to vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot agains the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved father down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey say the angel, it lay down und Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal with his staff.

Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done that deserves you beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If i had my sword with me, I would kill you!”

“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No,”, Balaam admitted.

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

“Why did you beat your donkey those three times.?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I a have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Tree times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” (vv 21-34, NLT)

That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”

Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.'”

But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed.”

The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you.”

So the Moabite official returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.” Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials then those he had send the first time. They went to Balaam and delivered the same message to him: “This what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. I will pay you very well and do whatever you tel me. Just come and curse these people for me!”

But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filed with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God. But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything else to say to me.”

That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.” (vv 9-20, NLT)

Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites. And when the people of Moab saw how many Israelites were there, they were terrified. The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything insight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”

So Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor near the Euprates River. His message read: “Look a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curse fall on people you curse.”

Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and MIdian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. “Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam. (vv 1-8, NLT)

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness? they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned agains the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! (vv. 4-9, NLT)

In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.

There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in the Lord’s presence with our brothers! Why have your brought the congregation of the Lord’s people in this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us there to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”

Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to then entrance of the Tabernacle where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to them , and the Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it would pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”

So Moses did what he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels! he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock? Then Moses raised his hand and and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and livestock drank their fill.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me enough to demonstrate My holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” This place was know as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord, and there He demonstrated His holiness among them. (vv. 1-13, NLT)

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “How long must I put up with this wicked community and and its complaints about Me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against Me. Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say. You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against Me, everyone of you who is twenty years or older and was included in the registration will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give to you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.'”

“‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But a for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And you children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness.'” (vv. 26-33, NLT)

After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned to Moses, Aaron , and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country-a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”

But Caleb tried tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land” he said. “We can certainly conquer it.!”

But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them!. They are stronger than we are!” So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there the descendants of Anak. Next them the we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought too! ” (vv. 25-33. NLT)