Numbers 24:1-14
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
3 Then he took up his oracle and said:
“The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor,
The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,
4 The utterance of him who hears the words of God,
Who sees the vision of the Almighty,
Who falls down, with eyes wide open:
5 “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob!
Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens by the riverside,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.
7 He shall pour water from his buckets,
And his seed shall be in many waters.
“His king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 “God brings him out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox;
He shall consume the nations, his enemies;
He shall break their bones
And pierce them with his arrows.
9 ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’
“Blessed is he who blesses you,
And cursed is he who curses you.”
10 Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! 11 Now therefore, flee to your place. I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the LORD has kept you back from honor.”
12 So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD, to do good or bad of my own will. What the LORD says, that I must speak’? 14 And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days.”
The third prophetic message to God’s adversary was not motivated by using his own powers of ‘sorcery,’ but by turning to God for the wisdom as the Spirit of the LORD came on him to move his heart and mind to move his lips. This oracle followed. He spoke first of himself as a man with eyes opened up to hear the words of God and see the sight shown him, falling in worship before the Almighty when the oracle was shown to him. He praise the nation of the people chosen by God who would see prosperity to fill the earth as promised through Adam and Abraham. This kingdom would be lifted up to rule over all! They were led out of Egypt n the strength given by the LORD to consume His enemies as they conquered the promised land set before them by promise. Those who curse His people would have the curse on them and those who blessed them would prosper with them. When Balak the Moab king heard this it was too much; he had hired the prophet to curse his enemy who was blessed by God and so drove him out as if to dishonor him. We see that the seer had one last prophecy to proclaim, one that spoke of the Messiah to come in the future. He spoke as though it was impossible to hold back the words (Jeremiah 23:28-29, Acts 4:20) to utter before men as a witness to what God was doing and would do with and through His people. He spoke of the latter days to make it clear to them and to we who now read these words. We must also hear God with eyes wide open as He opens the written word of God to us by His Spirit living in us as our Helper to hear and see with once blind eyes and deaf ears opened by Him in our saving conversion to eternal life.
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