Numbers 23:1-30  Balaam’s Encounter with Balak

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Audio Download

Numbers 23:1-30  Balaam’s Encounter with Balak

[Study Aired October 9, 2023]

Num 23:1  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 
Num 23:2  And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 
Num 23:3  And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 
Num 23:4  And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 
Num 23:5  And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 
Num 23:6  And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 
Num 23:7  And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 
Num 23:8  How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 
Num 23:9  For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 
Num 23:10  Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
Num 23:11  And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 
Num 23:12  And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? 
Num 23:13  And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 
Num 23:14  And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 
Num 23:15  And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 
Num 23:16  And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 
Num 23:17  And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? 
Num 23:18  And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: 
Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 
Num 23:20  Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 
Num 23:21  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 
Num 23:22  God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.
Num 23:23  Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! 
Num 23:24  Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 
Num 23:25  And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Num 23:26  But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? 
Num 23:27  And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 
Num 23:28  And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
Num 23:29  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 
Num 23:30  And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 

Introduction

This chapter looks at the first two attempts by Balaam and Balak in preparation to curse the people of Israel which involves the sacrifice of oxen and rams, the contrary instructions given by the Lord to Balaam and the blessings that Balaam was compelled to pronounce upon the people of Israel, instead of a curse. The chapter ends with a third attempt with Balaam and Balak preparing to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. 

In the previous chapter, we learned that the Lord came to Balaam and told him specifically that the people of Israel could not be cursed since they were blessed. This should have ended Balaam’s quest to enrich himself with his divination. However, he kept on working with Balak thinking that the Lord would change His mind. Even after he got the revelation that the Lord is not a man that He should repent, Balaam kept on searching for a way to receive reward from Balak. This is what Jude said about Balaam:

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Today’s study shows us the ways of the Lord and the Lord’s view about the church of the firstborn, which is symbolized by the people of Israel as they encamped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan opposite Jericho. 

First Attempt to Find a way to Curse Israel

Num 23:1  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 
Num 23:2  And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 

As indicated in the previous study, Balaam and Balak represent our brothers and sisters in Babylon. This expensive sacrifice offered by Balak and Balaam was for the purpose of changing the Lord’s mind to cause Balaam to curse the people of Israel instead of blessing them. The Lord had made His will known to Balaam that the people of Israel cannot be cursed since they were a blessed people. The offering of seven oxen and seven rams on seven altars signifies the complete offerings of our brothers and sisters in Babylon where they put more premium on sacrifice in the form of tithes, giving to the church and working for the church, instead of obedience to the Lord. The scenario here is the same as King Saul who disobeyed the Lord’s words by keeping the best of the spoils instead of destroying them. This was what characterized our walk in Babylon. We were paying more attention to sacrifice instead of obedience to the Lord.

1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent you (Saul) on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 
1Sa 15:19  Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the LORD?” 
1Sa 15:20  And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 
1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”
1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king.” (ESV)

What the Lord requires is the sacrifice of a broken heart or a repentant heart. 

Psa 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Num 23:3  And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place. 
Num 23:4  And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 
Num 23:5  And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 

Verse 3 shows us that the Lord will not visit us while we are paying more attention to sacrifice than obedience to His words. It was when Balaam had left Balak at the burnt offering that the Lord visited him. Our sacrifices in Babylon were therefore an impediment to the Lord visiting us to drag us to Himself. It is insightful to note that in verse 4, when the Lord visited him, Balaam was boasting to the Lord about his sacrifice of seven oxen and rams. As indicated, Balaam represents our brothers and sisters in Babylon who are only interested in showing to the Lord their tithes and offerings and their good works of charity. This was what happened to us when we were in Babylon. 

Isa 1:11  To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
Isa 1:12  When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 
Isa 1:13  Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 
Isa 1:14  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. 
Isa 1:15  And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
Isa 1:16  Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 

In verse 5, the Lord putting a word in Balaam’s mouth is another way of saying that the preparation of the heart in man, and what comes out of our mouth, is from the Lord. 

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

Num 23:6  And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 
Num 23:7  And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 
Num 23:8  How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 

Balaam returning to find Balak and all the princes of Moab standing by the burnt sacrifice signifies the fact that Babylon is stuck to their sacrifices and are not willing to obey the words of the Lord. That is why in the fullness of time, they will show their sacrifices to the Lord by saying to Him that they have prophesied in His name, cast out devils and done many wonderful works. To this the Lord will tell them they are workers of iniquity because they prefer sacrifices to obedience.

Mat 7:21  Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

In verse 7, the enmity of our brothers and sisters in Babylon to the Lord’s elect is evident here as Balak, the king of Moab, sought to curse the people of Israel through Balaam. This enmity is demonstrated by King Saul, who represents Babylon, trying to kill David, a type of the elect.

1Sa 19:14  And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she (Saul’s daughter) said, He is sick.
1Sa 19:15  And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
1Sa 19:16  And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster. 
1Sa 19:17  And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

Verse 8 assures us that whoever the Lord has blessed, no one can curse or harm. It is another way of saying that no weapon formed or fashioned against the Lord’s elect shall prosper.

Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Num 23:9  For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 
Num 23:10  Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

Verse 9 shows us that it is only in Christ, symbolized by the top of the rocks and the hills, we see who the Lord’s elect are. The people dwelling alone and not counted among the nations of the world signifies that the Lord’s elect are distinct from the people of the world and do not conform to the standards of this world.   

2Sa 7:23  And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 
2Sa 7:24  For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever: and thou, LORD, art become their God.

1Pe 2:9  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

The dust of Jacob in verse 10 is a reference to the prophecy by the Lord that the people of Israel would become as the dust of the earth. This implies that the people of Israel had become so many, which symbolizes that they had become a strong or powerful nation.

Gen 28:14  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 

We, His elect, represent the dust of Jacob spiritually as we are the innumerable company of angels as shown in the following verse:

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

The fourth part of Israel in verse 10 alludes to the form of their camp, which is grouped into four teams under four standards. The number four signifies the whole of the matter under discussion. This implies that the fourth part of Israel represents the whole of the Lord’s elect. Balaam stated that he wanted to die the death of the righteous in verse 10. This death of the righteous is the dying of our old man, or the flesh, through the Lord’s judgment. It is not attained by desire as Balaam wished, as the Lord had already penciled in those who are to die to the old man before the foundation of the world.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

The Second Attempt to Find a Way to Curse Israel

Num 23:11  And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 
Num 23:12  And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? 
Num 23:13  And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 
Num 23:14  And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 

Balak accused Balaam of blessing the people of Israel instead of cursing them, and in response Balaam told Balak that he could only speak what the Lord had put in his mouth. As indicated earlier, this is to show us that it is the Lord who controls what we speak. Irrespective of what we may conceive in our hearts and mind, what comes out of our mouth is what the Lord has ordained. 

Pro 16:1  The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.

Balak thought that changing the location of the offering could influence the Lord to cause Balaam to curse the people of Israel. Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah for another expensive offering to the Lord to influence His decision. Pisgah means ‘division.’ As we are aware, it is in Babylon where we have various sects or divisions. What this means is that while we were in Babylon, we thought that if the Lord were not with us in one church, then perhaps, if we go to another church, we may find Him. This resulted in our wandering in the churches of this world trying to find God, just as Balak and Balaam thought by changing location (going to another church) they may find God to change His mind regarding the fate of the people of Israel.

Num 23:15  And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. 
Num 23:16  And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 
Num 23:17  And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? 
Num 23:18  And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

As indicated earlier, our sacrifices in Babylon did not result in the Lord appearing to us. It is when we ‘go yonder’ (leave Babylon) that the Lord comes to us with His brightness as He puts His words in our mouth just as He did to Balaam. Again, the fact that Balak was standing by his burnt offering together with the princes of Moab is to let us know that the only thing our brothers and sisters in Babylon can offer is sacrifice, not obedience to the words of the Lord. When Balaam went yonder and had a revelation of Christ and the church, he came to Balak and told him about it in verse 18. As we shall see later, what Balaam told Balaam fell on deaf ears. In other words, our witness of Christ to the churches of this world will fall on deaf ears. 

Isa 6:8  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 
Isa 6:9  And he said, Go, and tell this people (Babylon), Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 
Isa 6:10  Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 
Isa 6:11  Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 
Isa 6:12  And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land. 
Isa 6:13  But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof. 

In Isaiah 6:11, we are given the time frame when our brothers and sisters will start to heed our witness of Christ. Their hardened hearts will continue until Babylon is destroyed, and there will be a great forsaking in the midst of the land (Isaiah 9:12). This great forsaking is when the human race gathers against the Lord and His elect, which will result in the death of all humanity and the beginning of the lake-of-fire age. 

The next verses show us the revelation given to Balaam concerning Christ and His church.

Num 23:19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? 
Num 23:20  Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. 
Num 23:21  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. 
Num 23:22  God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

One of the key revelations given to Balaam is that God is not a man that He should repent (verse 19). There are several scriptures which state that God repented, and so we need to investigate the word “repent” in verse 19. The word “repent” in everyday usage means reviewing one’s actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs and taking steps to show a change for the better. However, in the verses where the Lord repented, the word “repented” actually means to pity (in a favorable way), have compassion or console, according to Strong’s Dictionary. 

In Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29 on the other hand, the context shows us that the Lord not repenting because He is not a man has to do with the Lord not changing His mind as we human beings do. 

Gen 6:5  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 
Gen 6:6  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 

Jer 26:13  Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

Jon 3:9  Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

1Sa15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

Verse 20 shows us that it is what the Lord has purposed which shall stand. 

Pro 19:21  There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

As the Lord’s elect, the Lord does not see iniquity and perverseness in us even though in time past our ways were perverse, and there was iniquity in our hearts. This is because the Lord who has come to us is doing His work of removing iniquity and perverseness in us. The Lord is therefore looking at us from the perspective of His finished work in us. Are you worrying about some sins in your life? Have confidence that what our Lord starts, He is able to bring to completion. We are indeed blessed that the Lord does not see iniquity in us as He is gradually dealing with the source of our iniquity which is the old man.

Psa 32:2  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

Rev 14:1  And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. 
Rev 14:2  And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 
Rev 14:3  And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. 
Rev 14:4  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
Rev 14:5  And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. 

The shout of the king among them in verse 21 signifies that Christ has come into our lives riding on a white horse to grant us the victory over our flesh or old man.

Rev 6:2  And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

Num 23:23  Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! 

Verse 23 is another way of saying that nothing shall separate us from the love of Christ. In other words, if God is for us, who can fight against us?

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Rom 8:34  Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 
Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Num 23:24  Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain. 

This verse is another way of saying that since Christ has come into our lives, He will conquer our old man. We, His elect, are represented in this verse as a great and young lion who shall not rest until we have overcome the flesh, or our old man, who is represented here as the prey. Drinking the blood of the slain symbolizes our victory over the flesh, or our old man. 

Deu 20:4  for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Num 23:25  And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Num 23:26  But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? 

Balak was gradually getting weary of his multitude of counselors, as he wanted Balaam not to either curse or bless the people of Israel.

Isa 47:12  Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. 
Isa 47:13  Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

In verse 26, Balaam continued to reiterate what the Lord had put in his mouth that which he would speak or do. This is to show us that it is the Lord’s counsel which shall stand in every circumstance.

Pro 19:21  There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

The Third Attempt to Find a way to Curse Israel

Num 23:27  And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 
Num 23:28  And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
Num 23:29  And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 
Num 23:30  And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 

Balak decided to take Balaam to a third place called Peor which overlooks Jeshimon. Peor is a mountain near Mount Nebo in the land of Moab. Here the Moabites’ god Baal was worshiped, hence the name Baal-Peor. Balak believed that at this place, the sacrifice would be acceptable to the Lord and therefore change His mind since it is acceptable to his god, Baal. At Peor, they again built seven altars and sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. The question is, why was Balaam tagging along when he knew that the Lord would not change his mind? It is because he had set his eyes on the reward of divination and therefore could not see beyond the reward.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

If it is in this life that we have hope, then we are the most miserable people on earth. The Lord may reward us physically in this life, but that is not the main motivating factor. It is the joy that is set before us which is the driving force for our actions here on earth.

Mat 19:27  Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 
Mat 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Mat 19:29  And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Other related posts