Old Testament # 16
“I Cannot Go Beyond the Word of the Lord”
Numbers 22–24; 31:1–16
Introduction
By the time this lesson is taught by Kara I will be in Israel, and, as I look at my itinerary, we will be in Galilee and Tiberias. The other side of the Jordan from Moab where Balak and Balaam were. I shall keep a look out for talking donkeys!
This week’s reading is interesting because it gives us a glimpse of what was happening around the children of Israel while they were subsisting in the desert and apparently keeping their fighting skills honed. It is a little disappointing that we gloss over Numbers 35 because that is our introduction to the cities of refuge which were the basis for my Masters thesis. And it was while studying the Old Testament in Sunday School that I came upon this reference and—voila—the subject I had been searching for to base a thesis on. It turned into “Refuge and Asylum in the Ancient Near East” but those cities of refuge were definitely the starting point.
So who was Balaam. Here’s an excerpt from the student Institute Manual which I found very helpful:
It is difficult to determine from the record whether or not Balaam was a true prophet of God holding the powers of the priesthood authority. He lived in an area known as Aram, probably named after the son of Kemuel and grandson of Nahor, a cousin of Abraham. Haran, the place of Abraham’s first settlement after he left Ur, was a seat for the worship of Jehovah and was also in Aram. Therefore, Balaam could have been one of the few scattered people such as Jethro, who held the priesthood and exercised its power. The Bible suggests that he had a true knowledge of God and was susceptible to revelation from Him. Regardless of their origin, the Lord raises up inspired men to all nations (see Alma 29:8).
And here is an explanation of who Balak was:
When the two mighty kings of the Amorites were defeated by the irresistible might of Israel, the Moabites, with their Midianite confederates, were filled with such alarm that Balak, their king, sought assistance. It was not from his own god, Baal, who had proven impotent against Israel during the Amorite conflict, that he sought power, however. Instead, he decided to use Israel’s own God, whose power had been marvelously manifest, against them. To this end he sent a delegation bearing presents to Balaam of Pethor, a celebrated prognosticator in upper Mesopotamia, who apparently had a reputation for being able to bless and curse with great effect (see Numbers 22:3–6).
To prognosticate is “to forecast or predict (something future) from present indications or signs; prophesy.” So not necessarily by divine inspiration. However, in this week’s reading, Balaam obviously does converse with the Lord and unbelievably (or is it?) ignores what He commands and goes his own way.
If you can be bought, you can be bought. You might start off turning it down, but there will come a time when what is offered breaks down your defenses. Remember Pres. Kimball’s quote from a few lessons ago?
“When I was young, I made up my mind unalterably that I would never taste tea, coffee, tobacco, or liquor. I found that this rigid determination saved me many times throughout my varied experiences. There were many occasions when I could have sipped or touched or sampled, but the unalterable determination firmly established gave me good reason and good strength to resist.”
Once we make up our minds to obey a commandment, or keep a covenant, there is no need to revisit it. Apparently Balaam had not learned this to and, according to Bruce R. McConkie, he lost his soul:
“Balaam, … inspired and mighty as he once was, lost his soul in the end because he set his heart on the things of this world rather than the riches of eternity” (“The Story of a Prophet’s Madness,” New Era,Apr. 1972, 7).
I came across this quote from Elder Maxwell while researching Balaam. It is so wonderfully worded that I wanted to have it and share it with you:
Like goldfish in a bowl, some are mindless of who changes the water and puts in the pellets (see Jacob 4:13–14), or, like a kindergarten child whose retrieving parent seems a little late, concluding, “Man is alone in the universe.”
Granted, some sincerely wish for more power in order to do good, but only a few individuals are good enough to be powerful. But craving power and the spotlight sucks out the spiritual oxygen, leaving some “past feeling” (see Eph. 4:19; 1 Ne. 17:45;Moro. 9:20). Strangely, though desensitized, some are still able to hear the beckoning click of a TV camera at a hundred yards. Doesn’t the churning over the places of mortal power remind us of the childhood game of musical chairs?
Actually, discipleship may keep the honors of the world from us. As Balak told Balaam, “I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour” (Num. 24:11–12). The rouge of recognition is so easily smeared anyway. We wince as we watch those once flattered by the world, like Judas, being used, despised, and discarded (see D&C 121:20). Nevertheless, when some of these are ready, even their hands need to be lifted up (see Heb. 12:12; D&C 81:5). Thus, while granting the deserved role of commendation and praise, we must not forget the words of Jesus about the recipients of mortal honors: “They have their reward” (Matt. 6:2, 5).[1]
We talked last week about spiritual food, but here Elder Maxwell is talking about spiritual oxygen. What a wonderful concept. Balaam was struck down for his vanity, but even before that, he starved himself of spiritual oxygen.
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