God Prepares the Way

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AStudying God’s Word

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Studying God’s Word

Introduction

Last week we saw two sad accounts of the continued rebellion of the Israelites as God led them through the wilderness.

• • Write on the board, “How big was Og?”
  Who can summarize what we learned from the account of Korah’s rebellion? Rebelling against God’s leaders and God-given roles will be met with judgment. God has prescribed how he is to be worshipped, and we don’t get to change that.
• Who can summarize what we learned from the account of the bronze serpent? The complaints of the people against God’s provision was met with judgment, but mercy was offered to all who would look upon the bronze serpent in faith.

  We are going to move forward today, with the Israelites headed north on their way to entering the promised land. Remember that God had judged the people who were age 20 and up, condemning them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until their bodies died in the wilderness.

  The book of Deuteronomy is, in part, Moses recounting to the Israelites all that had happened since they left Egypt. In chapter 2, Moses said:

The accounts that we are going to look at today from Numbers are also recounted in Deuteronomy.

Defeating the Amorites

As the Israelites headed north, they went around the land of Edom to the east. They are now northeast of the Dead Sea, and word has reached the kings of the Amorites. They have moved past Moab and are near Pisgah (Numbers 21:18–20). Remember that the Edomites are descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother. And the Moabites and Ammonites are descendants of Lot and his daughters through that incestuous relationship (Genesis 19:36–38).

Just as with the kings of Edom and Arad, the battle lines were drawn. Let’s read Numbers 21:21–31 together to learn what happened. This account is also found in Deuteronomy 2:26–37. Divide the passage for class members to read aloud.

• Who does “Israel” refer to in this passage? This is not referring to a person, but the nation of Israel.
• What did they ask of Sihon, king of the Amorites? The Israelites asked to pass through the land along the King’s Highway to get to Canaan. The Amorites are descendants of Noah’s grandson Canaan (Genesis 10:15–20).
• How did Sihon respond to the request? He refused their passage and mustered his army to fight the Israelites.
• Who prevailed in the battle? Israel prevailed.
• Refer to The Spies Map to show this region. What was the extent of the land conquered as a result of this battle? The land from the Arnon River in the south to the Jabbok River to the north and to the boundary of Ammon on the east.
• Refer to the map. What specific city is named as being occupied by the Israelites? Heshbon was the capital city.
• What switch happens in verses 27–30? There is a switch from narrative to a song about the overthrow of this powerful king and the extent of the land conquered.

  So that is how the Amorites under Sihon fared as they challenged the Israelites. Let’s move on to the next confrontation, which is also found in Deuteronomy 3.

• Slide #11

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  What other city of the Amorites was conquered? Jazer, to the north of Heshbon.
• Where were the Israelites headed? They were going north to Bashan, the region to the east of the Sea of Galilee.
• Who came against the Israelites? Og, the king of Bashan.
• Where was the battle? Edrei.
• How did Moses know they would be victorious? God told Moses that he would give the Israelites victory over Og and give them his lands.
• What did God compare this battle to? He said they would prevail just as they had against Sihon in the south.
• How did the battle turn out? The Israelites won, wiping out all of the Amorites and taking all of their land.

• Slide #13

  Slide #14

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  The account in Deuteronomy actually adds some more information, so let’s look at it as an important cross-reference. How many cities were conquered in Bashan? Sixty cities were conquered in the region.
• How are the cities described? They were strongly fortified cities.
• Who was killed in the battles? Men, women, and children were devoted to destruction.
• What was not destroyed? They kept the livestock and valuable things in the cities as plunder.
• What mountain is mentioned? Mount Hermon, along with its variant names, is in the region of the land that was conquered.
• What does the tense of the verbs in Deuteronomy 3:6–7 tell us about the intent of the writing? While Moses wrote both of these books, in Numbers we see more of a straight narrative form in the present tense. In Deuteronomy, Moses was recounting what had happened to remind the people before they entered the promised land (1:1).
• What do we learn about Og in Deuteronomy 3:11? He was the last of the Rephaim, a line of giants in Genesis 14 and other descriptions of the inhabitants of Canaan and the surrounding regions. Og was said to have an iron bed that was nine cubits long—that’s more than 13 feet!
• What is the significance of defeating this giant king and the fortified cities? The people had been afraid to enter the promised land when the spies told them the cities were fortified and there were many giants in the land. With this defeat and a clear demonstration of God’s hand, the people who were young when the spies gave their discouraging report were assured by God that they could take the land. If they could defeat Og with God’s help, they can conquer the giants and fortified cities in the promised land with God’s help.

Discover the Truth

There was a great deal of momentum gained as the people began to move north and conquer the lands and kings with God’s help. As these lands were conquered, Moses gave the lands to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. This is described in Deuteronomy 3, and we will look back at this in more detail in a later lesson.

God was guiding his people to victory over the Amorites as part of his judgment against their idolatrous practices. This goes back to the promise God had given to Abraham. While the Jordan River was the final border to cross into the promised land, there was one more king who came against the Israelites. Interestingly, God had told the Israelites not to fight against the Moabites (Deuteronomy 2:9), but the Israelites’ presence in their encampment at Shittim (pronounced shi-TEEM), just across the Jordan from Jericho, frightened the Moabites’ king.

Balaam’s Blessing

Balak was the king of Moab. In the face of Israel on the edge of his land, he sought help from the Midianites. Remember that the Midianites were descendants of Abraham’s son by Keturah (Genesis 25:1–4). Balak also sought the aid of Balaam, a false prophet from the area. Balak sent princes with money to call Balaam to come and curse the Israelites, but he refused after God appeared to him and told him not to (Numbers 22:5–14). A more influential delegation was sent with promise of a greater reward.

Let’s pick up the account in Numbers 22:18 and read up through 23:12. Have someone read the passage aloud, dividing it as appropriate.

• How did Balaam respond to the offer of money from Balak? Even if Balak were to give all his silver and gold, Balaam said he could not go beyond the command of the Lord his God..
• How did Balaam describe God? He called him “the Lord my God.” He used the name Yahweh to refer to God and identified the Lord as his own God.
• Why did Balaam leave to go to Moab? God told him to go with them, but to only speak what he was told.
• Was God pleased with Balaam leaving for Moab? No, his anger was aroused against Balaam.
• What was the reason for this anger? The text does not say the reason directly, but it is clear from Jude 11 that Balaam’s motives were not pure. He later told the Moabites how to bring the Israelites trouble (31:16), and he was expecting to get paid for his efforts.
• As Balaam went, how did his donkey behave? She stopped or changed her path three times.
• What made the donkey respond this way? She saw the angel of the Lord holding a sword and was afraid.
• How did Balaam respond to the donkey’s behavior? Balaam was frustrated and hit the donkey.
• Why didn’t Balaam see the angel? God had allowed the donkey to see the angel, but not Balaam or the others with him.
• How was the donkey able to speak? God opened its mouth, giving it the ability.
• How angry was Balaam with the donkey? He was embarrassed by the animal’s behavior and said he would have killed the donkey if he had a sword.
• When did Balaam’s attitude change? Not until God opened his eyes to see the angel.
• How did Balaam respond to seeing the angel? He bowed and fell to his face.
• Who is this angel of the Lord? It seems that this is another Christophany (or theophany), an appearance of the preincarnate Son of God. Notice that in verse 35, the angel says Balaam should speak only “what I tell you.” These are the same words in verse 20 spoken by God. Many translations choose to capitalize Angel of the Lord as an indicator that this is the Son.
• What benefit did Balaam gain from the donkey’s actions? The Lord would have killed Balaam with his sword. Here there is a bit of a play on words since Balaam said he would have killed the donkey if he had a sword. Just as the donkey was a servant to Balaam and would have received Balaam’s wrath unjustly for its refusal to do what Balaam asked, so Balaam would have received God’s wrath as a disobedient servant.
• Why was the Lord going to kill Balaam? He said that Balaam’s way was perverse. The exact sin is not mentioned, but it seems to be connected to his payment for prophesying and his service to false gods. He later also advised the Moabites on how to entrap the Israelites in false worship (Numbers 31:15–16).
• How did Balaam respond to the Lord’s rebuke? He expressed repentance and said he would turn back if the Lord said to.

• Slide #35
  What do we learn about Balaam in 2 Peter 2:15? The context of this passage is Peter’s description of false prophets (2:1). Balaam “loved gain from wrongdoing.” Balaam received money for his prophecies.

• Slide #36
  What do we learn about Balaam in Revelation 2:14? Balaam told Balak to involve the Israelites in their worship to false gods, offering sacrifices and committing sexual immorality, and to intermarry with them. This is described in Numbers 25 and 31.
• Back to the book of Numbers. What did Balak want Balaam to do? Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites so that he might have a chance to defeat them in battle (Numbers 22:6).
• When Balaam met Balak, how did Balaam describe what he was going to do (22:37–38)? Balaam clearly told Balak that he had no power in himself, but he could only speak what God put in his mouth.
• After offering the sacrifices on the seven altars, what did Balaam announce? He announced a blessing over Israel.
• Where did this blessing come from? The “ Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth” (23:5). The proclamation was from God through Balaam.
• How did Balak feel about the blessing? He was upset that Balaam pronounced a blessing on Israel rather than a curse.
• What was Balaam’s response back to Balak? He reminded Balak that he could only say what God told him to say.

Discover the Truth

As the account continues, Balak takes Balaam to three more places where seven altars are constructed and sacrifices offered. Balaam announces a blessing, instead of a curse, each time. In the second oracle, the power of God supporting Israel is the emphasis (23:18–24). In the third, God’s establishing of Israel before all of the nations is described (24:3–9). After a rebuke from Balak, Balaam provides a fourth oracle in which he gives a near and far prophecy (24:15–24). He speaks of a scepter that will rise out of Israel and crush Moab.

• What is the near future fulfillment of this prophecy? This is a reference to Israel’s coming kingdom, especially David who conquered the Moabites.
• What is the far future fulfillment of this prophecy, especially the scepter in verse 24:17? Matthew 2:2 alludes to this as the wise men seek the newborn ruler of Israel who was prophesied, and Revelation 2:28 and 22:16 speak of Jesus along these lines. This is a prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus.

  As the Israelites prepared to receive the promise of the land, God even directed a pagan diviner to pronounce a blessing over them. And even more interesting is the fact that even the Messiah is mentioned in this blessing. Balaam was not a holy man, but a man God chose to use anyway. Balaam went on to counsel Balak to invite the Israelites in the pagan worship of Baal, offering sacrifices and participating in sexual immorality. Chapter 25 describes these practices as the Israelites were settled in Shittim, worshipping with and marrying the pagans. There we read of Phinehas spearing a couple who were flaunting their disregard for God’s commands of pure worship and a pure nation. Phinehas’s actions earned God’s favor and averted a plague that had already killed thousands as a consequence of the people’s sin.

  While Balaam was not allowed to curse the Israelites, he still found a way to corrupt them. He obviously was not committed to following God, despite his claims. And his name gets used many times in Scripture, a few of which we looked at, as an example of a false prophet who led people into idolatry, sought his own gain, and earned God’s wrath for his sin. But even Balaam’s words pointed forward to Jesus—the coming King who would rule over all things.

You Believe What? Activity

We are going to talk a bit about something we kind of just walked right past. When is the last time one of your pets or farm animals talked to you? Unless you have a parrot that has been trained to mimic you, that probably isn’t the case. Balaam’s donkey talking to him is certainly not normal—it’s a little weird.

So let’s consider a challenge that often comes from skeptics. In your Student Guide, you will find the You Believe What? activity. Have someone read the introduction in the Student Guide: Many skeptics mock Christians for believing in some crazy things. From their naturalistic worldview, it is crazy that there is an invisible realm where a magic man lives and creates everything. It is crazy that people lived to be almost 1,000 years old, and it is crazy that we are cursed because a talking snake tricked a naked woman into eating an apple. Of course, these are crass representations of what we believe, but they are commonly presented like this—and much more vulgarly.

So let’s discuss the following questions and try to develop a sense of how to respond in a way that addresses the issue and points to the gospel.

Connect to the Truth

• Slide #37

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  If you were conversing with a skeptic and he told you that you were crazy for believing in a book that contains talking snakes and donkeys, how would you respond to this person’s objection to your faith? Discuss various strategies, focusing on the Bible as a true revelation from God, despite what the skeptic might doubt. If God can create the universe from nothing, he can speak through a donkey. Avoid mocking the skeptic’s views (e.g., “You believe something exploded from nothing. That’s ridiculous!”). It is appropriate to challenge the skeptics views, but more importantly we need to steer the conversation toward the gospel.
• How does this discussion inform the way we might talk about other religious groups who believe some crazy things (e.g., Scientologists and their view of our alien origins; Mormons and their belief in becoming a god; etc.)? We should take care to recognize that we have put our faith in a religious view that seems odd and crazy to others. We can empathize with other religions and take care not to treat them in ways we would not want to be treated. Mocking someone generally leads to closing down conversation, not opening it up.

  Thinking through our answers to common questions like these can help us feel more comfortable to respond when someone asks us a reason for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:14–17). Rather than returning their insults, we can answer with grace and with speech that is seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:2–6). We can’t back down from acknowledging that we believe what the Bible says in its entirety. We can’t pick and choose what we believe or we open ourselves to the charge of inconsistency. Either all of the Bible is true or none of it can be trusted—we must receive that by faith.

Application

In the defeat of the kings of the Amorites and the blessing of the Israelites from the false prophet Balaam, God was giving victory to his people. He had made a promise and was about to fulfill it. His people were not perfect, and they continued to sin in terrible ways, but God is not a man that he could lie (Numbers 23:19)—he is faithful to his promises. By God’s mighty hand, he had given military victory and the entrance into the promised land was about to be realized.

And in the midst of this, there was an echo back to the promise given in Eden. Sin was still dominating, but there was a star that would rise, bearing a scepter to rule in righteousness over the nations. While Moses was a capable leader, he would die before the people would enter the land. He did not crush Moab, and he didn’t reign forever. Even in this passage we are pointed to the hope of the Messiah from the mouth of a false prophet speaking truth under God’s direction.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

• We know that the Bible is God’s Word, but have you ever felt embarrassed when someone mocks you for your beliefs? How can we turn these moments into opportunities to point to Christ? While we can acknowledge moments of embarrassment and confess that as sin, we can take courage in God’s wisdom and power. 2 Timothy 3:12 tells us that those who desire to live godly lives in Christ will face persecution. (Mocking is a mild form of persecution.) Other passages like 1 Corinthians 1–3 tell us of the apparent foolishness of God’s words and methods; those who think they are wise will mock and scoff. Even in the face of scoffing, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to give us the words and courage to speak, though sometimes the wise course is to not speak. Jesus told his disciples to not throw their pearls before pigs (Matthew 7:6).
• In what situations have you faced challenges to your biblical beliefs? Discuss various answers.
• While we should not look to Balaam as an example of honoring God, what is there in the account of Balaam that we can take as a positive truth to emulate? In his oracles, Balaam only spoke those things that God put in his mouth, and he acknowledged that his words were from God. While we are not mouthpieces of direct revelation from God, we can speak the truth that God has already revealed in Scripture, not going beyond what has been revealed to us or adding to Scripture.
• How does a talking donkey display the power of God? Even if we find it odd that God would use a donkey, it is a reminder that God is merciful to sinners, even using an animal to delay Balaam’s judgment (the Lord didn’t kill him immediately). God’s power over his creation is displayed in making a donkey speak, something that is not natural. God’s grace and kindness is also seen in providing “beasts of burden” to assist us in our work, even though Balaam wanted to beat his donkey for its apparent disobedience.
• In what way is the record of the battles with the Amorite kings Sihon and Og an encouragement to us who are living thousands of years later and on the other side of the globe? Discuss various answers, focusing on the record of God’s faithfulness to keep his promises to the Israelites. If he kept his promises to them, we can trust he will do the same for us.
• As you consider today’s text and lesson, what truth can you share with someone to encourage them in the faith or to share your faith with someone? Discuss various answers.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his power over all nations and creatures.
• Ask God for courage in the face of scoffers, to stand firm on his truth.
• Thank God for using people, despite their flaws, to accomplish his plans.