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All right, you can turn in your 
Bibles to Numbers chapter 23. Numbers 23, as we work our way 
through the Balaam narrative, last week we saw Balaam, his 
call by Balak, the offer to honor him, that meant to pay him handsomely, 
so that he would curse Israel. And basically you see that in 
chapter 22, specifically at verses one to six, Balak had heard of 
Israel's victories over Og and Sihon, And of course, Balak is 
concerned that Israel will trample all over them. He did not know 
that God had forbidden Israel to engage with the Moabites, 
but nevertheless, Balak was fearful. And so he thought that if he 
hired this man, Balaam, then Balaam could pronounce a hex 
or a curse upon the children of Israel and thus render them 
ineffective against the Moabites. So that's the background. We 
noted as well with Balaam and his donkey that Balaam was a 
seer who couldn't see. And so through this particular 
narrative, God is humbling the man, God is equipping and furnishing 
the man to serve him in the oracles that he pronounces. Now, in terms 
of Numbers 22 to 24, irrespective of the donkey incident, Balaam 
is neither condemned by the narrator nor is he commended by the narrator. He's obviously a pagan, he's 
a heathen, he's not an Israelite, he is not a covenant member there 
of Israel. God is able to use even Balaam's 
ass and Balaam himself to communicate his word or his revelation. So 
no commendation and no condemnation specifically, though in Numbers 
31 we see that Balaam is condemned for the situation that we'll 
see, God willing, in a couple of weeks in Numbers chapter 25. 
As well, the New Testament portrays him very unfavorably, specifically 
in 2 Peter 2, verses 15 and 16, Jude 11, and then Revelation 
2.14. So basically what the New Testament 
authors tell us is that he was a prophet for profit. He was 
in it for the money. And there are hints of that, 
and I thought we pointed those out last week, some hints of 
that in Numbers 22. But again, no direct commendation 
or condemnation. And then when we move through 
the four oracles or the prophecies of Balaam, he does communicate 
accurately what God gives him to communicate. So he does his 
job insofar as God had commissioned him. not to curse Israel, but 
to bless Israel. So we're going to look at those 
first two prophecies tonight in Numbers 23. So I'll read beginning 
in chapter 22 at verse 41, and then we'll read the chapter 23, 
verse 26. So 2241, so it was the next day 
that Balaam took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of 
Baal, that from there he might observe the extent of the people. 
Then Balaam said to Balaam, build seven altars for me here, and 
prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams. And Balaam did 
just as Balaam had spoken, and Balaam and Balaam offered a bull 
and a ram on each altar. Then Balaam said to Balak, stand 
by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come 
to meet me, and whatever he shows me, I will tell you. So he went 
to a desolate height, and God met Balaam, and he said to him, 
I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar 
a bull and a ram. Then the Lord put a word in Balaam's 
mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak. So 
he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt 
offering, he and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his oracle, 
and said, Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from 
the mountains of the east. Come, curse Jacob for me, and 
come, denounce Israel. How shall I curse whom God has 
not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom 
the Lord has not denounced? For from the top of the rocks 
I see him, and from the hills I behold him. There, a people 
dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. Who 
can count the dust of Jacob, or number one-fourth of Israel? 
Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his. Then 
Balak said to Balaam, what have you done to me? I took you to 
curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully. 
So he answered and said, must I not take heed to speak what 
the Lord has put in my mouth? Then Balak said to him, please 
come with me to another place from which you may see them. 
You shall see only the outer part of them and shall not see 
them all. Curse them for me from there. So he brought him to the field 
of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered 
a bull and a ram on each altar. And he said to Balak, stand here 
by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there. Then 
the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, 
Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak. So he came to him, 
and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes 
of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, What has 
the LORD spoken? Then he took up his oracle and 
said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, son of Zippor. 
God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he 
should repent. Has he said, and will he not 
do? Or has he spoken, and will he 
not make it good? Behold, I have received a command 
to bless. He has blessed, and I cannot 
reverse it. He has not observed iniquity 
in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is 
with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brings them 
out of Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. 
For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against 
Israel. It now must be said of Jacob 
and of Israel, O what God has done! Look, a people rises like 
a lioness and lifts itself up like a lion. It shall not lie 
down until it devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.' 
Then Balak said to Balaam, neither curse them at all nor bless them 
at all. So Balaam answered and said to 
Balak, Did I not tell you, saying, All that the Lord speaks, that 
I must do? Amen. So as I said earlier, we've 
got this commitment on the part of Balak to render ineffective 
the children of Israel. He doesn't want to go the route 
of Sihon and Og. He does not want to lose he or 
his people. or his people to these Israelite 
hordes that he sees moving through their land. And of course, remember, 
they are in the wilderness. They're going from point A to 
point B. They're on the plains of Moab 
presently. They will stay on the plains of Moab to the end 
of the book of Numbers. And then they'll be there for 
the entirety of the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy is a 
series of exhortations by Moses to prepare the second generation 
for entrance into the promised land. And then, of course, takes 
us to Joshua, which records the conquest. And it gives a favorable 
impression of the conquest. And then the book of Judges shows 
us an unfavorable look at that conquest. So Judges, we see already 
a degeneration on the part of the Israelites who had aped and 
become like the Canaanites they were supposed to dispossess from 
the land. So Balaam is a prophet for a 
prophet. As I said, though, when we look 
at this particular chapter, we look at his prophecies or his 
oracles, he does communicate specifically what God had commanded 
him to communicate. So look first at the first prophecy 
of Balaam here in 2241 to 2312, and then the second prophecy 
in verses 13 to 26. So note the location in 2241, 
so it was the next day that Balak took Balaam and brought him up 
to the high places of Baal, that from there he might observe the 
extent of the people. The idea being, get them all 
in your view so that you can pronounce this hex upon them, 
so that you can pronounce this curse upon them and render them 
ineffective so that they cannot mount opposition against the 
Moabites. Notice then the preparation. 
We see this is heathen religion. It's not simply the Israelites 
in their religious expression or their cult that used sacrifice. Others did as well. We see the 
emphasis here on the seven utilized by Balak and Balaam. So we've 
got the seven altars constructed in verse 1, and then the sacrifice 
engaged in in verses 2 and 3. Again, a normal course or a normal 
part of religious activity amongst the peoples of the day back then. So it wasn't simply that Israel 
had a sacrificial system, but the Moabites did as well. And 
then note the specific revelation. Notice in verse 4, God met Balaam. So after the preparation through 
the event with reference to the donkey that rebuked Balaam, and 
then Balaam was upset, and he beat the donkey, and then the 
angel of the Lord manifested himself to Balaam to sort of 
set him straight. After all that, Balaam now is 
prepared, and he is ready, and he is a vehicle by which God 
is going to use him not to curse Israel, but to bless Israel. 
And I think as well, these prophecies contain things not only for the 
contemporary situation that they found themselves in there in 
the wilderness wanderings, but there's stuff in these prophecies 
that reflect or rather reveal God's purpose and plan for the 
children of Israel subsequent to their wilderness wanderings 
and even to their time of tenure in the land of Canaan. And so 
God meets with Balaam, according to verse four, and Balaam said 
to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on 
each altar a bull and a ram. And then we see that God put 
a word in Balaam's mouth, verse five, and said, return to Balak, 
and thus you shall speak. So he returned to him, and there 
he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes 
of Moab. Let us not forget that Balak 
wants Israel cursed. He wants them hexed. He wants 
bad things to come upon them. He wants the ground to open up 
and swallow them up. He wants hailstones to fall out 
of heaven. He wants whatever it'll take 
to stop and neutralize this potential threat represented by the numerous 
people of Israel. And so this is his desire, he's 
hired Balaam, he's offered to pay him very handsomely, and 
now he wants a return on his investment. And so we see the 
desire of Balak is refuted and thwarted by God Most High. So 
note, the desire of Balak is expressed in verse 7. Balak, 
the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, from the mountains 
of the east. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, denounce Israel. Stop them 
in their tracks. So then he prophesies, or rather 
proclaims, God's blessing upon the children of Israel. And he 
asks this wonderful question in verse 8a. How shall I curse 
whom God has not cursed? In other words, it is impossible 
for Balaam to engage in this particular activity if it is 
not the will of God. Now God chastises and has chastised 
the children of Israel, but God protects the children of Israel 
because they are His covenant people. If God is going to chasten 
them, it's going to be God who chastens them. It's not going 
to be Balak and Balaam concocting some plan to hex the children 
of Israel and stop them in their tracks. And so Balaam asks the 
very appropriate question, how shall I curse whom God has not 
cursed? How shall I denounce whom the 
Lord has not denounced? I would imagine that Balak at 
this moment is probably feeling pretty miserable, and I think 
that should cause us to be encouraged. When the enemies of God are discouraged, 
the friends of God rejoice. He wanted a curse and Balaam 
was unable to pronounce a curse. Balaam is simply the vehicle 
or the mouthpiece of God to communicate the glory of God and the protection 
of God over the children of God. Notice he goes on in verse 9, 
he makes a curious statement. He speaks of the singularity 
of God's people. For from the top of the rocks 
I see him, and from the hills I behold him there, a people 
dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations. Now, 
I think that bears a bit of explanation. You can turn back to the book 
of Exodus in Exodus chapter 4. Exodus chapter 4. passage that I think is helpful 
with some New Testament passages that refer to our Lord Jesus 
as God's firstborn or God's firstborn son. Notice in Exodus chapter 
4 at verse 22, then you shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the 
Lord, Israel is my son, my firstborn. What I think Balaam is saying 
in terms of the people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among 
the nations, is that they are the premier or rather preeminent 
people of God. They're not like the other nations. 
They're not like the Amorites. They're not like the Moabites. 
They're not like the Hivites and the Hittites and all the 
other ites. They are rather uniquely God's firstborn son. Notice in 
Deuteronomy chapter 4, they were to function in such a way that 
the peoples around Israel were to see them and give glory to 
God. Notice in Deuteronomy 4 verse 
5, Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord 
my God commanded me, that you should act according to them 
in the land which you go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe 
them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the 
sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 
Surely this great nation is wise and understanding people." Is 
a wise and understanding people. They're preeminent. They are 
different. They're separate. They're distinct 
from the nations around them. And notice what leads them to 
this conclusion. Verse 7, For what great nation 
is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is 
to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great 
nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments 
as are in all this law which I set before you this day? We 
remember when we move through the book of Leviticus, you've 
got the holiness code in Leviticus chapter 17 to 27. What does that 
do? It distinguishes or separates 
the nation of Israel from amongst the other nations. I think that's 
the emphasis in Balaam's oracle. He says, and from the hills I 
behold him, there a people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among 
the nations. John Gill explains it this way. 
And though they are now scattered among the people and nations 
of the world, yet they are not mixed with them, nor reckoned 
to be a part of them, nor do they reckon themselves to be 
of them, but are a separate distinct people from them. Thus Israel, 
or the people of God in a spiritual sense, dwell alone. not solitarily 
or without company in every sense, for they have the company of 
the Father, Son, and Spirit, of angels and saints. But they 
dwell in God, in Christ, in the house of God, and with one another 
separately and distinctly from the world. They are a separate 
people in the love of God, in the choice of them in Christ, 
in the covenant of grace made with them in Him, in redemption 
by Him, in His intercession for them, in effectual calling, as 
they will be in the resurrection mourned. and in heaven to all 
eternity, and they shall dwell safely, God being around them, 
Christ the rock and fortress of them, the Spirit in them being 
greater than he that is in the world, angels their guardians, 
and they in a strong city, whose walls and bulwarks are salvation. 
Nor are they reckoned among the nations. They are chosen, redeemed, 
and called out of them, and are not accounted of by them any 
other than the refuse and offscouring of all things. Nor do they reckon 
themselves to be of the world, but as pilgrims and strangers 
in it." Now, he obviously went into some new covenant application, 
but I think his point stands. When Balaam says they're a people 
dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations, that 
was their purpose. They were to mediate the blessings 
of God to the nations around them, as we see there in Deuteronomy 
4. Obviously, they fail. They, like Adam the first, fall. They succumb. They sin. And then the last Adam, the true 
Israel of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, assumes our humanity, 
does what Adam was purposed to do, does what Israel was purposed 
to do, and brings us to that place of blessedness and holiness 
under the blessing of God. And then Balaam indicates the 
number of God's people, verse 10a, who can count the dust of 
Jacob or number one-fourth of Israel, reminiscent of Genesis 
28, 14. Also your descendants shall be 
as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the 
west and the east, to the north and the south, and in you and 
in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 
I'm sure Balak loved to hear that because that was one of 
the things that concerned Balak when he looked down and saw the 
amount of people that were Israelites. And so that was something that 
he was fearful of. And now Balaam under God pronounces 
this very thing. And then that last bit in 10b 
almost sounds like Balaam wants to be counted amongst the children 
of Israel. Let me die the death of the righteous 
and let my end be like his. In other words, I should be so 
blessed as the children of Israel are. And so then we see the frustration 
of Balak, which again is obvious in verse 11. Balak said to Balaam, 
what have you done to me? You know, it's easy to just read 
these things and not kind of feel it or get into it. He's 
paid good money. He sent two delegations. He finally 
got Balaam. Balaam's a prophet for hire. He's well reputed. Notice back 
in Numbers 22, specifically at verse 6, Balaam had a proven 
track record. Therefore, please come at once, 
curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps 
I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. 
For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse 
is cursed." So Balaam agrees for the prophet, but Balaam gives 
the proviso, I can only say what Yahweh tells me to say. I'll 
go ahead and try the whole curse thing, Balak, since you're paying 
for that, but I'm only going to say what Yahweh has commanded 
me to say. So the frustration of Balak, 
on the one hand, is obvious. On the other hand, it's encouraging. 
Look at the frustration of the enemies of the Most High. And 
then, of course, Balaam underscores that proviso in verse 12. So 
he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord 
has put in my mouth? Again, when you read through 
Balaam here in 23 and 24, it comes off well. He does what 
he's supposed to do. He speaks the word of God in 
a context where it was pretty much not the best possible thing 
for Balaam. If he wanted his paycheck and 
he didn't want to get his throat cut by the king of Balak, the 
temptation might have been there to just go ahead and, you know, 
hex the people. But he's committed to speaking 
what Yahweh commands him. Notice, then, the second prophecy. We see the location rehearsed 
in verses 13 and 14. Again, the desire of Balak for 
a curse upon Israel is reported in verse 13. Curse them for me 
from there. And then the preparation in verses 
15 to 17, the meeting with the Lord. Verse 15, he said to Balak, 
stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there. 
Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and 
said, Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak. So he came to 
him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the 
princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, What has 
the LORD spoken?" Balak wants to hear what Yahweh has to say. Again, the whole scene is obviously 
designed to shine the spotlight upon the God of Israel. He is 
not some sort of ghetto deity of these local tribes. He is 
the God of heaven and earth who speaks by Balaam, a pagan, who 
speaks through Balaam's ass, a donkey, who speaks to Balak 
and refutes and confutes his desire for a curse upon Israel. It's showing forth the supremacy, 
the glory, and the majesty of the true and living God. So then 
notice the revelation. We've got instruction given to 
Balak in verse 18. Then he took up his oracle and 
said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, son of Zippor. 
Now, the first thing he highlights is the immutability of God. The 
immutability, the unchangeability of God. And he makes it by way 
of contrast. God is not a man that he should 
lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. So the veracity of God versus 
the lies of men. And I think what he's highlighting 
here is if God has purpose to bless his children of Israel, 
then he is not like a man that's gonna change his mind. He's not 
like a man that lies, that says, I'm gonna protect you, I'm gonna 
guard you, but when the going gets tough, I'm gonna renege 
on that. So he's not a man that he should 
lie, nor a son of man that he should repent. So the veracity 
of God, contra the lying of man, and specifically the immutability 
or unchangeability of God. nor a son of man that he should 
repent." Notice, he continues, has he said, and will he not 
do? Or has he spoken, and will he 
not make it good? So he gives this doctrinal statement 
in verse 19, and then he starts to apply it in verse 19b. Has he said, and he will not 
do? Or has he spoken, and will he 
not make it good? This is in essence to say to 
Balak, you're on a fool's errand. You�re really not thinking this 
through. You�ve paid me to offer up a 
curse on Israel. I have said that I�m only going 
to say what Yahweh puts in my mouth, and it should be obvious 
to you that this Yahweh who puts things in my mouth is not going 
to renege on His promise to bless and do His people good. He's 
going to see them through this wilderness come Moabite or Amorite. He's going to plant them in the 
land of Canaan. And there they are going to conquer 
the land. And they're going to establish, 
at least for a time, a theocracy wherein God is going to be their 
king. So when Balaam makes this, he 
now brings specific application in verse 20. He says, Behold, 
I have received a command to bless. He has blessed and I cannot 
reverse it. So it's not just an academic 
exercise in the study and the attributes of God. Listen, Balaam, 
God's immutable. He applies it to the particular 
situation that they find themselves in. Behold, I have received a 
command to bless. He has blessed. I cannot reverse 
it. This should have stopped Balak 
in his tracks. He should have said, that's it, 
we're not going to continue on. in this venture, but of course 
he continues on in this venture. The wicked are not easily prevailed 
upon. The wicked want what they want, 
and they're going to do everything they can to stop the process 
if it doesn't go their way. So then notice in verse 21, he 
has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness 
in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, 
and the shot of a king is among them. God brings them out of 
Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. I think this is a passage 
similar to verse 9. Verse 9 tells us the singularity 
of the covenant people. Well, verse 21 tells us the holiness 
of the covenant people, not the sinlessness, not the perfection 
of them. They are a sinful people, but 
God has put a mechanism in place by which they have cleansing. 
So notice again, verse 21, God has not observed iniquity in 
Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. The obvious implication 
is, if he had, they'd be ripe for a cursing. If he had, they 
would be ripe for a hex. If he had, they would be ripe 
for the earth opening up and swallowing them. If he had, they'd 
be ripe for hailstones falling out of heaven and doing your 
dirty work, Balak. He has not observed iniquity 
in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is 
with him, and the shot of a king is among them. So I think the 
emphasis here is on the fact that this was not a sinless people, 
not a perfect people, not a spotless people, but rather Israel was 
rightly related to Yahweh through the promise of the Messiah to 
come. and through the system put in 
place by Yahweh for cleanliness, for holiness, for ceremonial 
cleansing, such that they could meet with God in the tabernacle. So it's not a testimony of sinlessness, 
it is rather a testimony of covenant. God is in covenant with these 
people. And as a result of that, there 
is no way that he is going to turn them over to a two-bit prophet 
named Balaam, who's being hired by a two-bit king named Balak 
to curse these people. God brought them out of Egypt. Notice in verse 22, he brings 
them out of Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. 
You think he's gonna falter and fail and let this whole thing 
collapse in the wilderness because Balak doesn't want them to pass 
by? Balaam's saying, no, that's not 
going to happen. God is not a man that he should 
lie, nor is he a son of man that he should repent. Has he said 
and will he not do? Or has he spoken and will he 
not make it good? He has purpose to bless these 
people and move them from Egypt to Canaan, and that's going to 
happen, Balak. Gil again, extended quote, but 
I think he gets at it. Not that there was no sin in 
them, nor any observed by the Lord, yet not so as to mark it 
in strict justice, and punish for it. But he forgave it, hid 
his face from it, and did not impute it to them. All the three 
targums, that means commentary on Old Testament passages, all 
the three targums restrain it to idolatry. And it's this next 
bit that I want you to remember because this is what ultimately 
happens in chapter 25 at the behest of Balaam according to 
chapter 31. But listen to this. So in other words, verse 21, 
he has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen wickedness 
in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, 
and the shadow of a king is among them. It's restrained to idolatry. They hadn't gone after Baal. 
They hadn't gone after Chemosh. They hadn't gone after Asherah. 
They hadn't gone after all these things. So continuing Gil's quote. that there were none among them 
that worshipped idols, which was the reason why the Lord could 
not be prevailed upon to curse them. And Eben Ezra observes 
that from hence, Balak learned to send women to the Israelites 
to entice them to lewdness." That's what happens in chapter 
25. That is exactly what happens in chapter 25. I think Gil is 
right on the path here. "...and so to idolatry, that 
he might be able to carry his point. This is true of the spiritual 
Israel of God, for though there is sin in them, and which is 
continually done by them, yet their sins are removed from them, 
and have been laid on Christ, and He has borne them." made 
reconciliation for them, and made an end of them, and has 
redeemed and saved them from them. And God, by imputing His 
righteousness to them, has justified them from all their sins, has 
forgiven all their iniquities, and blotted out all their transgressions, 
and has cast them behind His back and into the depths of the 
sea, and has removed them as far from them as the east is 
from the west." So it's not a sinless perfection, but it is a right 
relationship through covenant. And then note, God's presence 
is with them. The Lord, his God, is with them. 
And the shout of a king is among them. And then he highlights 
God's redeeming power. Verse 22, God brings them out 
of Egypt. He has strength like a wild ox. So this then underscores the 
conclusion in verses 23 and 24 from Balaam's perspective, there 
is no sorcery against Jacob nor any divination against Israel. 
These were the two arts or the crafts or the things that Balaam 
had up his sleeve. He was a sorcerer. Joshua refers 
to him as a soothsayer. He was a sorcerer who practiced 
divination. Balaam understands he's met his 
match. There's no way he's going to 
go contrary to the true and living God who is over Israel. It now 
must be said of Jacob and of Israel, oh, what God has done. Look, a people rises like a lioness 
and lifts itself up like a lion. It shall not lie down until it 
devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain." So Balaam 
knows he's no match for Yahweh. He's communicating that to Balak, 
and then the section ends with Balak basically saying, just 
leave everything alone. Notice in verse 25, then Balak 
said to Balaam, neither curse them at all, nor bless them at 
all. In other words, shut up. We can't keep going down this 
path, but we see there's two more prophecies or two more oracles 
to be had. So Balak is frustrated, neither 
curse them at all, nor bless them at all. So Balaam answered 
and said to Balak, did I not tell you saying all that the 
Lord speaks that I must do? Well, God willing, we'll take 
up the next two prophecies next Wednesday and then their harlotry 
and Moab at the behest of Balaam, according to number 3116. Just 
a couple of thoughts on God in this particular chapter. It's 
God's sovereignty that's on display. Balak was in the mindset that 
he could thwart the people of Israel by using Balaam, a soothsayer, 
to cast a curse upon them. Balaam seems to have had a proven 
track record of some effectiveness in this endeavor in the past. but he's no match for the living 
and true God. He might be able to get over 
on the dunghill deities of the pagans around them, but he's 
not getting over on the God of absolute sovereignty. So God's 
sovereignty is on display in the chapter, God's power is on 
display, His immutability, and His mercy. Notice in 23, 21, 
and 22. This is an evidence of the mercy 
of God to His covenant people. It's seen in His dealings with 
them, in their sinfulness in terms of the promise of Christ, 
and in terms of the sacrificial system that was extant then, 
and the fact that He had redeemed them out of Egypt, and He had 
strength like a wild ox to take them from Egypt all the way to 
the promised land in Canaan. So it is the perfections of God 
that is on display in the chapter. As well, we see the futility 
of Balak. You're never going to fight the 
living and true God and win. We see the futility of Balaam. Balaam functions properly under 
God in these oracles, but that's it. He's not a godly man. He's 
not a righteous man. He's not a man that's converted. 
He doesn't have the Holy Spirit in the sense of he's sanctified 
and he's being conformed under the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
He's a wretch that's ultimately in it for money. And then I think 
the final observation is in Romans chapter eight. You can turn there. 
It's a bit of a counterpart to what we find in a passage like 
this. Notice in Romans chapter 8, specifically 
at verse 31. This is essentially what you 
get from the oracles of Balaam. A little bit of different language, 
a new covenant application, mingled with the doctrine of justification, 
and obviously the death and resurrection of our Lord, but the underlying 
theme is the same. And that's specifically in verse 
31. What then shall we say to these 
things? If God is for us, Who can be 
against us? Isn't that the message in the 
Oracles of Balaam? If God is for us, who can be 
against us? And note the argument, or the 
rationale, or the grounds upon which the Apostle can assert 
what he asserts there in 31b. If God is for us, who can be 
against us? Verse 32, He who did not spare 
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not 
with Him also freely give us all things? It's an argument 
from the greater to the lesser. If God didn't spare His Son and 
delivered Him up to the death of the cross, you think He's 
going to forget you on a Thursday morning? You think He's going 
to abandon you on a Friday night? Notice as well, verse 33, who 
shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. You ever thought through that 
passage? Who is it that brings charges against God's elect? 
Well, sometimes it's God's elect. God's elect say, well, I'm not 
functioning like God's elect. How could I possibly be God's 
elect? How could I be a Christian? We charge ourselves. The devil 
is the accuser of the brethren, according to Revelation 12. The 
idea of Satan is accuser, adversary. And he does that. So Paul's argument 
is, who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It's kind 
of like Balaam. Who do you think you are, Balak, 
that's going to come along and hire me for chump change so that 
I can curse the children of Israel? Notice, it is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is 
Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at 
the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who 
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, 
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, 
or sword? As it is written, for your sake 
we are killed all day long. We are counted as sheep for the 
slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through 
him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither 
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the 
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now there's 
a lot more gospel flourish here in Romans chapter 8, but the 
underlying message is the same. The oracles of Balaam underscore 
that if God is for you, who can be against you? Not Balak, Not 
Sihon, not Og, not any of the renegade tribes that were marauding 
through the wilderness in the days of the children of Israel. 
God is for them. God will protect them. God will 
see them to the promised land. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your faithfulness. We see it so vividly 
on display in the wilderness wanderings and your preservation 
of the children of Israel, even in spite of the desire of Balak 
to curse them, and the attempt of Balaam to curse them. But 
you overrule that, and you bless them, and you keep them, and 
you protect them. God, help us to muse upon and meditate upon 
and reflect upon the new covenant application, the fact that we 
are the apple of your eye, not for anything good in us, but 
for everything great and glorious in our Lord Jesus Christ. We 
thank you for his life, his death, his resurrection. We thank you 
for justification by faith alone. We ask that you would go with 
us now, watch over the entirety of our local church, bless all 
of our brothers and our sisters, and may you be glorified in the 
midst of the congregation. And we ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, any questions or comments 
on anything Balaam-related? Actually, any comments on anything 
Balaam-related? Because I don't think I can answer 
the questions. Indicates he's from Aram. So 
wherever that is relative to, yeah, you get the vibe that he 
came from a distance. Yeah. All right. You're welcome.