The Israelites were encamped outside Moab, just across the Jordan River, where West-Central Jordan would be today. The Moabites were terrified because of the sheer numbers at their border. They had heard the song sung by the bards: “Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh!” (Numbers 21: 29). They had also heard about how the GOD of the Hebrews had been fighting for them since they left Egypt and how the Israelites had just defeated the Amorites. King Balak cried out to the elders of Midian, “Now this horde will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” (Num. 22:4)
So why didn’t King Balak simply send out his army to fight them? Balak said to Bilaam, “For I know that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed.” (Numbers 22:6) Bilaam practiced divination and was highly sought after in his day. The king understood that this war had to be fought on the spiritual plane before it could be won on the physical. That’s why he called for the prophet Bilaam to curse Israel so that “perhaps” he could defeat them and drive them from his land. Even then, he wasn’t certain. People believed in the power of the gods; even their kings were considered gods. Balak consulted the elders of Midian, a neighboring tribe, influential and respected for their wisdom, and who also felt threatened. It was a strategic and religious alliance. Yet Midian was related to Moses, whose father-in-law, Yitro, was there when Moses had received his call from GOD at the burning bush, and the people who dwelt in that region knew to call Mt. Sinai, the mountain of GOD. It was the war of the gods against the GOD of Israel, as it still is to this very day.
It says that Bilaam practiced divination but those who know the Torah have read Deut.18:10-12 which warns us: “Let no one be found among you …who is a fortune teller, an astrologer, a psychic, an enchanter, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who consults the dead. For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to יהוה, and it is because of these abominable things that your God יהוה is dispossessing them before you. You must be wholehearted with your God יהוה.”
Did you know that Hitler surrounded himself with astrologers and psychics? There is a long list of cult leaders in the history of humanity – to name a few, Egypt’s Pharaoh, Mesopotamia, Rome, Greece, China, Mali, the Dalai Lamas of Tibet, Nepal, with its Shah dynasty considered to be incarnations of Vishnu. Many religions elevate men and, in some cases, women to having godlike powers. Sadly, this occurs even in Orthodox Judaism, with adherents flocking to the graves of venerated rabbis to pray and seek guidance from the dead and others who say that their rabbi is reincarnated and alive. These are pagan practices and far from the teachings of the written Torah. Why do I emphasize this point? There is danger in following such leaders, and it is rampant today. Self-proclaimed prophets are popping up all over social media with videos warning us about every subject, including the “End Times”.
Deut. 18:20 – 22 continues, “ But any prophet who presumes to speak in My name a prophecy that I did not command to be uttered, or who speaks in the name of other gods—that prophet shall die. And should you ask yourselves, “How can we know that the oracle was not spoken by יהוה?”— if the prophet speaks in the name of יהוה and the prophecy does not come true, that oracle was not spoken by יהוה; the prophet has uttered it presumptuously: do not revere that person.”
Bilaam knew that he couldn’t speak anything except what GOD told Him to say, and notice in Numbers 22: 8, Bilaam referred to YHVH in his response to the messengers sent from King Balak. He said, “Spend the night here, and I shall reply to you as יהוה may instruct me.” He knew who the GOD of Israel was, the One who spoke to Moses, but were the intentions of His heart to serve this GOD or to serve himself? The key is not whether we believe in the existence of the GOD of Israel, the Creator, but whether we are willing to follow His Principles and trust Him. Most of the world would agree that there is a God, no matter who they think He is, even if they address Him by different names and even if they are atheists. Even the atheist has to admit that there is something out there NOT to believe in.
Bilaam knew he couldn’t curse what God had blessed…yet he kept trying because deep down, he could be bought. We call him a prophet for hire, yet let’s not be too smug…how often have you and I struggled with breaking one of GOD’s Commandments because the reward was so enticing? This is a challenge for us in this era, whether we are living in the Promised Land or not. We may not even realize that we are breaking His commandments because there are so many religious rules and regulations in our particular denomination that the Ten Commandments given to us by GOD have been superseded and drowned out. It is not easy to be wholehearted for our GOD. Balak was a strong, rich, and influential king in his day, and he was going to make Bilaam very rich. All Bilaam had to do was say a few words to curse the Israelites…even if he lied. He tried three times, but Bilaam couldn’t do it. He had already told that to Balak in Numbers 23:8, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed and how can I denounce whom GOD has not denounced?” Look at how many are cursing Israel today?
In Numbers 24, GOD chose to reveal a prophecy to Bilaam concerning the future of Balak, the Moabites and the enemies of Israel. Starting at verse 14, a few verses tell us, “And now, as I go back to my people, let me inform you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.” 17 What I see for them is not yet; what I behold will not be soon: A star rises from Jacob, a sceptre comes forth from Israel; it smashes the brow of Moab, the foundation of all the children of Seth (referring to all humanity). Edom becomes a possession, Yes, Seir a possession of its enemies; but Israel is triumphant. 19: A victor issues from Jacob to wipe out what is left of Ir. 20… A leading nation is Amalek, but its fate is to perish forever. 23 Alas, who can survive except God has willed it!
Our sages say that this star and sceptre could be King David and/or the messiah. Christians say it refers to Jesus and that it is the Jews who will have to endure the tribulations of the end times. Let’s be careful when we put words in GOD’s mouth and fear false prophets. Instead, let’s watch and see what GOD is doing in our time. I got so excited when I read Numbers 23:24, which says, “Behold, a people that rises like a lioness, leaps up like a lion.” What recently happened in the Middle East? Under the codename “Operation Rising Lion”, the IDF and Mossad attacked and destroyed key nuclear sites and military installations in Iran. They have vowed to wipe Israel off the map, but they don’t realize that they are fighting against the God of Israel.
We are living the Torah right now through the words on these pages. It is not a book that pertains only to the past, to an ancient people who are no longer in the sight of their God. Our God is a God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He does not forget His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He does not change HIS words that He etched in stone and handed to Moshe on Mt. Sinai. These are the words that we need to memorize and live by. When I was in elementary school, I had to memorize poetry, some of which I can still remember to this day, but the most important thing that any child should have to memorize and practice is the Ten Commandments. Although we read them at every Shabbat service in our community, if I ask you to recite all Ten, can you? Every day, we face situations in our lives that require applying aspects of these Ten, forcing us to make difficult choices.
Most people just want to be loved, accepted and prosperous. Bilaam was put in a very tough spot. He knew the GOD of Israel; He knew what he could and could not do, but he chose to go against it for the reasons we discussed. When Bilaam went to seek God’s instructions, he offered 7 bulls and 7 rams on 7 altars. Was God pleased? In the Haftarah, our prophet Micah tells us: “My people, remember what Balak, king of Moab, devised, and what Bilaam the son of Beor answered him… so that you may know the righteous acts of GOD. With what shall I approach GOD, and bow down before GOD on high? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will GOD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand streams of oil?” So, I wonder why we are looking to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem to reinstate the sacrificial system when GOD is not pleased with our offerings. What pleases GOD?
Our parashah ends with a warning for all time. Bilaam finally found a way to curse Israel without doing it himself. He encouraged the beautiful Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men, luring them to their gods. Then יהוה ordered Moses to, “Take all the ringleaders and have them publicly impaled before יהוה, so that יהוה ‘s wrath may turn away from Israel.” Moses didn’t see this order carried out, so Pinchas stepped in and did it for him. This stopped the plague, but not before 24,000 of our people had died as a consequence of their disobedience.
How many of our young men intermarry with Gentile women who entice them to leave the ways of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Don’t get me wrong…the problem is NOT that they are Gentiles, because we know the story of Ruth, and it’s not that I blame them; we are a lost people…without a true shepherd. Rabbi Yeshua worked hard to bring our people back to the Written Torah, which teaches us to apply GOD’s Ten Commandments. We have many false shepherds and prophets like Bilaam among our religious leaders, not only in Judaism but in every religion. Religions divide people. A relationship with the GOD of creation unites us.
How many religious leaders choose to lead a congregation because they desire to serve God, or do they love the prestige of their profession and, of course, the remuneration? Or has it become a platform to further their religious and political agenda?
There are prophets like Bilaam who speak with a forked tongue; they are popular and are for hire, but before we realize it, they are leading us down the path toward destruction. There are also lesser-known prophets, like Micah, who speak words that may not be popular but lead us in the right direction.
So, what does God want from us today? Our prophet Micah is very clear. “You have been told, O mortal, what is good, and what GOD requires of you: Only to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” I know this is not a popular message. Look at what was done by the Romans to Yeshua, and today, we still have the blind leading the blind. Thanks to GOD, there is always a remnant willing and able to return to the Mighty God.
Shabbat Shalom
Peggy Pardo