Numbers 23: 1 – 30
I shouldn’t have hired you
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 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. 4 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.” 5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 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!’ 8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 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. 10 “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!” 11 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!” 12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?” 13 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.” 14 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. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.” 16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 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?” 18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 “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? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 21 “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. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. 23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ 24 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.” 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!” 26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do’?” 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.
Have you ever been in a position of hiring someone? You could be the owner, boss, department supervisor, or a personnel director. Picking the wrong person to fill a position or job can turn out to cause you all kinds of problems, especially in today’s world.
If you do not do your proper reviews then you might get a demeaning, arrogant, insubordinate, untrustworthy, demanding, or unproductive worker. Ever have a nightmare employee? You know, the one that gets on your nerves before you can even grab a cup of coffee in the morning. It winds up that you hate even to go to work because you might run into him or her. Some difficult personalities are extremely overbearing. Others can deposit a dark cloud over the entire office.
It’s hard to ignore a difficult person who sits in the next cubicle. It’s extremely trying when they are arrogant, unyielding or just downright rude. It’s even worse when they have a drug or alcohol problem, especially when they come to work high or smelling of alcohol.
So how can you handle a difficult employee? Well, you can pray the employee will tell you they are moving across country tomorrow. Or you can hope that your co-worker will be transferred to a new department. You might start thinking that it is time to sell you company. But wishing these thorns in your flesh will change is not the answer.
Figuring out how to deal with them is your best option. Keep in mind; everyone comes into the workplace with his or her own set of issues. While it can be tough not to look at it that way, most of the time, their attitude has nothing to do with you. Here are descriptions of six difficult employees and some ways to cope with them:
Perfectionists - These people usually have their own set of issues. It’s hard for them to let go. They are never satisfied with their work and are probably their own worst critic. They take forever to get a project or assignment done, because they are always trying to tweak it. The best way to deal with someone like this is to set a deadline and stick to it.
Negative Employees - There are actually several types of negative employees: pessimists, criticizers and just downright negative personalities.
Pessimists see the glass as half empty. Nothing ever seems to go right for them. If the pessimist were on the first commercial space ship, their reaction would be “Yeah, the trip to the moon was exciting, but the food was real bad and the ride was so long!”
Criticizers displace many of their own anxieties onto others. They criticize others to make themselves look and/or feel better. Typically they are the ones who make fun of others, pointing out things like who is the worst dressed. Often they seem to pick fights with others for no particular reason. They’ll disagree just for the sake of disagreeing.
While you need to keep in mind that his or her insecurities are at work, it’s extremely difficult to be around someone who’s negative or critical. Criticizers can affect your mood. Unchecked they can create a black cloud over the entire office.
Dictators/Autocrats - These people can be very trying in the workplace. They will walk all over you if you let them. This type of personality can be especially troubling if they are not your supervisor.
The Dictator/Autocrat will tell you how to do your job or make lots of demands on you. They will stomp all over you if you let them. The best way to handle this type is not to allow it in the first place.
“Out To Lunch” Employees - There’s usually one person in the office who never does their fair share. This is the employee who takes long breaks, is making personal phone calls or constantly socializes. These employees work best with a lot of structure. Although, many employees complain about micromanagers, this personality type definitely needs it.
Substance Users/Abusers - If an employee has an alcohol or drug problem, speak with your manager privately. If you are friends, you may want to approach the subject delicately. But, be careful. You might be treading in deep water.
Grouches/Moody Employees - These people can be a nuisance. But they are less dangerous than other personalities. When a coworker seems to “cop an attitude” try asking them if everything is OK.
Today, we are going to look at a wealthy ruler who hired some well known specialist. However, we will see that everything he wanted done turned out just the opposite.
Someone said that ‘insanity’ is doing the same thing and hoping for a different outcome. Today, we see this point come to life.
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
Balaam set about the task he had been given willingly enough. He called on Balak to build seven altars and prepare for sacrifice on them seven ox bulls and seven rams. The seven was intended to appeal to the gods. All nations saw ‘seven’ as a divine number. The offerings were intended to please Balaam’s ‘contacts’, was including, from his point of view, Yahweh, Who could possibly be persuaded by them to change His mind. This was seemingly Balaam’s usual method, and it usually ‘worked’.
Up to this point Balaam had only ever dealt with the lower spirit world. In those circumstances he was usually able to work it so that he got back a message whereby those whom he sought to contact fell in line with his desires. But he had never had to deal with the true God before.
2 And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Balak did what Balaam requested and between them they offered an ox bull and a ram on each altar. These were whole burnt offerings, ‘that which goes up’. The whole went up to the heavens.
3 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.
Balaam then told Balak to stand by his whole burnt offering, as an indication that he was identifying himself with it, and letting the spirit world know that these magnificent offerings came from Balak who now sought their assistance. Then possibly he might get a favorable response. At this stage it would seem that Balaam still thought that he might get a changed response from Yahweh. He had never met Yahweh’s like before.
4 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.”
Again please note the change again to ‘God’. It was important that Balaam was faced up with the fact that he was not here dealing with a local deity, but with the only true God.
Balaam was seeking some sort of ‘contact. He obtained more than he had expected, for God Himself came to him. So to God he explained that he had followed out his usual procedure. He had prepared seven altars and offered seven twofold offerings. Normally this would result in his ‘control’ coming back to him with a positive response. But this time he was dealing with something outside his experience. He was dealing with Yahweh, the true God. His enchantments were not working to pattern.
5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
The result was that he received from Yahweh the message that he was to pass on. Notice that it was Yahweh who ‘put the word in his mouth’. The message was reliable.
6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.
Balaam returned to where Balak and his chieftains were expectantly waiting, the latter confident that this would solve the problem of Israel once and for all. For who could stand against the enchantments of Balaam, the son of Beor? He was not aware of the experiences that Balaam had been through.
7 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!’ 8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 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. 10 “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!”
Still under the final ‘control’ of Yahweh Balaam uttered his incantation, and tried to work his enchantments, but the words he spoke were not what anyone expected..
In spite of his willingness to please Balak he found himself unable to curse or defy them. God had expressed His unwillingness, Yahweh had refused. And He alone could have ensured the curse on them. Thus Balaam recognized that it was impossible for him or his ‘control’ to alter the situation.
He then pointed out three things about Israel as given in the word of Yahweh. Looking down from the high point on which they were, from ‘the heights of Baal’, the place where ‘gods’ were met with, he first declared that Israel were set apart, a people who dwelt apart, a people not numbered among the nations. They were different and unique. This situation was similar to that described in Exodus 19.5-6 where Israel were declared to be a ‘holy’ people, God’s own treasured possession, a kingdom of priests. They were thus to be seen as unique compared with all other nations. (Genesis 15.13-16). They were a chosen nation destined for a chosen land. (Deuteronomy 7.6).
Secondly he pointed out that their numbers were as ‘the dust’, and that even one fourth of them would not be countable. They were thus innumerable. This expressed the fulfillment of the promises made to the Patriarch that their descendants would be as the dust of the earth, and innumerable like the sands (Genesis 13.16; 22.17; 28.14). Such multiplication of numbers would be seen by all as an indication of their being greatly blessed.
And finally he pointed out that they were ‘righteous’, a nation in covenant with Yahweh who were being obedient to Him (Deuteronomy 6.25). Indeed they were so greatly blessed that he wished his end could be like theirs, following a long and prosperous life, and that he could die with the privileges that they enjoyed for they were chosen and unique. (There is a twist to this wish for we are aware that he will soon be dead at the hands of these very people (31.8)).
11 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!”
This was not at all what Balak had wanted to hear. He could not believe his ears, and turning to Balaam he asked him if he realized what he had done to him. He had wanted his enemies cursed, and instead Balaam had counted them as blessed. This was not what he was being paid for.
12 So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?”
Balaam’s reply was simple. He did not control the words that came through his mouth. He could only speak the words that he was ‘given’ and which Yahweh put in his mouth through his control. He had done his best by the arrangement of the offerings in his usual manner, but these had seemingly not swayed Yahweh.
13 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.”
It is interesting to note that Balak reluctantly accepted the explanation and decided that this particular height clearly brought them in contact with ‘gods’ not favorable to their cause. These were ‘the heights of Baal’. Clearly Baal was in league with Yahweh. The solution must therefore be to try another place. Perhaps on a new mountain the gods there could be persuaded to call on Yahweh to act in his favor.
‘You shall see but the utmost part of them, and shall not see them all.’ The impression being given is that their numbers were so large that wherever they stood they could not all be seen at once.
14 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.
This time Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of the Pisgah. There again they went through the motions of Balaam’s usual approach to his control. Zophim means ‘the watchers’. The previous site was the ‘heights of Baal’.
15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
Once again Balaam told Balak to stand by his offering. This was important so that the ‘gods’ would know to whom they owed this offering that they had received, and might be persuaded by it. It was a considerable offering. Then he went to ‘meet’ whoever would appear.
16 Then the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
Once again Balaam sought his ‘control’, and once again Yahweh met with him and put His word in Balaam’s mouth. He was to go back with it to Balak.
17 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 Balaam returned to where Balak was, obediently standing by his offering with his chieftains. They were anxious to know what, message he had received, what Yahweh had spoken. They were hopeful that this time it would be satisfactory, and that Yahweh had been turned against His people. After all he had offered fourteen ox bulls.
18 Then he took up his oracle and said: “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, son of Zippor! 19 “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? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 21 “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. 22 God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. 23 “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’ 24 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.”
They were soon to be disillusioned. The second trance statement began more directly than the first. It asked Balak if he really thought that Yahweh would change His mind.
He learned that Yahweh was not ‘a man’, who might be liable to lie. He was not ‘a son of man’ (the equivalent of ‘man’) that He should change His mind. What He had said, He would do. What He had spoken He would make happen. Thus the word already given was sure of fulfillment. But now in the light of this second approach more was to be added in favor of Israel.
Balaam then went on to declare that, ‘Behold, I have received the word to bless, and he has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.’ In other words, as Yahweh had chosen to bless Israel, Balaam had no alternative but to declare that blessing. It was something that he was unable to reject or reverse. It was not in his hands to decide.
The hope had always been that in some way ‘Yahweh’ could be made to find fault with Israel or could be persuaded to ‘foresee’ some trouble or misfortune ahead for them. After all the ‘gods’ of other nations were very often seen as taking it out on their people because of some reason or other, or for no reason at all, and could therefore be bribed to cooperate. (Balaam was not used to dealing with the Sovereign God). But he had learned that Yahweh would find no fault with Israel, and that He could see no trouble or misfortune ahead for them.
Then he declared what Balak did not want to hear (and what Israel did want to hear). ‘Yahweh Is Israel’s God and He Is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.’
Far from being displeased with His people, he declared, Yahweh was ‘with them’ as their God. He was enthroned among them as their king to Whom they shouted their allegiance. All was well between them and their God. The parallelism confirms that the king in mind here is Yahweh. So this people whom Balak wanted Yahweh to curse actually acknowledged Him as their king and shouted their allegiance to Him, because He was with them and among them. There was therefore no likelihood that He would curse them.
What was more, he pointed out, ‘God brings them forth out of Egypt, He has as it were the towering horns or strength of the wild-ox.’ Not only was Yahweh their King, but as their God Who was among them He had brought them out of Egypt with His mighty power, power and strength which was like that of the towering horns of a mighty wild-ox, totally irresistible. He was thus not a God to be messed around with. And He was the Deliverer of this people.
Nothing was known that had greater strength than the wild ox with its mighty horns. It was untamable. And thus had Israel’s God shown Himself to be of invincible power,
He now added that it was really no good trying to fight Israel with enchantments. For enchantments could only counter other enchantments. But Jacob/Israel did not use enchantments. He had been able to discern none among them.
We find here a remarkable confirmation of the fact that at this stage Israel were free from those who worked enchantments, as God’s Instruction had demanded that they should be. Israel was not involved in any way in the occult.
‘Now shall it be said of Jacob, and of Israel, What has God wrought!’ Here the parallel is with the fact that God had blessed them. They had rather trusted in their God, and He had wrought on their behalf. Thus he, Balaam the enchanter, had no power against them. They were outside his sphere.
Balaam then finished his prophecy by declaring that Israel was, in fact, like a lioness rising up to commence the hunt, and that Yahweh Himself was like a lion, not lying down again until He has seized the prey. To ‘drink the blood of the slain’ metaphorically referred simply to partaking in their death. All knew that a pack of lions, once they had been roused to the hunt, did not lie down again until they had been successful. This parallels ‘Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?’
All were to take note that Israel was to be feared because Yahweh was with them. And that like a lioness they should not be disturbed, lest they rise and seize the prey. It was best to let sleeping lions lie.
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”
Balak had heard enough. He was thinking, why in the heck did I even hire you? I would have been better off. He begged Balaam neither to curse or bless them, for it would be better if he did nothing than that he should bless them again as he had done previously. This was strengthening them, not weakening them.
26 So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”
But Balaam replied that there was nothing that he could do about it. As he had already told him, if he contacted Yahweh he had to do what Yahweh said. In matters like this he was not his own master.
So, we see stupidity in action. The previous two attempts at enchantment having failed Balak decided that he must try again, this time with Baal-peor. Some may wondered at Balak’s persistence, but both he and Balaam probably thought that the next seven offerings would do the trick. For seven times three would be divine completeness and perfection indeed.
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the wasteland.
The stark mountain of Peor was his last hope. Here surely Baal-peor would come to his help against these people. So he took Balaam there and called on him to make another attempt to curse Israel for him.
29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
Balaam again called on him to follow his usual pattern. It had always ‘worked’ in the past. Another munificent offering to the gods might be successful, and might change Yahweh’s mind. Three times seven was complete divine perfection.
There is in all this a deliberate intent in the writer’s mind to bring out the futility of Balaam’s methods and Balak’s hopes. Yahweh the God of Israel just could not be influenced by these methods. He was over and above them. They were useless. Balaam might be powerful in his own sphere but against God he was powerless. All he could do was prophecy in His favor.
Someone should have realized by going to these different locations where they believe different gods existed that Yahweh was superior to all of them. For in truth The Lord God Yahweh Is the only Living, True, and Real God.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on every altar.
So Balak again did all that was required of him. An ox bull and a ram were offered up on each of seven altars.
