Beth Elohim Messianic Synagogue
Parashah #40 Balak B’midbar (Numbers) 22:2-25:9
Haftarah: Mikhah (Micah) 5:6-6:8
B’rit Chadashah: 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 2:1-22; Y’hudah (Jude) 11; Revelation 2:14-15
Today I am going to focus on Chapter 24:14-24 and the plethora of prophetic significance that is closer to its fulfillment that the majority of the world’s people can imagine. Starting with Balak, son of Tzippor, we read that he was the king of Moab, a people descended from Lot through an inebriated condition initiated by his daughters, the older of which was the mother. The Moabites, although related to the Israelites, did not follow the G-d of the Israelites. Rather, they worshipped Chemosh as their national deity. Chemosh was a war god believed to grant victory to his following and protect them from their enemies. Some scholars suggest a possible connection between Chemosh and the Ammonite god Moloch particularly in relation to child sacrifice practices. The far-reaching influence of Chemosh is seen through the life of Solomon who unfortunately took many pagan wives who introduced Chemosh/Moloch worship in Israel.
Interestingly Balak and the Moabites followed Chemosh as a war god and protector, yet Balak summoned Bil’am who was a non-Israelite prophet and diviner to curse the Israelites.
In the Book of Josephus, Philo, and some Christian sources, Bil’am was criticized for his profound greed and corruptive attributes. Revelation 2:14 describes him as a symbol of greed and accuses him of instructing Balak to lead the Israelites into sin by encouraging adultery and sexual immorality.
Bil’am is generally considered to have been an Aramean. However, some traditions suggest he may have been from Moab, Midian, or Edom. In our parashah he is identified as being from Pethor, which is thought to be the ancient Aramean city of Pitru. This position is supported by Bil’am’s statement in Numbers 23:7 “From Aram did Balak import me.” Although the Arameans ancestry was through Noah’s son Shem, they were not friendly towards the Israelites.
Sorting out the genealogical, political, and spiritual background of Balak and Bil’am, we can move forward and gain a deeper appreciation for Chapter 24:14-24 beginning with the statement Bil’am made to Balak just before departing to his own land “ …come I will warn you what this people[Israelites] will do to your people in the acharit-hayamim (end of days) which refers to the final period of time before Yahshua’s return and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom.
Chapter 24:22 deserves further exploration because of the fact that the Kenites were skilled in metal work and were not overt enemies of the Israelites. They often allied with them while other times lived independently. I submit the following interpretation to possibly clarify why a non-aggressor nation is included in prophecy about the destruction of Israel’s enemies.
The prophecy speaks of the Kenites being taken as captives by Assyria (Ashur). This has prophetic application where the Assyrians will capture the Kenites along with other people during the end of days. It seems that this prophecy highlights that even those who are allied with Israel are not immune the national accountability/consequences of G-d’s judgment. The repeated blessings on the Israelites in spite of repeated efforts to curse G-d’s people shows us that G-d’s prophecies, including those of other nations are inextricably connected to G-d’s plan for Israel and mankind.
Specific nations that will be destroyed or otherwise subjected to capture according to Num. 24:17-24 are worth additional research for additional learning and understanding of what lies ahead in what I submit is in the near future. These nations include institutions as well such as the Catholic Church (Edom) and Amalek which is a paradigm for evil groups who are known for attacking the Israelites from the rear and killing the weak and infirm among the nations. This paradigm is embraced by Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other proxies of the Iranian regime. The nations mentioned in this prophecy are: Mo’av, Shet, Edom, Amalek, Keini, and Ashur (Assyria).
Balak who was no different than many despots past, present, and future ignore G-d’s steadfast faithfulness to His people which includes all true believers (Rom, 1-3; John 14, Revelation Seven-Fold Witness). The G-d of Israel is sovereign. The evil followers of haSatan’s agenda of every generation who have attempted complete genocide of G-d’s people forget that we are G-d’s people, He is unchanging, and His plan for His people and mankind will come to pass just as His Torah informs us. It is never whom they engage in battle. Their battle is an earthly representation/expression of the battle between good and evil. Their battle is with G-d. They have no chance of being successful against El Gibor, the Might One of Israel.
J.R. Church, who was a Baptist minister, author, and founder of the television program Prophecy in the News introduced and discussed a direct correlation between the five books of the Pentateuch and five books of Psalms. Germaine to today’s commentary, according to Church’s comment on the fourth book of Psalms, “the fourth division (Psalms 90-106) finds the children of Jacob in the midst of their Numbers period. The Mosaic book by that title describes the troubles of Israel during their 40-year sojourn in the wilderness. Likewise, these psalms imply a future time of heartache, called by Jeremiah Jacob’s trouble… (Jer. 30:7)” (p.180).
For further exploration and comparison, the other four books of the Psalms and the corresponding books of the Pentateuch are as follows:
Genesis- Psalms 1-41
Exodus- Psalms 42-72
Leviticus- Psalms 73-89
Numbers- Psalms 90-106
Deuteronomy- Psalms 107-150
Haftarah: Mikhah (Micah) 5:6-6:8
In the Parashah Balak hires Bil’am to curse B’nai Yisrael but every time he tries to curse them, he ends up blessing them instead. In the Haftarah, the prophet Micha, reprimands B’nai Yisrael for forgetting what happened to Bil’am and Balak. B’nai Yisrael must remember that Bil’am was sending a message to all generations as we do. This is a warning that we who are far removed from that time should not forget either. Micha reminds them that as long as they do the mitzvoth, dwell together in peace, and pay homage to YHVH Elohim they are unconquerable. YHVH is not looking for mindless sacrifices (mechanical offerings without truthful intent), but He wants them to: “to do justice, love kindness, and walk modestly with YHVH Elohim.” (6:8)
B’rit Chadashah: 2 Kefa (Peter) 2: 1-22; Y’hudah (Jude) 11′ Revelation 2: 14-15
In 2 Peter the Apostle is addressing “false prophets.” The word-translated prophet most commonly means “preacher” here, (one who proclaims the word of YHVH). He writes that they will fabricate doctrine and lead people away from the truth. Antinomian (anti-law) is a prominent feature of this teaching. The Bible clearly teaches that YHVH’s Torah is truth and eternal. Teaching that YHVH’s Torah is dead, done away or “only for the Jews” are untruths, and the Bible identifies the father of untruth as hasatan. So we should ask ourselves concerning those who preach and teach, and promote such misinformation: who is their father, the YHVH of truth or hasatan the father of lies? Parishioners should always research what the clergy teaches, comparing it to G-d’s Torah for the truth. If what is being said at the pulpit or bema is not consistent with G-d’s Torah, the truth is not in that clergy person and they are false prophets!
Some other interesting topics addressed here by Peter is the nefilim, (fallen ones, of Genesis 6:4. These are the angels b’nei-ha’elohim “sons of Elohim” or “sons of angels” (6:2), who fell from heaven which was their proper sphere and “came in to the daughters of men.” But now because of their sin they are imprisoned spirits being held in limbo in dungeons lower than Scheol for Judgment Day. For a full study on the N’filim, please go to our website at http://www.rabdaivis.org and click the link under (studies). You will find the multi-class study on this subject.
Kefa and Jude are not giving vent to their imaginations but are drawing on earlier commentary found in Jewish writing such as 1 Enoch. In verses 15-16 we see a reference to Bil’am and to the Messianic promise (Numbers 24:17) referred to as the “star of Jacob.” As to Bil’am, the Mishna describes him and his disciples as having the “wicked or an evil eye,” which even in the Messianic Scriptures at Mathew 6:22, 23 means “stinginess or greedy.”
In verse 17 we read a description of how these preachers pray on our gullibility, promising us everything, depending on the desires of the old nature to entrap us. Not giving us the liberty of Torah, but enslaving us to license, in the name of freedom from YHVH’s Torah, which was given for our protection, blessings, and wellbeing.
In verse 22 Peter addresses the believer who has turned back/away from G-d’s Torah as one who is like a “dog who returns to his own vomit.” He also renders a proverb that would have been very familiar to his Jewish readers, “The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud.” The Jewish expression sums this up well. “To enter the Mikvah (Immersion-Baptism) while still touching the corpse,” means that though the ritual bath can cleanse ceremonial impurity, immersion is ineffective if one continues to hold onto the source of defilement.
Jude 11 addresses some of the same problems with false teachers. He has already spoken on how some teachers turn liberty into license to practice immorality and disobey YHVH’s Torah. He warns that YHVH who once delivered Israel from Egypt destroyed them when they rebelled against Him. Verse 11 speaks specifically of Kayin (Cain) (Gen 4:1-16) who would not accede to YHVH’s instructions, and who had even been afforded five or six opportunities to repent but did not. Cain was shut out of YHVH’s presence, as all who rebel against Him shall be at the Judgment. Cain’s road led him to murder his brother Abel, but it was not the primary road to ruination itself, for Jude says they Cain like Korach had given themselves over to the error of Bil’am (greed and stinginess). Could it be that Cain knew he should have offered a blood sacrifice, but did not want to part with the value of an animal, and tried to make a cheaper substitute offering? How many of us, rather than giving YHVH our best, instead offer only our second best even if that? Are we following the example of Cain? How will a little pleasure now substitute for an eternity of being put out of His presence? How few of us, right now, have a real fear of YHVH Elohim. YHVH promises that someday we will all recognize His Glory and majesty, but for some of us it will be too late.
Additional Reference:
Church, J.R. (1990) Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms: Oklahoma City, OK: Prophecy Publications.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Tamah Davis-Hart