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Prophecies of Balaam Concerning Israel

THE FOUR PROPHECIES OF BALAAM (Numbers 23:9-17)
Balaam makes some major predictions called “parables” which are actually prophecy concerning Israel.

  • Numbers 23:5-7 And the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.
  • Numbers 23:18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:
  • Numbers 24:2-3 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:

The First Prophecy (Numbers 23:9-10)

  • Numbers 23:9-10 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
    • Balaam’s first prophecy predicts that Jacob (Israel) will become a countless multitude as plentiful as dust.
      • God gave Abram (Abraham) a similar prediction when He said Abram’s seed would be numerous as dust. (see Gen. 13:16)
    • Balaam says Israel will “dwell alone” and not be “reckoned among the nations.”
      • From AD 70 to 1948, Israel did not exsis as a nation; thus, other nations did not recognize her.
      • Since 1948, the Jewish state has often stood alone as enemies have risen from within and without. Israel has conducted six major wars.
      • The “fourth part of Israel” may allude to the division of the camps into four sections around the tabernacle. From the mountain, Balaam could not even count one-fourth of the number of people in one section of the camp

The Second Prophecy (Numbers 23:21-24)

  •  Numbers 23:21-24 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
    • Balaam says that Israel has kept its spiritual integrity, steered clear of perverseness, and is destined to become a ruling nation. He speaks of a great lion and a young lion, echoing Jacob’s final blessing to his son Judah. Jacob foretold that Judah would be like a lion and that a ruler would come from him.
      • Genesis 49:9-10 Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
    • Shiloh is referring to the Messiah.


The Third Prophecy (24:5-9)

  • Numbers 24:5-9 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
    • The promise of blessing on those who bless and cursing on those who curse Israel is the same promise given Abram (Abraham) at the beginning of the Abrahamic covenant.
      • Gen. 12:1-3 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
    • The phrase his seed shall be in many waters may allude to the Jewish people who will eventually dwell throughout the world.
    • As in the second prophecy, the lion emblem represents Judah, the tribe of David, and Jesus Christ.
    • “his king shall be higher than Agag”
      • 1 Samual 15:7-8 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
    • “God brought him forth out of Egypt”
      •  Matthew 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

The Fourth Prophecy Numbers 24:17

  • Numbers 24:17-19 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
    • The prophecy “a Star out of Jacob” is believed to be what the wise men allude to when they search for the infant Christ Child and reported, “We have seen his star in the east” (Matt. 2:2).
      • Christ’s birth, accompanied by a unique cosmic sign, occurred in Bethlehem of Judea (see Matt. 2:1).
    • The word Scepter used in Numbers 24:17 relates to rulership; Jacob used the word when he predicted that the sceptre would not depart from Judah until Shiloh (a name used to identify the Messiah) comes (see Gen. 49:10).
    • The phrase “Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion” is about Jesus. He came out of Jacob (Israel).
      • Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

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How Balaam Led Israel into Sin: A Biblical Analysis

THE BALAAM STRATEGY (Numbers Chapters 22-25)
The story of the prophet Balaam offers an important spiritual lesson relevant for believers today. God grants a unique gift to speak blessings or curses into existence. The King of Moab, Balak, tries to hire Balaam to curse the people of Israel.

  • Numbers 22:5-7 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
  • Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
  • And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

However, every time Balaam opens his mouth to curse, blessings pour out instead. Balak keeps pressuring him with rewards, but Balaam tells the king, “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? Or how shall I defy whom the Lord has not defied?” (Num. 23:8). After several attempts, Balaam cannot speak evil against Israel. So why is his name viewed so negatively in Scripture? The New Testament mentions Balaam in three passages, and when we put them together, a different side of the story emerges.

  • 2 Peter 2:15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
  • Jude 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
  • Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

Balaam’s wrongdoing was one of compromise, accepting payment from Balak to plot against God’s people. When his attempt to curse them failed and he could only speak the words God gave him, Balaam devised a plan that would tarnish his name among the Hebrews forever. Knowing he couldn’t directly curse Israel, he realized that if they sinned against God, God Himself would be obliged to bring judgment on them. His new scheme aimed to lead the Hebrew people into breaking God’s commandments, ensuring they brought disfavor and punishment upon themselves.

The plan involved introducing some Moabite women to the young Hebrew men in the Israelite camp. These women could entice the men into acts of sexual immorality, leading to a plague on the nation. Numbers 25:1-3 describes how this unfolded.

  • And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

The plan works. The women of Moab mix with the sons of the Hebrews, and a plague sweeps through the camp, taking twenty-four thousand lives (see Num. 25:9). Moses calls for harsh punishment for those who broke the rules. With so many people, sin and rebellion could quickly spread and cause the loss of God’s favor.

As believers, when we walk in love and live by the New Covenant, we enjoy God’s blessings in every area of life—spirit, mind, soul, family, finances, and health.

  • 3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

When we drift from the truth and fall into sin, we not only give the enemy an opportunity but also cut off the flow of spiritual blessings. Knowing he can’t curse believers—since we’ve been “redeemed from the curse”

  • Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

The enemy works to tempt us into disobeying God and His Word. Without repentance, we open ourselves to discipline and judgment for our sins.

  • Hebrews 12:5-8 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
  • For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
  • If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
  • But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

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