Balaam’s Oracles are Messianic Part 1

Establish the need: Is there Messianic Prophecy in this interesting episode in the book of Numbers?

Purpose: We will consider five reasons we believe Balaam’s third and fourth discourse found in Numbers 24:5-9 and Numbers 24:14-19 are Messianic prophecies.

• • Clues from the Pentateuch: a prophetic poem at the end of an era
  • Clues from themes from the Abrahamic Covenant in Balaam’s narrative
  • Clues from themes in Genesis 49 in Balaam’s narrative
  • Clues from the narrator of Balaam’s narrative
  • Objection: Isn’t Balaam a false prophet?

Clues from the Pentateuch: a prophetic poem at the end of an era

1. Numbers 24:14 states “in the last days”
2. This is the fourth discourse from Balaam.[1]
3. Numbers 24 happens to be one of the three poetic chapters in the Pentateuch that is a major structural juncture in which a prophetic discourse follow a large unit of narrative.[2]
4. How is Numbers 23-24 an important juncture? It is the end of Israel’s 40 year period of wandering in the wilderness.[3]
5. The other two chapters are Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 31.[4] Sailhamer explains how, “In each of the three segments, the central narrative figure (Jacob, Balaam, Moses) calls an audience together (imperative: Gen. 49:1; Num 24:14; Deut 31:29) in the ‘end of days’ (Genesis 49:1; Num 24:14; Deut 31:29).”[5]
6. The phrase “end of days” is important in understanding Genesis 49 and the other two major structural juncture of the Pentateuch.  Seeing that this prophetic formula appears not only in Genesis 49 but in two other prophetic chapters in the Pentateuch reinforces the position that Genesis 49 contains prophecies.
7. This narrative–>Prophetic poetry–>Epilogue pattern is the ground for why readers are justified in looking for typology in the Pentateuch.

Clues from themes from the Abrahamic Covenant in Balaam’s narrative

The narrative on Balaam is big on blessing with 14 occurrence of the verb “to bless” and 17 times the occurance of the verb “to curse.”[6]

Balaam’s narrative’s theme is thus consistent with the theme of the Abrahamic Covenant.

An aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant is the Promised Messianic Seed will be from the lineage of Abraham and that Seed will bless the nations.

Comparison 1[7]

1. Abrahamic Narrative: “And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing;
   3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:2-3)
2. Balaam Narrative: “Now, therefore, please come, curse this people for me since they are too mighty for me; perhaps I will 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.” (Numbers 22:6)

Comparison 2[8]

1. Abrahamic Narrative: “May peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you; Be master of your brothers, And may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, And blessed be those who bless you.” (Genesis 27:29)
2. Balaam Narrative: “He crouches, he lies down like a lion, And like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, And cursed is everyone who curses you.”” (Numbers 24:9)

Clues from themes in Genesis 49 in Balaam’s narrative

Comparison[9]

1. “The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” (Genesis 49:10)
2. “I see him, but not now; I look at him, but not near; A star shall appear from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall smash the forehead of Moab, And overcome all the sons of Sheth.” (Numbers 24:17)

We already have established in an earlier session how Genesis 49 is Messianic. Thus the close parallel suggests this is Messianic.

Clues from the narrator of Balaam’s narrative

The Spirit of God is upon Balaam, so we expect Him to prophesy: “And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.” (Numbers 24:2)

1. Note it is the Narrator as the “Voice of God” that is telling us that Balaam having the Spirit of God come upon Him to speak prophetically.
2. Thus we should expect prophecy.

Being in the Spirit, the Spirit of God testify through Balaam that what was given is an oracle: “The declaration of him who hears the words of God” (Numbers 24:2a)

1. The word used here is translated elsewhere as oracle and almost exclusively is used to refer to utterances of God through Old Testament prophets.[10]
2. Six of the eight times “Oracle” is used in the Laws of Moses is found in Numbers 24 (Numbers 14:28, 24:3-4, Numbers 24:15-16) to suggest that Balaam’s oracle should be understood as an oracle.[11]

Being in the Spirit, the Spirit of God testify through Balaam that what was given is a vision: “Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,” (Numbers 24:2b)

1. The combination of “oracle” and “vision” is strongly suggesting this is prophetic.
2. Four of the seven times the root for “vision” is used in the Laws of Moses it is found in Numbers 24 (Numbers 24:4, 24:16) to suggest that Balaam’s vision should be understood as a vision.[12]

Objection: Isn’t Balaam a false prophet?

How could Balaam speak true prophecy of the Messiah? Balaam is spoken negatively in various passages such as in Numbers 25:3, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 11, Revelation 21:4.

How do we respond? For many people the most memorable thing about Balaam is his rebuke of his donkey and his donkey talking that is recorded in Numbers 22:22-35. Balaam’s donkey talking shows us God can use unlikely messengers to speak truth.[13]

Yet Balaam is the “Donkey” to king Balak![14]

1. Like Balaam, king Balak was going against God without understanding who he was against.
2. God open the mouth of the donkey to speak truth (Numbers 22:28) just as God put the words in the mouth of Balaam according to Numbers 23:5 and Numbers 23:16.
3. Like the donkey’s eyes were able to see the Angel of the Lord so God also open Balaam’s eyes to see the Lord (Numbers 24:4).
4. Like the donkey is able to see the Lord as a warrior (Numbers 22:31b) so too Balaam is able to see a Divine warrior in his vision in Numbers 24:7-9 during his prophecy.
5. Three times the donkey was forced to go against the Lord in which striking is involved (Numbers 22:32-33) and likewise three times Balak tried to force Balaam to go against the Lord in which striking is involved (Numbers 24:10).

[1] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 297.

[2] Sailhamer, John H. “The Canonical Approach to the OT: It’s Effect on Understanding Prophecy.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 30, no. 3 (September 1987): 310.

[3] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 287.

[4] Sailhamer, John H. “The Canonical Approach to the OT: It’s Effect on Understanding Prophecy.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 30, no. 3 (September 1987): 310.

[5] Sailhamer, John H. “The Canonical Approach to the OT: It’s Effect on Understanding Prophecy.” Journal of Evangelical Theological Society 30, no. 3 (September 1987): 310.

[6] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 286.

[7] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 286.

[8] Gary Edward Schnittjer, Old Testament Use of the Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), 68.

[9] Gary Edward Schnittjer, Old Testament Use of the Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), 68.

[10] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 292.

[11] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 307.

[12] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 307.

[13] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 290.

[14] Seth D. Postell, “Numbers 24:5-9, 15-15: The Distant Star” in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Publishers, 2018), 290-92.

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