EHUD: THE LEFT HAND OF GOD


General, this fellow doesn't send out patrols. 
- He leads 'em. - 

Full Colonels are not expendable. 

Sir, how low in rank does a man have to be before he's expendable? 

"The Devil's Brigade"

The pattern.  God's work is a quilt. A pattern here, a pattern there, linked by the threads of people's lives woven into one quilt patch overlapping into another as with Othniel. Then there are the pattern threads of personal traits:  the passionate in Pete and Joshua, the historians in the Chronicler and Luke.  The ones who rise and fall like Balaam, other false prophets,  the Devil himself.

And somehow he selects those who no one thinks of as heroes.  Shepherds who everyone distrusts to witness the birth of Christ, fishermen who stink and are generally unwelcome guests and  tax collectors  who everyone hates to witness as apostles.

Judges 3:12 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord; and the Lord made Eglon, king of Moab, strong against Israel, because they had done evil in the Lord's eyes.
 13 And Eglon got together the people of Ammon and Amalek, and they went and overcame Israel and took the town of palm-trees.
 14 And the children of Israel were servants to Eglon, king of Moab, for eighteen years.
 15 Then when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man; and the children of Israel sent an offering by him to Eglon, king of Moab.
 16 So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.
 17 And he took the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
 18 And after giving the offering, he sent away the people who had come with the offering.
 19 But he himself, turning back from the stone images at Gilgal, said, I have something to say to you in secret, O king. And he said, Let there be quiet. Then all those who were waiting before him went out.
 20 Then Ehud came in to him while he was seated by himself in his summer-house. And Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. And he got up from his seat.
 21 And Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right side, and sent it into his stomach;
 22 And the hand-part went in after the blade, and the fat was joined up over the blade; for he did not take the sword out of his stomach. And he went out into the...
 23 Then Ehud went out into the covered way, shutting the doors of the summer-house on him and locking them.
 24 Now when he had gone, the king's servants came, and saw that the doors of the summer-house were locked; and they said, It may be that he is in his summer-house for a private purpose.
 25 And they went on waiting till they were shamed, but the doors were still shut; so they took the key, and, opening them, saw their lord stretched out dead on the floor.
 26 But Ehud had got away while they were waiting and had gone past the stone images and got away to Seirah.
 27 And when he came there, he had a horn sounded in the hill-country of Ephraim, and all the children of Israel went down with him from the hill-country, and he at their head.
 28 And he said to them, Come after me; for the Lord has given the Moabites, your haters, into your hands. So they went down after him and took the crossing-places of Jordan against Moab, and let no one go across.
 29 At that time they put about ten thousand men of Moab to the sword, every strong man and every man of war; not a man got away.
 30 So Moab was broken that day under the hand of Israel. And for eighty years the land had peace.


Matt Henry Commentary:


 II. When Israel prays again God raises up a new deliverer (Jg 3:15), named Ehud. We are here told, 

1. That he was a Benjamite. The city of palm-trees lay within the lot of this tribe, by which it is probable that they suffered most, and therefore stirred first to shake off the yoke. It is supposed by the chronologers that the Israelites' war with Benjamin for the wickedness of Gibeah, by which that whole tribe was reduced to 600 men, happened before this, so that we may well think that tribe to be now the weakest of all the tribes, yet out of it God raised up this deliverer, in token of his being perfectly reconciled to them, to manifest his own power in ordaining strength out of weakness, and that he might bestow more abundant honour upon that part which lacked, 1Co 12:24. 

2. That he was left-handed, as it seems many of that tribe were, Jg 20:16. Benjamin signifies the son of the right hand, and yet multitudes of them were left-handed; for men's natures do not always answer their names. The LXX. say he was an ambi-dexter, one that could use both hands alike, supposing that this was an advantage to him in the action he was called to; but the Hebrew phrase, that he was shut of his right hand, intimates that, either through disease or disuse, he made little or no use of that, but of his left hand only, and so was the less fit for war, because he must needs handle his sword but awkwardly; yet God chose this left-handed man to be the man of his right hand, whom he would make strong for himself, Ps 80:17. It was God's right hand that gained Israel the victory (Ps 44:3), not the right hand of the instruments he employed. 

My father was left-handed.  It was harder for him to see the world the way right-handed people do.  He explained to me left-handed people see the world differently and get discriminated against merely by the way things were made.  Lefties tend to want to tighten a screw clockwise.  Nuts loosen the wrong way to them.  Since he was a mechanic, this meant a great deal to him. He wasn't the only person who noticed.

 i n t r i n s i c   b i a 

Intrinsic bias means that a tool or a system has an inherent or built-in advantage for one hand (the right) over the other (the left). "Tools" are broadly defined as utensils, musical instruments, sports equiment, etc. The majority of tools in any technological society are designed for the right-handed (Hardyck & Petrinovich 1977).
The following common tools all require left-to-right wrist turning movements more comfortable for right-handers:  corkscrew, rotary dial phone, analog clock-setting & winding, screws, lightbulbs, etc. The following are specifially designed to be used in a right-handed fashion: scissors, can openers, coffee makers, computer keyboards (numeric keypad on right), calculators and push button phones (left-to-right array), golf clubs, many musical instruments (especially stringed), cars built in right-lane countries, most hand-held power tools (drills, saws), etc. Many of these tools are also used in the work environment (telephones, computers, power tools, kitchen utensils). But real danger is often encountered in manufacturing and construction environments: industrial meat slicers, drill presses, band saws, textile machinery, production lines, and heavy equipment. Some researchers believe the risk to left-handers under such conditions can be significantly greater than to their right-handed co-workers (Coren 1992).

 In bowling. the strike from the left side is  a Brooklyn hit.  Seen as an inferior unusual thing in the Midwest, like a Brooklyn accent.


https://www.factretriever.com/left-handedness-facts

Some scholars note that left-handers may be one of the last unorganized minorities in society because they have no collective power and no real sense of common identity. Additionally, left-handers are often discriminated against by social, educational, and religious institutions. Social customs and even language set the left-hander apart as “different” and even “bad.”[2]

At various times in history, left-handedness has been seen as many things: a nasty habit, a mark of the devil, a sign of neurosis, rebellion, criminality, and homosexuality. It has also been seen as a trait indicating creativity and musical abilities.[2]

Many sources claim that left-handers may die as many as nine years earlier than right-handers.[2]

The word left in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, which means weak or broken.b[2]

Phrases in English suggest a negative view of left-handedness. For example, a “left-handed complement” is actually an insult. A “left-handed marriage” is not a marriage but an adulterous sexual liaison, as in a “left-handed honeymoon with someone else’s husband.” A “left-handed wife” is actually a mistress.[2]

German for “left-handed’ is linkisch, which means awkward, clumsy, and maladroit. In Italian, the word is mancino, which is derived from “crooked” or “maimed” (mancus) and is also used to mean deceitful or dishonest. In Russian, to be called a left-hander (levja) is a term of insult.[3]

In Latin, the word for left is sinister, related to the noun sinistrum. Ambisinister means “clumsy on both sides.”[2]

Among the Eskimos, every left-handed person is viewed as a potential sorcerer. In Morocco, left-handers are considered to be a s’ga, a word that means either a devil or a cursed person.[3]

In the Talmud, the Chief of Satans or Prince of Demons is named Samael, which is associated with the Hebrew word for left side, se’mol. The angel Michael sits on God’s right-hand side, while Samael is on his left-hand side. This attribution of evil to the left and good to the right appears in various forms throughout the world.[2]

Many artistic representations of the devil show him to be left-handed.[2]

In witchcraft texts in medieval Europe, it was the left hand that was used to harm or curse another person. To affect a curse, witches were instructed to silently touch the recipient with the left hand, which would convey the curse. Additionally, the devil supposedly gives the gathering a benediction with the left hand, as opposed to the right-handed blessing of the Christian church. He would also baptize or anoint with his left hand.[2]

During the Spanish Inquisition, lefties were more likely to be tortured.[2]

The Boston Strangler, Jack the Ripper, and Osama Bin Laden were lefties.[2]

Both the Jewish and Christian traditions are strongly right-handed in their nature and practices. For Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and other denominations, the priest must present the communion wafer with the right hand, and the communicant accepts it with the right hand. All benedictions must be made with the right hand, and a priest symbolizes the “strong right hand of God.”[2]

Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides (A.D. 1135-1204) listed 100 blemishes a Jewish priest could not have, and being left-handed was one of them.[2]

In Scotland there is a saying that describes an unlucky person: “He must have been baptized by a left-handed priest.”[2]

The right hand is mentioned positively 100 times in the Bible, while the left hand is mentioned only 25 times, all negatively.[2]

In many Islamic countries, people are forbidden to eat with their left hand, which is considered “unclean” because it is used for cleaning the body after defecation.[3]

Left-handedness has also been called mancinism, sinistromanuality, and cackhandedness. Other colloquialisms for left-handedness include skivvy-handed, scrummy-handed, kaggy-fisted, cawk-fis

ted, gibble-fisted, southpaw, cunny-and ballock-handed.[2]

According to tradition, an itchy left hand indicates you will lose money. An itchy right hand indicates you will receive money.

http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/lspeak.html

Left-handers and ambidextrals routinely encounter difficulties in their daily lives that most right-handers do not fully appreciate. Most of these difficulties are trivial, annoying, and frustrating. But some problems encountered by left-handers and ambidextrals are serious, resulting in lifelong problems and/or physical injury. Many of the more serious problems may be avoided or overcome with a little basic understanding and a few simple coping strategies.

The above quote came from a site called "Gauche", from the left bank of the Seine River. 

1a :  lacking social experience or grace; also :  not tactful :  crude <it would be gauche to mention the subject>b :  crudely made or done <a gauche turn of phrase>

Left-handed compliment definition

A compliment with two meanings, one of which is unflattering to the receiver: “The senator said that her opponent was quite competent for someone so inexperienced; you hear nothing but left-handed compliments in these debates.”

http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/research/left-handed-research-current.html#sthash.xMqvDk25.dpbs

Lefties face a daily battle with a world designed for right-handers. Now it seems that left-handed people face a similar struggle in the mental sphere: behavioural research suggests they are prone to inhibition and anxiety.

When about to do something, left-handers tend to dither, says Lynn Wright, a behavioural psychologist at the University of Abertay Dundee, UK, who led the study. Right-handers tend to jump in a bit.”

On tests of behavioural inhibition, 46 left-handed men and women scored higher than 66 right-handers. Women, too, tended to rack up higher scores on the tests of reticence.

- See more at: http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/research/left-handed-research-current.html#sthash.xMqvDk25.dpuf






If you read the             section of Matt Henry, you can see the prejudice that is hardly subtle.  

Benjamin signifies the son of the right hand, and yet multitudes of them were left-handed; for men's natures do not always answer their names.

Like being left-handed is an indication of a person's "nature" or personality.  The prejudices of the world based on a person's physical shape, color or handedness.  And the prejudices are so ingrained, we hardly know we have them.  Some learn to spout platitudes to disguise them when they become socially unacceptable.  Some virtually flaunt them if they have enough money and position and vulgarity.

So God picked a guy that would be distrusted not only by his people but likely by every tribe around them.

Sometimes tests can indicate things that go against myths like the inferiority of being left-handed.
And there is one thing to add that is a distinct advantage:

Left-Handers – Nature’s Fighters?

If anyone picks a fight with you, tell them you’re left handed and they may well think again!Scientists have found we lefties often have the upper hand in combat.

The endurance of left-handedness has puzzled researchers, considering the links to disadvantages including an increased risk of some diseases. But researchers at the University of Montpellier in France believe left-handers continue to thrive because they do well in combat.

The team, who have today published the results of their study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, saw that left-handers had the advantage in sports such as fencing, tennis and baseball. They said that Western interactive sports such as these can be classed as “special cases of fights – with strict rules, including the prohibition of killing and intentionally wounding the opponent”.  

This led them to speculate the same advantage may persist in more aggressive contexts, such as war, so societies which are more violent would have a higher frequency of left-handers.

The suggestion that left-handers have an advantage in combat is not new. It has long been thought that, in the days when arguments were resolved by hand-to-hand combat, being left-handed gave people the benefit of surprise against a right-handed opponent. This advantage, however, would only have persisted if left-handers remained in the minority. Otherwise, right handers would soon get accustomed to fighting with left-handed opponents.

For this latest study, the researchers analysed data for eight traditional societies; the Kreyol people of Dominica, the Ntimu of Cameroon, the Dioula-speaking people of Burkina Faso, the Baka of Gabon, Inuit people and the Eipo people of Irian Jaya, New Guinea. Charlotte Faurie and Michel Raymond compared homicide rates (which includes murders and executions) and the frequency of left-handedness, and found they appeared to be linked.

The Dioula were found to have a homicide rate equivalent of one hundredth of a death per 1,000 people per year, and a left-handedness rate of just 3%.

- See more at: http://www.anythinglefthanded.co.uk/research/left-handed-research-current.html#fighters

Look again at the description of Ehud's work in saving his people,  he could have taken them against a well organized superior force but instead he becomes the Trojan Horse inventor.  He brings riches and a sword.
 16 So Ehud made himself a two-edged sword, a cubit long, which he put on at his right side under his robe.
 17 And he took the offering to Eglon, king of Moab, who was a very fat man.
 18 And after giving the offering, he sent away the people who had come with the offering.
 19 But he himself, turning back from the stone images at Gilgal, said, I have something to say to you in secret, O king. And he said, Let there be quiet. Then all those who were waiting before him went out.
 20 Then Ehud came in to him while he was seated by himself in his summer-house. And Ehud said, I have a word from God for you. And he got up from his seat.
 21 And Ehud put out his left hand, and took the sword from his right side, and sent it into his stomach;


The enemy was not stupid.  It's certain they would have checked Ehud before he was alone with the king.  They would have checked  but would have expected a right-handed man with a weapon on his left side and then let him go with the king.  Perhaps Ehud had used his right hand for things. He may have mastered that to hide his left-handedness in social situations.  He took the element of surprise and killed the leader of the enemy force.  He not only killed the king but he proceeded to make very sure he was dead.  

Like the colonel in the Devil's Brigade Ehud goes into battle himself, uses subtrfuge to create an opening and then lead his men into successful battle. 


And the Holy Spirit ends the tale with that touch of irony.

 30 So Moab was broken that day under the hand of Israel. And for eighty years the land had peace.

Unfortunately the pattern of falling back repeats.
 
They say you find out what something is worth when you pay for it. 
Well, la Difensa was ours now. 
Not much of a mountain, really. 
But I never knew that a mountain could be so tall... 
... or plain rock cost so much. 
We'd won a battle, but the war went on. 

William Holden narration

"The Devil's  Brigade"


We have one more judge to discuss, followed by a explanation of Judges as a preview of the Christian Age then we jump to discussions of our Refreshed Flesh, Then the end times which lead to our Final Flesh.  

                                                      NOW WE BEGIN JUDGES

Every person in the Bible has something to teach us.  Let me say that again: Every person in the Bible has something to teach us.  Balaam proves that anyone, even a prophet, can return to their following ot the Fallen Flesh.  Like the false prophet of the future who will campaign for the Antichrist, he looked like God's man, actually was God's man right up until he got a better offer.

But let us start with the first judge of the newly founded Israel to demonstrate the point.

Jg 3:1 Now these are the nations which the Lord kept in the land for the purpose of testing Israel by them, all those who had had no experience of all the wars of Canaan;
 2 Only because of the generations of the children of Israel, for the purpose of teaching them war--only those who up till then had no experience of it;
 3 The five chiefs of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites and the Zidonians and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from the mountain Baal-hermon as far as Hamath:
 4 For the purpose of testing Israel by them, to see if they would give ear to the orders of the Lord, which he had given to their fathers by the hand of Moses.
 5 Now the children of Israel were living among the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites:
6 And they took as wives the daughters of these nations and gave their daughters to their sons, and became servants to their gods.
 7 And the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and put out of their minds the Lord their God, and became servants to the Baals and the Astartes.
 8 So the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he gave them up into the hands of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel were his servants for eight years.
 9 And when the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord, he gave them a saviour, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
 10 And the spirit of the Lord came on him and he became judge of Israel, and went out to war, and the Lord gave up Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hands and he overcame him.
 11 Then for forty years the land had peace, till the death of Othniel, the son of Kenaz.
 (BBE)

We  know little about Othniel.  No description.    We do have this from Joshua.

Joshua 15:16 And Caleb said, I will give Achsah, my daughter, as wife to the man who overcomes Kiriath-sepher and takes it.
 17 And Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it: so he gave him his daughter Achsah for his wife.
 18 Now when she came to him, he put into her mind the idea of requesting a field from her father: and she got down from her ass; and Caleb said to her, What is it?
 19 And she said, Give me a blessing; because you have put me in dry south-land, now give me springs of water. So he gave her the higher spring and the lower spring.
 20 This is the heritage of the tribe of Judah, by their families.
 (BBE)

About the springs at Hebron:

http://en.hebron.org.il/history/510

These waters, which purified Adam & Eve, Abraham & Sarah, and most likely King David also, are a direct link from the beginning of time, through this very day.

Recall what we know of Caleb.

 Nu 13:6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
 Nu 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
 Nu 14:6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, [which were] of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
 Nu 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
 Nu 14:30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, [concerning] which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. {sware: Heb. lifted up my hand}

This links the early Bible books in lineage so we have a character popping up throughout the Exodus and his kin starting as the leader in judges.

The bloodline.  Nature or nurture?

The first thing we know about Othniel: his bloodline.  His Uncle Caleb was the one who stood with Joshua, who got a special blessing from God, who we spent time discussing in an earlier post.  the reason for that lengthy discussion comes up here. If you just read this section it is the least detailed, least informational story in Judges. But we know both men were willing to fight to take the land gd gave them to take.

A Christian is called to the mission to reach souls for God and He doubtless blesses those who act to do it in His way.  Even as he blessed both those Israelites.

God called Othniel.  God called.  As with the first Christians, God called him.  Recall Jesus at the water.

"Simon!  Simon, come follow me.  I'll make you a fisher of men!"

His words to Nathaniel:  "I saw you by the tree studying."

In a lash on the road to Damascus.  Blinding Saul the persecutor.

"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

I would likely have said, "Pete, grow up and get some patience, will you?  And grow a spine!"

"Nate, get out of your own head and get your hands dirty!"

"Saul, you need a whuppin'!"

Instead, He calls all these strange guys to be with Him.  He touches  all walks of life, the student, the working man, the priest.  But we never get descriptions.  We've heard, by church tradition, that Pete was a red-head but that may have something to do with David being a red-head and someone longing for that type of ironic connection.

But God does love irony.  Like putting Caleb in place so his nephew could see that example.  Promising the land in the place where He would need a fighting man to defend the whole country later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvyHq2e4i6U 


Second, God imbued him with the Holy Spirit.  This He does with all His people today.  If you haven't realized it yet, the Holy Spirit is what overcomes the Fallen Flesh.  It isn't you or I or Saul or Pete or John or any priest or minister or prophet.  Balaam proved that by not listening.  The Spirit will guide us.  Saul took years working under the other apostles to learn humility and to "hear" the Spirit.  The technique is simple: you learn to suppress your desires by seeking God's desires.  You walk "in" the Spirit. You do everything to foster the Spirit in you.  (http://www.yourtruelifenow.com/)  Otheniel had the Law which he must have kept for the Spirit to stay in him through the battles and the years of rule.  So we know that he was a righteous man as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVmx64AUw74

Recall Balaam who had the Spirit talk to him but was apparently never in him.  Balaam didn't see Jesus standing with the sword because the Spirit kept it from him.  It would not work with a false prophet.  It stayed with this Judge.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uOCKSMW-Ek

Otheniel became a judge.

The judges were temporary and special deliverers, sent by God to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors; not supreme magistrates, succeeding to the authority of Moses and Joshua. Their power only extended over portions of the country, and some of them were contemporaneous. Their first work was that of deliverers and leaders in war; they then administered justice to the people, and their authority supplied the want of a regular government. Even while the administration of Samuel gave something like a settled government to the south, there was scope for the irregular exploits of Samson on the borders of the Philistines; and Samuel at last established his authority as judge and prophet, but still as the servant of Jehovah, only to see it so abused by his sons as to exhaust the patience of the people, who at length demanded a king , after the pattern of the surrounding nations. The following is a list of judges, whose history is given under their respective names:-- First servitude, to Mesopotamia -- 8 years. First judge: Othniel. 40 years. Second servitude, to Moab -- 18 years. Second judge: Ehud; 80 years. Third judge: Shamgar. --- Third servitude, to Jabin and Sisera-- 20 years. Fourth judge: Deborah and Barak. 40 years. Fourth servitude, to Midian-- 7 years. Fifth judge: Gideon; 40 years. Sixth judge: Abimelech; 3 years. Seventh judge: Tola; 23 years. Eighth judge: Jair. 22 years. Fifth servitude, to Ammon-- 18 years. Ninth judge: Jephthah; 6 years. Tenth judge: Ibzan; 7 years. Eleventh judge: Elon; 10 years. Twelfth judge: Abdon. 8 years. Sixth servitude, to the Philistines-- 40 years. Thirteenth judge: Samson 20 years. Fourteenth judge: Eli; 40 years. Fifteenth judge: Samuel. More than likely some of these ruled simultaneously.

In Hebrew Shophetim, were the rulers, chiefs, or leaders of Israel, from Joshua to Saul. They were very different from the ordinary administrators of justice among the Hebrews, respecting whom, see JUSTICE. The Carthaginians, a colony of the Tyrians, had likewise governors, whom they called Suffetes, or Sophetim, with authority almost equal to that of kings.

The dignity of judge was for life; but the succession was not always constant. There were anarchies, or intervals, during which the commonwealth was without rulers. There were likewise long intervals of foreign servitude and oppression, under which the Hebrews groaned without deliverers. Although God alone regularly appointed the judges, yet the people, on some occasions, chose that individual who appeared to them most proper to deliver them from oppression; and as it often happened that the oppressions which occasioned recourse to the election of a judge were not felt over all Israel, the power of such judge extended only over that province which he had delivered. Thus it was chiefly the land east of the Jordan that Ehud, Jephthah, Elon, and Jair delivered and governed; Barak and Tola governed the northern tribes; Abdon the central; and Ibzan and Samson the southern. The authority of judges was little inferior to that of kings: it extended to peace and war; they decided causes with absolute authority; but had no power to make new laws, or to impose new burdens on the people. They were protectors of the laws, defenders of religion, and avengers of crimes, particularly of idolatry; they were without salary, pomp, or splendor; and without guards, train, or equipage, other than that their own wealth afforded.

This is a significantly longer list than  the chart I previously printed.  The simultaneous rule means one was likely ruling in one part of the country while their counterpart ruled in another.  It only makes sa difference if you want to spend your life making every detail fit professor and your life is bound in that search for a fit.  But, in case you are, more power to you.  As  may have noticed, I look  larder things and connections.

Which leads to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlwJGERHe-U

Othniel did as God wanted, he wnet where god sent him and freed Israel from the grasp of a foreign king and everyone lives happily ever after so long as  he's in charge.  

Look again.

Recall from the last post, the enemy now knew how to undercut God's blessing on Israel.  This is Balaam's heritage, the secret of destroying Israel.  This is why we spent time on him in our last post.  One person, ONE PERSON can lead the enemies of God in the way to destroy His People for whatever fortune or position it gets him.  He can rise in the eyes of the world or he can continue in God's service.   Not both ways.  And for centuries afterward, God's people pay the price of yielding to the temptation and falling from favor.

But notice that it was a part of God's plan. Even rebellion and betrayal of God leads to the advance of His plan.  Perhaps that is the only way to explain Satan, that he was used to winnow the angels even as Balaam is used to winnow the people of Israel. That free will, the decision to follow, comes with a cost, the choice to follow the Lord or the world.  But the choice will always be there, every second of every day.

But this deals with national sin, the idea that the majority of the  country has foundered and followed the wrong spirit.  We saw it in the Caleb quotes above.  Did you notice that one now that it stands out separately:

Nu 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Caleb had a true spirit, the Holy Spirit and followed God fully and he earned a place for his family's generations.  God is faithful even unto the third and fourth generations.  And in using them to bis purpose because they have learned obedience.

We know little about Othniel.  We know all we really need to know.

               AND, IN THE END, THERE WAS NO ONE THERE TO BAIL 'IM OUT


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFsngpOkLaU

The defining moment,  Ideally for every human on the planet, it is that one where they accept Christ as savior.  But there are other defining moments ones every day. when the saved one makes the decision to follow Christ more completely or to keep following. But some saved ones can, apparently, make a decision to turn from the way, to follow the lure of the world,.either for a second or for a decision of greed, anger, sexuality. They follow the way of the false believer.

Of all the false prophets that appear, Balaam seems to stand out. He's the first person of fallen nature actually designated as a prophet.  The prototypes for antichrist  from Lamech to Nimrod to the Pharaoh  seem to be more plentiful than false prophets at the start.  At times in the wilderness, we had Aaron turn false as with the creation of the golden calf which he built for false worship while Moses was away on the mountain, but that turn was temporary.  For her betrayal of Moses, Aaron's wife faced withering leprosy but had it healed when she turned back to God as well.  So a moment of going astray can be forgotten when the failure is repented.

But Balaam creates another problem.

Nu 22:1 Then the children of Israel, journeying on, put up their tents in the lowlands of Moab, on the other side of Jordan at Jericho.
 2 Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw what Israel had done to the Amorites.
 3 And in Moab there was great fear of the people, because their numbers were so great: and the feeling of Moab was bitter against the children of Israel.
 4 Then Moab said to the responsible men of Midian, It is clear that this great people will be the destruction of everything round us, making a meal of us as the ox does of the grass of the field. At that time Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of Moab.
 5 So he sent men to Balaam, son of Beor, at Pethor by the River in the land of the children of his people, saying to him, See, a people has come out of Egypt, covering all the face of the earth, and they have put up their tents opposite to me:
 6 Come now, in answer to my prayer, and put a curse on this people, for they are greater than I: and then I may be strong enough to overcome them and send them out of the land: for it is clear that good comes to him who has your blessing, but he on whom you put your curse is cursed.
 7 So the responsible men of Moab and Midian went away, taking in their hands rewards for the prophet; and they came to Balaam and said to him what Balak had given them orders to say.
 8 And he said to them, Take your rest here tonight, and I will give you an answer after hearing what the Lord says; so the chiefs of Moab kept there with Balaam that night.
 9 And God came to Balaam and said, Who are these men with you?
 10 And Balaam said to God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent them to me, saying,
 11 See, the people who have come out of Egypt are covering all the earth: now, put a curse on this people for me, so that I may be able to make war on them, driving them out of the land.
 12 And God said to Balaam, You are not to go with them, or put a curse on this people, for they have my blessing.
 13 In the morning Balaam got up and said to the chiefs of Balak, Go back to your land, for the Lord will not let me go with you.
 14 So the chiefs of Moab went back to Balak and said, Balaam will not come with us.
 15 So Balak sent more chiefs, greater in number and of higher position than the others.
 16 And they came to Balaam and said, Balak, son of Zippor, says, Let nothing keep you from coming to me:
 17 For I will give you a place of very great honour, and whatever you say to me I will do; so come, in answer to my prayer, and put a curse on this people.
 18 But Balaam, in answer; said to the servants of Balak, Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, it would not be possible for me to do anything more or less than the orders of the Lord my God.
 19 So take your rest here this night, till I have knowledge what more the Lord has to say to me.
 20 And that night God came to Balaam and said to him, If these men have come for you, go with them: but do only what I say to you.
 21 So in the morning Balaam got up and, making his ass ready, went with the chiefs of Moab.
 22 But God was moved to wrath because he went: and the angel of the Lord took up a position in the road to keep him from his purpose. Now he was seated on his ass, and his two servants were with him.
 23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord waiting in the road with his sword in his hand; and turning from the road, the ass went into the field; and Balaam gave the ass blows, to get her back on to the road.
 24 Then the angel of the Lord took up his position in a narrow road through the vine-gardens, with a wall on this side and on that.
 25 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord, and went near the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against the wall; and he gave her more blows.
 26 Then the angel of the Lord went further, stopping in a narrow place where there was no room for turning to the right or to the left.
 27 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord and went down on the earth under Balaam; and full of wrath, Balaam gave her hard blows with his stick.
 28 Then the Lord gave the ass the power of talking, and opening her mouth she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have given me blows these three times?
 29 And Balaam said to the ass, You have made me seem foolish: if only I had a sword in my hand I would put you to death.
 30 And the ass said to Balaam, Am I not your ass upon which you have gone all your life till this day? and have I ever done this to you before? And he said, No.
 31 Then the Lord made Balaam's eyes open, and he saw the angel of the Lord in the way with his sword in his hand: and he went down on his face to the earth.
 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you given your ass blows these three times? See, I have come out against you to keep you back, because your purpose is not pleasing to me.
 33 And the ass saw me, turning to one side from me three times: if she had not gone to one side, I would certainly have put you to death and kept her safe.
 34 And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have done wrong, for I did not see that you were in the way against me: but now, if it is evil in your eyes, I will go back again.
 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with the men; but say only what I give you to say. Then Balaam went on with the chiefs of Balak.
 36 Now Balak, hearing that Balaam had come, went to the chief town of Moab, on the edge of the Arnon, in the farthest part of the land, for the purpose of meeting him.
 37 And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not send to you, requesting you with all my heart to come to me? why did you not come? am I not able to give you a place of honour?
 38 Then Balaam said to Balak, Now I have come to you; but have I power to say anything? Only what God puts into my mouth may I say.
 39 And Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-huzoth.
 40 And Balak made offerings of oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam and the chiefs who were with him.
 41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam up to the high places of Baal, and from there he was able to see the outer limits of the people.
 (BBE)

Balaam is a prophet but of what god we are not at first sure .  He seems to have had some success in cursing God's enemies and blessing His friends.  But Pharaoh's magicians seem to have had that kind of power.  Still, a Moabite, one of God's enemies knows this man and his power and clearly believes he can be bought.  Balak also clearly does not know what God powers Balaam because, when he gets the prophet by his side,  he takes him to the alter of Baal.  Baal was a heathen god.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Baal-ancient-deity

Baal, god worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon. As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baʿal) meant “owner” or “lord,” although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers. Yet such fluidity in the use of the term baal did not prevent it from being attached to a god of distinct character. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan. In Ugaritic and Hebrew, Baal’s epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens.

• Knowledge of Baal’s personality and functions derives chiefly from a number of tablets uncovered from 1929 onward at Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), in northern Syria, and dating to the middle of the 2nd millennium bce. The tablets, although closely attached to the worship of Baal at his local temple, probably represent Canaanite belief generally. Fertility was envisaged in terms of seven-year cycles. In the mythology of Canaan, Baal, the god of life and fertility, locked in mortal combat with Mot, the god of death and sterility. If Baal triumphed, a seven-year cycle of fertility would ensue; but, if he were vanquished by Mot, seven years of drought and famine would ensue.

Ugaritic texts tell of other fertility aspects of Baal, such as his relations with Anath, his consort and sister, and also his siring a divine bull calf from a heifer. All this was part of his fertility role, which, when fulfilled, meant an abundance of crops and fertility for animals and mankind.

SIMILAR TOPICS

• Re
• Isis
• Prometheus
• Horus
• Odin
• Aphrodite
• Zeus
• Apollo
• Dionysus
• Athena

But Baal was not exclusively a fertility god. He was also king of the gods, and, to achieve that position, he was portrayed as seizing the divine kingship from Yamm, the sea god.

The myths also tell of Baal’s struggle to obtain a palace comparable in grandeur to those of other gods. Baal persuaded Asherah to intercede with her husband El, the head of the pantheon, to authorize the construction of a palace. (As an aside, remember that Superman is from the House of El, hence Kal-el. W.) The god of arts and crafts, Kothar, then proceeded to build for Baal the most beautiful of palaces which spread over an area of 10,000 acres. The myth may refer in part to the construction of Baal’s own temple in the city of Ugarit. Near Baal’s temple was that of Dagon, given in the tablets as Baal’s father.

The worship of Baal was popular in Egypt from the later New Kingdom in about 1400 bce to its end (1075 bce). Through the influence of the Aramaeans, who borrowed the Babylonian pronunciation Bel, the god ultimately became known as the Greek Belos, identified with Zeus.

Notice first that Balaam knows they are bribing him.  Openly.  it raises the question if he was taking money for his services before or if Balak is just used to buying off his magicians and priests of Baal and thinks Balaam is the same as them.  Balaam knows, too, that he is not supposed to be the same as them. He is to act on God's provocation, not on his own or any other human's demand.  But temptation, the offer of riches, leads him to listen to the "responsible men".

Take your rest here tonight, and I will give you an answer after hearing what the Lord says;

God makes it perfectly clear what He wants of Balam:

You are not to go with them, or put a curse on this people, for they have my blessing.

Do you notice any wiggle room there?  Do you see a "maybe" or a "if you feel like it" or anything other than a definitive statement?  God doesn't come with the word "maybe" in his commands.  

But Balak persists.  There is the story of Loretta Lynn and her husband arranging her first recording. They scraped together the cash to pay for it then, after hearing her sing, the producer stopped the action and said, "I have to get some more  musicians."  Lynn's husband began to protest about how they didn't have any more money and the producer cut him off, saying "I mean more better.  That little girl can sing up a storm."  Balak sends his more better men and bribes and Balaam talks to God again. He warns he can't do it for any amount of God says, "No." but he does ask again.

Now we have a moment of confusion.  God tells hi he can go, but to ony say what God tells him. THEN when he goes, God gets angry.

Jamieson,  etal. commentary.

Numbers 22:22. God's anger was kindled because he went--The displeasure arose partly from his neglecting the condition on which leave was granted him--namely, to wait till the princes of Moab "came to call him" [Nu 22:20], and because, through desire for "the wages of unrighteousness" [2Pe 2:15], he entertained the secret purpose of acting in opposition to the solemn charge of God.

And there follows that great talk between the man and his mule.  The so-called "man of God" can't see Jesus in Angel form ready to slay him, but his mule can and moves to save itself and him three times.  I recently had something happen that reminded me of this.  I left my phone in my locker at work, brought it home the next day and discovered it had lost its charge.  I let it charge while i did y laundry and grocery shopping  preparing to head out of town for my house and to see my family.

After charging, I couldn't get it to start, so I took it down to our battery store to see if I could buy a new battery for it.  The clerk there said he had never been able to get a battery for that brand of phone, but he took the battery out, put it back in and the phone turned on.  But if had a message showing that it had no stim card.  I asked if he had lost the card when he took out the battery, but he said it wasn't there.  I took the phone to a provider and they said something must have happened since the phone was working before the charge failed.  I bought a new stim card and tried to pay with my debit card.  The check out computer refused the card, which i figured was just a sign of my day and, since the system with shut down on your card f you try it three ties and it fails, I paid cash.    I was still fuming over the phone not working, something like Balaam was fuming at his donkey for not taking him forward.  I wanted nothing more for the day but to go home, do my chores clean my apartment and sleep since I had been up all night and was now into by twenty-fourth hour of no sleep because of the phone. I decided to head out of town for the evening and go home and cool down. Then figure out how to put the new stim card in.  I first stopped at my credit union because I figured there was just a glitch in the system, that I hit a wrong number on my pin code but it turned but I had misfigured my deposits and only had a dollar and change left in the account after my shopping and laundry.  If I had written a check any larger for groceries, I would have overdrawn the account and i had a check out, that if it came in, would have overdrawn the account. which it did the next day, the day BEFORE my work check was deposited.  I would have paid much more than the $10 for the stim card in fees if that had happened.  The whole mess actually saved me from a major embarrassment. god saved me from my own error and I was NOT thanking Him for my day while it was going on, only after.  It doesn't take a complete fool to miss out on His warnings,  but I'm sure, if I owned a mule, she'd have given me a good talking to.

Oh, the stim card is located UNDER the battery, in a clip, and it was right where it was supposed to be, but it wasn't reading in the phone any more.   The new one works fine.

I say this to point out we are all as bad as Balaam sometimes, not paying attention in our lives and God has to get out attention letting the ass talk to us because we are behaving as bullheadedly as one.
Balaam has been given a miraculous warning and the portents are obvious.  Jesus again comes into the life of the People as protector, as warning a prophet  NOT to betray his trust.

"NO, you go ahead and you remember to do what I tell you to do."

Balaam is on the wrong road.  He's been shown again and again that the path is wrong but he's gone that way and God will make the best of it for His purposes.

God's people need to always remember that God might not be stopping them from going the wrong way because their error can also be used to glorify Him.  He allows Balaam to make a huge mistake in his life, one which will cost him dearly later on so he can show Balak the error of opposing Israel.  Also so He can show generations to come that even those who are blessed as prophets, in leadership positions can be seduced into following money or the lure of power, into supporting the wrong leader or helping an enemy succeed even without blessing him or cursing their own people.


Nu 23:1 And Balaam said to Balak, Make me here seven altars and get ready seven oxen and seven male sheep.

(Not only does Baal have his alter there, Balaam asked for multiple alters, referring to multiple gods of Balak's familiarity. He's now mixing God worship with other worship ways and insuring he will not be listened to.  W.)

 2 And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam made an offering on every altar of an ox and a male sheep.
 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill.
 4 And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.
 5 And the Lord put words in Balaam's mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.
 6 So he went back to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with all the chiefs of Moab.
 7 And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, From Aram Balak has sent for me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East: come, put curses on Jacob for me and be angry with Israel.
 8 How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry?
 9 From the top of the rocks I see him, looking down on him from the hills: it is a people made separate, not to be numbered among the nations.
 10 Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!
 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I sent for you so that my haters might be cursed, and see, you have given them a blessing.
 12 And in answer he said, Am I not ordered to say only what the Lord puts into my mouth?
 13 And Balak said to him, Come with me now into another place from which you will not be able to see them all, but only the outskirts of them; and you will send curses on them from there.
 14 So he took him into the country of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and there they made seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.
 15 Then he said to Balak, Take your place here by your burned offering, while I go over there to the Lord.
 16 And the Lord came to Balaam, and put words in his mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.
 17 So he came to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with the chiefs of Moab by his side. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?
 18 And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, Up! Balak, and give ear; give attention to me, O son of Zippor:
 19 God is not a man, to say what is false; or the son of man, that his purpose may be changed: what he has said, will he not do? and will he not give effect to the words of his mouth?
 20 See, I have had orders to give blessing: and he has given a blessing which I have no power to take away.
 21 He has seen no evil in Jacob or wrongdoing in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the glad cry of a king is among them.
 22 It is God who has taken them out of Egypt; his horns are like those of the mountain ox.
 23 No evil power has effect against Jacob, no secret arts against Israel; at the right time it will be said of Jacob and of Israel, See what God has done!
 24 See, Israel comes up like a she-lion, lifting himself up like a lion: he will take no rest till he has made a meal of those he has overcome, drinking the blood of those he has put to death.
 25 Then Balak said to Balaam, If you will not put a curse on them, at all events do not give them a blessing.
 26 But Balaam in answer said to Balak, Did I not say to you, I may only do what the Lord says?
 27 Then Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; it may be that God will let you put a curse on them from there.
 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, looking down over the waste land.
 29 And Balaam said to Balak, Make me seven altars here and get seven oxen and seven male sheep ready for me.
 30 And Balak did as Balaam said, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.
 (BBE)


They kept it up,  God keeps saying, "NO!" and they keep not taking it for an answer.  Balak is like the future kings of Israel and later Judea, too, who don't listen to prophets. Don't follow the road of the Lord because they want their way and things to always go their way because they are kings. Kings and princes who don't pay attention to God get their way right up to the point where God merely stifles their every plan.  A false prophet can be false if he has no connection with God, but one who has a connection with God can only do what the Lord allows or face death.  Balaam WANTS his money and wealth and position but he can't get there this way and he even keeps making false sacrifices hoping god will just let him get his money.  God continues on His way.



Nu 24:1 Now when Balaam saw that it was the Lord's pleasure to give his blessing to Israel, he did not, as at other times, make use of secret arts, but turning his face to the waste land,\

(So we see that Balaam has indulged in mystic arts,  that his sacrifices were a part of that indulgence.  How could a prophet of god think that would work or influence God in any way?  How could money so blind him? His desire for some sort of position, some sort of wealth in this world seduced him.  And only now when he does nt indulge his urges and his mysticism does the Spirit come to him.)

 2 And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel there, with their tents in the order of their tribes: and the spirit of God came on him.
 3 And moved by the spirit, he said, These are the words of Balaam, son of Beor, the words of the man whose eyes are open:
 4 He says, whose ears are open to the words of God, who has seen the vision of the Ruler of all, falling down, but having his eyes open:

(At Last, he will speak God's word.)

 5 How fair are your tents, O Jacob, your houses, O Israel!
 6 They are stretched out like valleys, like gardens by the riverside, like flowering trees planted by the Lord, like cedar-trees by the waters.
 7 Peoples will be in fear before his strength, his arm will be on great nations: his king will be higher than Agag, and his kingdom made great in honour.
 8 It is God who has taken him out of Egypt; his horns are like those of the mountain ox; the nations warring against him will be his food, their bones will be broken, they will be wounded with his arrows.
 9 He took his sleep stretched out like a lion, and like a she-lion: by whom will his rest be broken? May a blessing be on everyone who gives you blessing, and a curse on everyone by whom you are cursed.
 10 Then Balak was full of wrath against Balaam, and angrily waving his hands he said to Balaam, I sent for you so that those who are against me might be cursed, but now, see, three times you have given them a blessing.
 11 Go back quickly to the place you came from: it was my purpose to give you a place of honour, but now the Lord has kept you back from honour.
 12 Then Balaam said to Balak, Did I not say to the men you sent to me,
 13 Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, it would not be possible for me to go outside the orders of the Lord, doing good or evil at the impulse of my mind; whatever the Lord says I will say?
 14 So now I will go back to my people: but first let me make clear to you what this people will do to your people in days to come.
 15 Then he went on with his story and said, These are the words of Balaam, the son of Beor, the words of him whose eyes are open:
 16 He says, whose ear is open to the words of God, who has knowledge of the Most High, who has seen the vision of the Ruler of all, falling down and having his eyes open:
 17 I see him, but not now: looking on him, but not near: a star will come out of Jacob, and a rod of authority out of Israel, sending destruction to the farthest limits of Moab and on the head of all the sons of Sheth.
 18 Edom will be his heritage, and he will put an end to the last of the people of Seir.
 19 And Israel will go on in strength, and Jacob will have rule over his haters.
 20 Then, turning his eyes to Amalek, he went on with his story and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his part will be destruction for ever.
 21 And looking on the Kenites he went on with his story and said, Strong is your living-place, and your secret place is safe in the rock.
 22 But still the Kenites will be wasted, till Asshur takes you away prisoner.
 23 Then he went on with his story and said, But who may keep his life when God does this?
 24 But ships will come from the direction of Kittim, troubling Asshur and troubling Eber, and like the others their fate will be destruction.
 25 Then Balaam got up and went back to his place: and Balak went away.

 (BBE)

But then Israel is seduced and God turns his back on them only to return because of the act of a righteous man.



Nu 25:1 Now when Israel was living in Shittim the people became false to the Lord, doing evil with the daughters of Moab:
 2 For they sent for the people to be present at the offerings made to their gods; and the people took part in their feasts and gave honour to their gods.
 3 So Israel had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor: and the Lord was moved to wrath against Israel.
 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, hanging them up in the sun before the Lord, so that the wrath of the Lord may be turned from Israel.
 5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, Let everyone put to death those of his men who have had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor.
 6 Then one of the children of Israel came to his brothers, taking with him a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses and all the meeting of the people, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of meeting.
 7 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, seeing it, got up from among the people and took a spear in his hand,
 8 And went after the man of Israel into the tent, driving the spear through the two of them, through the man of Israel and through the stomach of the woman. So the disease was stopped among the children of Israel.
 9 But twenty-four thousand of them had come to their death by the disease.
 10 And the Lord said to Moses,
 11 Through Phinehas, and because of his passion for my honour, my wrath has been turned away from the children of Israel, so that I have not sent destruction on them all in my wrath.
 12 So say to them that I will make with him an agreement of peace:
 13 And by this agreement, he and his sons after him have the right to be priests for ever; because, by his care for the honour of his God, he took away the sin of the children of Israel.
 14 Now the man of Israel who was put to death with the woman of Midian was Zimri, the son of Salu, a chief of one of the families of the Simeonites.
 15 And the woman of Midian who was put to death was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was the head of a family in Midian.
 16 Then the Lord said to Moses,
 17 Take up arms against the Midianites and overcome them;
 18 For they are a danger to you with their false ways, causing sin to come on you in the question of Peor, and because of Cozbi, their sister, the daughter of the chief of Midian, who was put to death at the time of the disease which came on you because of Peor.

 (BBE)

The plan to seduce them into following false gods has now completely failed.  And now the enemies of God must pay a price for opposing Him even as the enemies of god in the end times will finally be destroyed. by Jesus himself.



Nu 31:1 Then the Lord said to Moses,
 2 Give the Midianites punishment for the wrong they did to the children of Israel: and after that you will go to rest with your people.
 3 So Moses said to the people, Let men from among you be armed for war to put into effect against Midian the Lord's punishment on them.
 4 From every tribe of Israel send a thousand to the war.
 5 So from the thousands of Israel a thousand were taken from every tribe, twelve thousand men armed for war.
 6 And Moses sent them out to war, a thousand from every tribe, and with them Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the priest, taking in his hands the vessels of the holy place and the horns for sounding the note of war.
 7 And they made war on Midian, as the Lord gave orders to Moses; and they put to death every male.
 8 They put the kings of Midian to death with the rest, Evi and Reken and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian: and Balaam, the son of Beor, they put to death with the sword.
 9 The women of Midian with their little ones the children of Israel took prisoner; and all their cattle and flocks and all their goods they took for themselves;
 10 And after burning all their towns and all their tent-circles,
 11 They went away with the goods they had taken, man and beast.
 12 And the prisoners and the goods and everything they had taken, they took to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the people of Israel, to the tent-circle in the lowlands of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
 13 Then Moses and Eleazar the priest and the chiefs of the people went out to them before they had come into the tent-circle.
 14 And Moses was angry with the chiefs of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds who had come back from the war.
 15 And Moses said to them, Why have you kept all the women safe?
 16 It was these who, moved by Balaam, were the cause of Israel's sin against the Lord in the question of Peor, because of which disease came on the people of the Lord.


Patrick, Lowth, Whitby, Lowman  commentary



Balaam – they slew with the sword. He had seen such good success of his wicked counsel (which he gave either as he went home, or returning again to them: see Nu 24:1-25 ult.) that, presuming the Israelites were forsaken of their God, he adventured to go along with the Midianites unto this battle; hoping he might curse the Israelites, now that iniquity (i. e. idolatry) was found among them; which he could not do while they were free from it. Thus he perished by his own wicked devices; and was so far from having his wish, that he might “die the death of the righteous” (that is, live long), that (as the Jews say) he was slain in the thirty-fourth year of his age. The doctors in the Gemara of the Sanhedrin (cap. 11, sec. 11) ask, “What did he here?” To which R. Jonanan makes answer, “He went to receive his reward for the death of the twenty-four thousand Israelites which he had procured (Nu 25:9). And thus, saith another, “it happened unto him, according to the proverb, The camel went to desire horns, and they cut off his ears.”





Balaam got his wish for riches and a place at the king's side by teaching them to send their women to seduce the men of Israel into worshiping false gods.  His plan gave the Midianites victories and they would surely have destroyed all Israel if not for Phinehas and his action.  But Balaam has been so completely seduced by his greed, by an association with the false gods, that he has forgotten the words the Lord gave him for Balak.  He knows, he knows God will destroy the enemies of Israel.  He was there when God predicted it through him.  His actions become even more odd when you see that.  He was so blinded by greed, by seeking power in this world, by the urge to be by the leader, the glamour of being an adviser, of being "the man" for the king, that he succumb to it and forgot God would have His will.  

God's people were seduced by sexual desire and led to their almost downfall.  One who knew his own desires for the world, knew too the way to bring down other people of God.  One who turned his back on the Spirit, who later spoke it's truth but still turn due to seduction of one kind, saw how to seduce in another way on God's statement of finding nothing wrong with Israel.  

The USA in claiming itself as God's country, needed to stay in God's will and not fall into believing their will was God's will, not believing that having wealth was all that God's will has for us.  Supporting a man who has been portraying himself as a prophet by claiming victory and having his false predictions and misstatements ignored and thinking a victory in the Electoral College after a popular loss is a call for all the plans of conservatives is folly.  God placed Balak as well as Phinehas.  God placed Balaam as well as Moses.  Who the people followed decided the fate of their countries. Of their families.  of their eternity. 

Balaam got obsessed with wealth.  There is another way to go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cel_O-qy0i0