* LESSON:
* SCRIPTURES CONCERNING BALAAM
* WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT GOD FROM THE STORY OF BALAAM
* HANDOUT #1
* HANDOUT #2
Bible Memory Verse:
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should change his mind…” Numbers 23:19
“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” Proverbs 21:30
There is a strange story about something that happened when the Israelites were passing through various countries on the way to the promised land. Who were the Israelites? (God’s chosen people) What is the promised land? (the land God had promised Abraham would belong to him, his children, great grandchildren and all his descendants).When the Israelites went to the promised land, God protected them.
The Israelites had to pass through the country of Moab. The king of Moab was terrified because of the Israelites. There were so many people and he had heard how they had fought other people and won. He knew he couldn’t win if he fought the Israelites. Actually, the Israelites didn’t want to fight the people of Moab. They just wanted to pass through their land. But the king of Moab didn’t know that so he sent for Balaam who was a diviner. A diviner is someone who tells what is going to happen in the future, but his prophecies are not from God. They were from evil spirits and would lead people away from truth. But God did talk to Balaam at one time, which we will learn about today.
Balak, the king of Moab, send the princes of Moab to Balaam asking him to come to his country and curse God’s people. To curse means to cause evil spirits to do harm. But God spoke to Balaam and told him not to put a curse on the Israelites so Balaam refused to come.
So again Balak sent the princes of Moab to Balaam to give this message, "Do not let anything keep you from coming to me because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."
Balaam told the princes of Moab that if they would spend the night at his house he would ask God again. God had already said “no,” and Balaam should not have asked him again. The only reason he asked God again is because he wanted the reward the king of Moab had promised to give him.
God allowed Balaam to go only if he would say exactly what God told him to say. However, God knew that Balaam wanted to do whatever would be to his benefit even if it would cause harm for the Israelites. Therefore, God was angry at his going.
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam and his two servants did not see the angel of the Lord; only the donkey did. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.
Then the angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.
Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. He was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"
Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."
The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"
"No," he said.
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell face down.
The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you before now, but I would have spared her."
Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."
The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Balak, the king of Moab, wanted Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam could speak only the words the Lord gave him. He blessed Israel. That means that he only said good things about Israel and foretold that good things would happen to her.
Balak took Balaam to different places where he could see part of the Israelites. Each time he wanted Balaam to curse them. But Balaam blessed them because he could speak only the words God gave him. He wasn’t allowed to use any of his sorcery (magic practiced with the aid of evil spirits) on them. At one point he told about a ruler that would come out of Israel–that ruler was Jesus.
Our memory verse is the words that the Lord gave Balaam to say. “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.” Numbers 23:19-20
God is not a man that he will lie or change His mind. Balaam kept changing his mind. He wanted to share in the blessings of the Israelites, but he chose the riches Balak, the king of Moab, offered him instead. Even though he was not allowed to curse the Israelites, he suggested an evil plan to Balak. The women of Moab got the men of Israel to worship their false gods. Because of this, the Lord had to kill several thousand Israelites. When the people of Moab were destroyed, Balaam, who had gone to live among them, was also destroyed.
God expects people to obey Him and He will not let people get away with sin. He does not change His rules. But He loves us very much and is always ready to forgive anyone that asks Him.
* SCRIPTURES CONCERNING BALAAM:
Numbers 22-25
“They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man…They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.” Numbers 31:7-8
“No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not see a treaty or friendship with them as long as you live.” Deuteronomy 23:3-6
“In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.” Joshua 13:22
“When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.” Joshua 24:9-10
“On that day the book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.” Nehemiah 13:1-2
“My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered.” Micah 6:5
“Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.” Jude 11
“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey–a beast without speech–who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” 2 Peter 2:15-16
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.” Revelation 2:14
* WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT GOD FROM THE STORY OF BALAAM:
1. God has a chosen people (Israelites, Hebrews, Jews). He will bless those who bless His people and curse those who curse them. Through these all the world would be blessed. (Jesus was born into this people and He died to pay the penalty for the sins of everyone in the world. Anyone who accepts this gift from God and believes in Jesus as God the Father’s one and only Son will have eternal life in heaven.)
2. God protected and cared for the Israelites. He protects and cares for us.
3. God can keep evil people from cursing His people.
4. God knows the future. Time does not limit God.
5. Those who oppose God’s people will be punished.
6. God punishes disobedience even in His own people.
7. God gives all people an opportunity to know Him.
8. “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” Proverbs 21:30 Nothing any person or demon does that is against God will succeed.
9. God planned that Jesus would be born to deliver those that believe in Him.(Numbers 24:19)
10. God can read what is in the mind. God was angry with Balaam because of what Balaam planned to do. (“…I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.” Numbers 22:32)
11. God can cause even dumb animals to speak.
12. God can close or open the eyes of people to spiritual things.
13. “God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19 God is not like man. He doesn’t lie or change his mind. He does what He says He will do and always keeps His promises.
TEST ON BALAAM: NAME:________________________________________
QUESTIONS:
1. Who were the Israelites?
2. Why did the Israelites come to the land of Moab?
a. they needed to go that way to get to the land God had promised them
b. they wanted the land that belonged to Moab
c. they wanted to destroy the people of Moab
3. Who was Balaam?
a. true prophet of God
b. diviner
c. friend of Israel
4.What did Balak, the king of Moab, want Balaam to do to the Israelites?
5. Why was God angry with Balaam?
a. because Balaam was cruel to his donkey
b. because Balaam wanted money more than he wanted to obey God
c. because Balaam cursed the Israelites instead of blessing them
6. Why did Balaam’s donkey refuse to go ahead on the road?
7. Instead of cursing the Israelites, what did Balaam do?
8. What did Balaam suggest to the king of Moab, in order to cause trouble for the
Israelites?
a. attack them when they least expected it
b. curse them instead of blessing them
c. get them to disobey God
9. What finally happened to Balaam?
a. he was killed by the king of Moab
b. he was destroyed when Moab was destroyed
c. he went back to live in the place where he had lived
BALAAM
Bible Memory Verse:
“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” Proverbs 21:30
Words to choose from: DISOBEY, CURSE, DONKEY, PUNISH, KILLED, MONEY, HARM, GOD, BLESSED, ANGEL
1. Balak, the king of Moab, thought they wanted to __ __ __ __ the Moabites, but they wonly wanted to pass through their land.
2. Balak, the king of Moab, wanted Balaam to __ __ __ __ __ the Israelites?
3. God angry with Balaam because Balaam wanted __ __ __ __ __ more than he wanted to obey God
4. Balaam’s donkey refused to go ahead because an __ __ __ __ __ with a drawn sword was on the road.
5. God can even cause a __ __ __ __ __ __ to talk.
6. Instead of cursing the Israelites, Balaam __ __ __ __ __ __ __ them.
7. Balaam spoke the words __ __ __ wanted him to say.
8. Balaam suggested, in order to cause trouble for the Israelites, to get them to __ __ __ __ __ __ __ God
9. God has to __ __ __ __ __ __ anyone that disobeys Him.
10. Balaam was __ __ __ __ __ __ when Moab was destroyed