Numbers 24:7 (KJV)
Commentary on Numbers 22-25. Theme verse: “He (Jacob) shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters (Gen 28:14; Is 29:22-24; Matt 8:11,12; Lk 1:33). And his King (“the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel” “from “the Mighty One of Jacob” – Gen 49:24) shall be higher than Agag, And His kingdom shall be exalted (forever)”
Topic: Zion’s Incubation in the Wilderness – Balaam’s vision
Our Father has a dream
It is called “Zion, the perfection of beauty” (Ps 50:2).
Salvation came out of Zion, and for those who keep covenant, salvation leads to Zion (Ps 53:6; Is 35:8-10; 51:6-11)
This is the paramount “mystery of the kingdom of heaven” that encompasses all else (Matt 13:11).
It will be unfolded in greater and greater precision in the days immediately ahead, because all of history will soon be resolved through its fulfilment, first in the millennial Kingdom, then in the New Jerusalem, whose Hebrew identification with the remnant of the Twelve Tribes of the House of Jacob and their co-heirs from the nations, is fixed forever (Rev 21:12)
The wilderness encounters with YHWH which every consecrated believer (seeking the integrity, authenticity and power with God, of true sons) is called to, for “salting with fire” (episodes of refinement like silver and gold, by trials of the heart) for character formation (Christ formed in us) as preparation for acceptance in Zion (Rom 5:3-5; 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18; Gal 4:19; 1 Peter 1:4-9; 4:12-18; 5:6-12), is patterned on Israel’s Exodus.
Rising like a colossus in the narrative of the vicissitudes of Israel on their wilderness road to sanctification to be worthy to enter their promise (a type of OUR ongoing call to repentance and purification by obedience – Lk 20:35; Acts 10:35; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Peter 1:13-17,22), is the beauty of YHWH’s prophetic vision of Zion (faithful remnant Israel’s EXALTATION as the coming global Messianic Kingdom of David – “and his [Jacob’s] seed shall be in many waters”) as “ISRAEL MY GLORY” in “latter house” purity and honour in their Land of “milk and honey” – Gen 28:14; Nu 24:2-9; 24:17-24; Is 46:13; 60-62; Jer 31-33; Haggai 2:7-9; Ezek 36; Mk 11:10; Lk 1:33; Rom 11:15,25-29).
It was glimpsed in the Spirit (as a layered vision, like Ps 89, of present and FUTURE actuality, as in Nu 22:9,10 | Deut 33:28 – “…the people SHALL dwell alone”) by ambivalent Balaam the seer, as he surveyed the orderliness of and Divine footprint upon the martially arranged camp of the House of Jacob from three vantage points (Nu 22:41; 23:14; 23:28) while sensibly stifling the instinct to curse them (Gen 2:2,3; Nu 22:7,8) which would eventually get the better of him and cost him his life (Nu 31:8), AND eternal life (thereby immortalizing his treachery, in selling-out and entrapping Israel in idolatry and fornication by the spirit of seduction, as “the doctrine of Balaam” – Nu 25; 31; Jude vs 11; Rev 2:14), by relapsing onto the BROAD path which disqualified him from “the death of the righteous” HE’D AT FIRST COVETED when admiring the favour of the Most High upon the House of Jacob (Nu 23:10; Matt 7:13-27).
There are few warnings in Scripture as graphic, perplexing and disturbing as Balaam’s backsliding to destruction on the broad path, despite the privilege of having experienced being an instrument of blessing and being shown that the purpose of Creation was Israel’s vindication as the dynasty and kingdom-nation the Almighty would forever call His own and make His Messianic Throne (Ex 19:5-8; Is 9:6,7; 60-62; Micah 4:1-8; Lk 1:32,33; Acts 1:6,7; Rev 21:12).
Balaam’s default ministry setting was bondage to DIVINATION, and while he initially resisted the occult (Nu 22:7; 24:13), it overpowered him. Because unlike Paul in Rom 7:22-25 in whose heart covenant truth was already settled, established by faith (Rom 3:31), the war within compromised, hypocritical Balaam’s members was stacked in favour of pride and self-interest, so he lost the competition between good and evil, to assign honour WHERE HONOUR IS DUE (Mal 1:6).
The tragic irony was that Balaam was cursed by ignoring his own prophecy (Nu 24:8,9).
At first, he responded favourably to YHWH “keeping him back from (the) great honour” of the kind that Balak and the spirit of this world were posturing to endow upon him (Nu 24:10-13).
His last prophecy would prove to be his last invitation to serve the Living God (Nu 24:14-25). We might say that it was his epitaph, because of what transpired between Nu 24:25 and 25:1 onwards, which was his doing.
Are we any less prone to temptation? Not at all. Are we any more temptation-resistant? Only if we’ve let the Holy Spirit build a firewall of the Presence around about us by being constant in the Spirit through obedience to the covenant as inward AND external proof that we treasure our vocation of holiness (Matt 28:2; Acts 5:32; 26:18,20; Rom 8:4-14; Eph 4:1,11-14; Heb 6:4-9; 12:14).
The Almighty offers no “hope of full assurance to the end” (Heb 6:1-12) to ‘dipstick’ believers. The worshippers He seeks, are those who “esteem His Word more than their necessary food,” and seek daily immersion in His Presence and counsel, continually resorting to Him for the insight and moral strength to walk as Yeshua walked, “devoted to His Fear” by being “valiant for the truth” at all costs, to be “as He is,” as measured by His rigid criteria for righteousness and purity (Lk 6:40; Rom 15:16-18; 1 Jn 2:3-6,17,28,29; 3:3-10).
All the prophecies over Abraham’s life will be fulfilled in due course, due to the existence of a faithful Torah-wise remnant of the House of Jacob (the ideal unification of civilization as a unified reborn humanity, reckoned “in Abram,” “in Jacob,” “in Christ”) meeting the conditions for enduring blessing (Gen 12:3; 18:9; 28:14; Deut 28:1-14; Rom 8:4.22; Gal 3:9; 2 Tim 3:14-17), with EXPANSION of the commonwealth of Israel “to the uttermost parts of the earth” (Gen 17: ; 35:9-11; Ps 2:7-12; 82:8; Zech 2:10-12) for the miracle of reconciliation and unification in Christ “of all things which are in heaven and which are on earth,” to be accomplished in Him as Ruler forever of the latter House of Jacob, His Father’s and His household (Haggai 2:7-9; Lk 1:33; Eph 1:10; 2:11,12,19; Col 1:20).
That, in turn, will fulfil God’s vision of Zion (the ultimate purpose of Creation) as the perfection of the beauty of holiness (Ps 50:2; Is 35:10-12; 51:1-11), for “everlasting righteousness” to reign for an eternity of eternities to come, in a “single new” (“one new”) global, Hebraic Kingdom civilization inspired and ruled forever out of the House of Jacob by Jesus as the “Star out of Jacob and Sceptre risen out of Israel” (Nu 24:17), on the restored Throne of David in Jerusalem as Hebrew world capital which is why we are to bless Israel, by believing in the restoration of their “former royal dominion” as the inevitable outcome of their irrevocable order- and purpose-in-election; and pray for the shalom-shalom (perfect and constant peace) of Jerusalem, which is to be “preferred by us above our chief joy” (Gen 12:2,3; Ex 19:5-8; Ps 59:13; 137:5-7; Is 9:6,7; 60-62; Micah 4:1-8; Mk 11:10; Lk 1:32,33; Acts 1:6,7; Rom 11:11-15,23-29)
It was with THIS vast Hebraic vision of God in mind: the catalytic vision of all of Creation redeemed through Christ Crucified, for washing, cleansing, justifying, purging, purifying, sanctifying and glorification of an impeccable remnant of humanity, for “the earth to be filled with the KNOWLEDGE of God as the waters cover the seas” (Is 11:9,10; Rom 8:4,18-23,29,30; Matt 28:20; 1 Cor 6:6-12), that in Acts 26:19 Paul declares “whereupon, O king Agrippa, I WAS NOT DISOBEDIENT TO THE HEAVENLY VISION.” As a “Hebrew of Hebrews” Paul had full knowledge of the visionary promises to Israel in the Torah and the Prophets (e.g. Nu 23:9,10; Is 28:5,6; 33:17-24; 60-62; Jer 31-33). None of this, though, would be possible were it not for the origin of the church in the loins of Abram and his household (Is 51:1-7), which became “the congregations from the fountain of Jacob” (Ps 68:26) SUBSEQUENT to formal constitution of “the congregation of the people” as the church/ekklesia/kahal of YaHWeH at Sinai (where the nation and wilderness church of Israel were synonomous as His “people of inheritance” – Deut 4:20; Acts 7:38) through the giving of the ‘Ketubah’ (the eternal marriage covenant of Ten Words, summed up by the ‘Shema’ [‘Hear O Israel…”] of Deut 4:10-14; 6:4,5; Lev 19:18/Matt 22:36-40/Mk 12:28-32), for the prophesied outpouring of the Spirit which occurred on the SAME Feast (Shavuo’t) in Jerusalem (‘Pentecost’ is Greek) (Deut 30:6; Is 44:2,3; Ezek 36:24-29), to RENEW the everlasting Abrahamic (Gen 12-17) and Davidic covenants (2 Chr 13:5) through the New Covenant (hence Heb 13:20,21), to complete the promise to Israel of the MEANS to accomplish “masteries” of Torah as it was fully preached (not abolished) by Jesus, to be an everlasting light to the nations “like life from the dead” (Is 2:2-4; Lk 2:32; Acts 15:14-17; Rom 11:15; 2 Tim 2:5; Rev 21:12 etc) namely, by the CROSS and the RESURRECTION as “the sure mercies of David” (Is 55:1-5; Acts 13:32-39) providing for the destruction of sin in the flesh through regeneration and circumcision of the heart (Rom 6:6,7; 8:2-4; Col 2:10-13); and the all surpassing enabling power (exousia) of the INDWELLING SPIRIT to overcome the power of sin (Acts 2:30-33; 1 Cor 6:12; Eph 1:19; 3:20; 2 Tim 2:5), for hearts to be purified, to serve YHWH in truth, to be exalted as “Israel My glory” (Is 46:13; Jer 31:7,31-36; Lk 2:32)
[Acknowledgment: Thank You Father for the grace to have scribed this in Your honour as a pen apostalate, so that Your Son may be glorified, for all of this is HIS inheritance, and ours, in Him through the grace of our adoption by You, for ingrafting into the House of Jacob, Your Abrahamic household, as THEIR inheritance, to be their co-heirs, as “one new man” united in You through the one faith seated in one law of truth – Ex 12:49; Is 45:4; 54:3; Lk 1:33; Rom 3:31; 8:15-17; 11; Eph 2:11,12,15,19; 4:5]
