ThyWill

     

                                                                              "Then God came to Balaam..."

     The title of this week's Sabbath reading portion from Numbers Ch. 22-24 is Balak, who was the king of Moab. His name means "devastator, waster, lay waste, to annihilate, to make empty." All of the nation of Moab was exceedingly afraid and sick with dread because of the people of Israel, who were journeying through the wilderness. Moab feared the Israelites because of their previous victory of the over the Amorites (see Num. 21:21-25). The nation of Moab said: "Now this company will lick up (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-everything-around-us...". And King Balak sent messengers to a famous soothsayer named Balaam (Bil'am - "Not of the people") saying: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-face ('ayin - eye, sight, face, presence, fountain, countenance, resemblance) of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore, please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me...for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (Num. 22:1-6). Notice that both "everything around us", and "the face" of the earth are preceded by the aleph-tav in written Hebrew which designates the identity of Messiah/Christ (see *note at the bottom of the entry). The earth and everything in it belong to Messiah/Christ and has from the beginning. Genesis 1:1 in written Hebrew shows the aleph-tav preceding "the heavens and the earth," which were created by God. We also have the scripture that says: "The earth is the LORD's and all its fulness, the world and those who dwell therein." (Ps. 24:1). Neither the land, nor anything around them, belongs to Moab or its king, Balak, but to the LORD.

     In the last few weeks, we have been learning about the human soul, which, simply put, is composed of the mind, the will and the emotions/desires. While the definition here may be simplified, the creation of the human soul is not simple. Genesis tells us that the living human soul was created by God's own breath. (see Gen. 2:7). This week, the Sabbath reading portions were teaching me about "the will" of man. We will see how the two men, King Balak and Balaam, will be carried to their own destruction by the strength of their own wills. The king's messengers, who were princes (Num. 22:14), traveled to Balaam to deliver the king's request that Balaam should come and curse the Israelites for him. They took with them a "diviner's fee" to give to Balaam: "Then the LORD came to Balaam and said...'You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." (v. 9-12). Balaam obeyed and refused to go with the messengers from the king. The king sent even more highly ranked messengers back to Balaam and increased his offer: "Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me." (v. 16-17). Balaam is promised anything he wants, but he tells the messengers that he cannot go beyond the word of the LORD. Then he invites the messengers to spend the night while he seeks what the LORD will say to him. However, Balaam already knows what the LORD has spoken concerning these men.

     "Then God came to Balaam at night and said to him, 'If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-word which I speak to you - that you shall do.' So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-his-donkey, and went with the princes of Moab." (v. 20-21). Balaam really wanted to go with the men, so he didn't wait for the men to call to him as the LORD had commanded him, but rose early and was already saddled to leave with the men. Balaam's will was to go with the men. 

     God was angry that Balaam left with the men and sent His (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-Angel to obstruct Balaam. Although the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-donkey saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel and tried to stop, Balaam beat his donkey into continuing: "Then the LORD opened Balaam's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-eyes, and he saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the Angel of the LORD standing in the way...And (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel...said to him, 'Why have you struck (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-your-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you because your way is perverse (yarat - hurl headlong, to be rash, turned over, destructive) before Me...". (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel conceded to the will of Balaam and allowed him to continue to go with Balak's princes, but he was to speak only (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-word that the the LORD will speak to him. "So Balaam went with the princes of Balak." (v. 22-35).

     The account of Balaam and King Balak continues through two more chapters, and Balaam does deliver only the word that the LORD tells him to speak. These words are words and prophecies of blessing towards Israel, including the coming of the Messiah/Christ, rather than the cursing that the king sought. However, Balaam's will was towards the rewards of the king, and he would continue to conspire with the king against the children of Israel. Scripture tells us that eventually Balaam's will for honor and reward would lead to his death as (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-Angel had warned him. (see Num. 31:7-8). Balaam clearly knew from his direct encounters with the LORD in Numbers 22 through 24, what the will of the LORD was regarding the Israelites, and His will concerning Balaam's own way, yet Balaam allowed his own will to prevail against the will of God.

     Why didn't the LORD simply take action to prevent Balaam from going with the men in the first place? The LORD, scripture shows us, does use force to overcome the will or free choice of a person, but He will warn, He will send miraculous signs (like an Angel or a talking donkey), He will set obstacles in the path to dissuade a rash or headlong rush into destructive willfulness, as we saw above.

    

     From another reading portion of the Balak or "Devastator" Sabbath, Joshua, shortly before he died, gave this word to the Israelites: "...Serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD, choose (bahar - choose, chosen, choice, excellent, acceptable, decide, elect, select, join, examine, prove) for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD...And the people said to Joshua, 'No, but we will serve (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-LORD!'...Now therefore,' he (Joshua) said, 'put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-your-heart to the LORD God of Israel.' And the people said to Joshua, '(*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-The-LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!" (Josh. 24:14-24).

     As we can see from the Hebrew meaning of the word "choose", the result of "choice" involves becoming "joined" to your choice. We can choose to join our wills to the will of the LORD, or we can choose to join our will to forces like Balak, the devastator. Joshua said that he and his house have chosen to be joined to the will of God. Smart choice. It is the choice of life as opposed to destruction.

     Scripture shows us that the will of man is a most powerful force. The will of man is even more powerful than the will of Satan, which we will see. Imagine the awesome earth-changing power when the will of man becomes submitted to and joined with the will of God! Let's look at some examples in scripture:

The will of man is powerful: The whole of earth had one language (sapa/sop/sup - language, boundary, edge, lip, sweep away, destroy, consume, perish, wind-swept, be scraped barren. laid bare, abrade, carry off/end, conclusion, termination, invading swarm/to come to an end, utterly end) and one speech. The inhabitants of the earth journeyed and settled in the plains of Shinar (sinar - "country of two rivers", land that later became Babylon/Chaldea). They said to one another: "Come, let us make bricks (lebena/laban - brick, tile, pavement/make white, be white, be purified, to purge, to cleanse from the filthiness of sin)...". And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth." (Gen. 11:1-4). We see how the will of the inhabitants have become united, and they have decided upon a course that is against the expressed will of God. They wanted to determine their own future. They wanted to assure that their own will would prevail for their lives.

     "But then the LORD came down to see (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-city and (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega)-the-tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language (see sapa/sop/sup above), and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose (zamam - to purpose) to do will be withheld from them." (v. 5-6). What they were planning to do by their own will, as we can see by the written Hebrew and its meanings, was to create their own Messiah/Christ identity, or let us say an "antichrist" system, using the work of their own hands to provide a kind of counterfeit salvation by which they would ensure their own planned continuance. The word of the LORD states that only blood, and specifically only the blood of His appointed and anointed Messiah/Christ Jesus can, by faith in His name, cleanse man of his sins and provide man with eternal salvation. (see Isa. 53:7-8 and Jn. 1:24-36). The philosophies, man-made religions and the will and works of man cannot accomplish this. As we see the Hebrew meaning for the word "language", this attempt by the inhabitants of Shinar would have meant the utter end of mankind. The LORD then confused their language so that they could not understand each other and He scattered them abroad. (v. 7-8). Otherwise, the LORD admitted, nothing would be kept from the joined wills of these people. 

The will of man is more powerful than the will of Satan: The prophet Isaiah revealed the will of Lucifer/Satan who said in his heart his will to ascend to the highest levels and be like the Most High. However, Isaiah prophesied the Word of the LORD that Lucifer/Satan would be fallen and brought down to the place of death, the lowest depths of the pit. (Isa. 14:12-19). Unlike the people of Shinar above, about whom the LORD had said that nothing would be withheld from them in their united will, Satan's will and purpose is already defeated and prevented.

     Hundreds of years later, as the seventy disciples returned to Jesus with joy saying that even the demons were subject to them, Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit... ". (Luke 10:17-21). The disciples did not have this authority in their own strength but because they had been joined to the will of heaven through Jesus Messiah/Christ.

 

The power of the human will submitted to and joined with God's will: Jesus is the perfect example provided for us to see and emulate a will that is by choice joined to God's will. Jesus taught His disciples to pray for the kingdom and will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt. 6:9-10). As He suffered torment before His crucifixion, Jesus submitted to and joined His will to the will of God saying: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will (thelema/thelo - what one wishes, will, choice, inclination, desire/have in mind), but Yours be done." (Lk. 22:41-42). The great miraculous and powerful work of salvation and resurrection was accomplished through the submitting and joining of Jesus' will with His Father's will.

     We learn from scripture that Jesus knows and perceives us from that spiritual place that exists within His Father's will. Jesus said: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness/iniquity (anomia/anomos - unrighteousness, transgression of the law, iniquity, contempt and violation of the law, wickedness/without law)." (Mt. 7:21-23). Anything outside of the will of the Father is lawlessness, and Jesus is not part of the place of lawlessness against the will of God.

     The apostle James had some strong words regarding God's will and man's plans. As man decides in his will what he will do and accomplish today or tomorrow, James pointed out that considering life's fragility, we do not know what will happen tomorrow. He wrote: "Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (James 4:13-16). These words cause us to think of how strongly we depend upon our own wills, plans and choices in common everyday life, but these choices may lie outside the will of God, which we have not sought. We either exercise our choices by our own will, or by submitting and joining our will with God's will.

     Paul wrote about a kind of sacrifice of self (which would also include one's will) in order to be transformed: "...that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:1-2). He also wrote concerning choices that we make by our will: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?...But he that is joined to (see bahar above) the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Cor. 6:15-17, excerpt). Choices made outside of the will of God affect that joining in the Spirit with Him. 

     The lesson of this Balak Sabbath reading portion was an important one for me to learn. The peace and perfection of (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Messiah/Christ Jesus are found with Him in the will of God.

     If you would like to know more about submitting our will to the will of God, you can pray with me: "Dear Father, You express Your will to us through Your Word and Your Spirit. All of creation is held together by these things. Teach me, Lord, how to join my will with Yours. Keep me, Lord, from following my own will rather than Yours. Let my submitted life and will be used to prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, and to accomplish the purpose that You have appointed for my life. You gave me the gift of the freedom of choice when You gave me Your breath and made me a living soul. Let me use this gift of choice to choose to dwell within Your will. I ask this in the name of my Savior, Lord, and godly example, Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

     

     

     

 

WarfareHeights

     There is warfare in the high places. 

     Scripture tells us that the king of Syria was making war against Israel and kept trying to lay traps to capture its king. However, the king of Syria found that the king of Israel always changed his travel path and managed to avoid the ambush that awaited him. The king of Syria became very frustrated and thought that he had a traitor in his midst that was leaking information to the king of Israel. One of his servants told the king that there was no traitor, but Elisha a prophet of Israel prophetically sees the plans of the king and tells the king of Israel to avoid them. Then the king of Syria sent a great army out to capture the prophet at his home in Dothan (meaning, "two wells"): "And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, 'Alas, my master! What shall we do?' So he (Elisha) answered, 'Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' And Elisha prayed, 'Lord, I pray, open (paqah - to open, to blossom, to enable to see things which otherwise are hidden from the eyes of mortals) (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) his eyes (ayin - eye, sight, fountain, spring of water [see Dothan meaning above], face, mental and spiritual faculties, favor, humble, knowledge, having beautiful eyes, between the eyes) that he may see (ra'a - look, behold, appear, seer, foresee, perceive, have vision, discern, visions).'...And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." (2 Kings 6:8-17, excerpt). Elisha also prayed that the eyes of the attacking army be stricken with blindness, and then Elisha led the Syrian army away from Dothan. (v. 18-19).

     The angelic army of the LORD was revealed as Elisha's servant's eyes were opened by the LORD. The great Syrian army became insignificant in comparison. Spiritual warfare was conducted on this mountain as the Syrian army was stricken with sudden blindness. The heights are a place that requires the ra'a vision and discernment of the people of God in order to perceive the warfare which God fights on behalf of His people.

     Satan took Jesus to the heights in order to show Him things that might tempt Him: "Then the devil, taking Him (Jesus) up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get thee behind Me, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' Then he (Satan) brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle (pterygion - a wing of birds, extreme top corner) of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written...: (see Ps. 91:11-12).' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.' Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Lk. 4:5-13, excerpt).

     Jesus used His knowledge of the appropriately applied Word of God to fight the spiritual warfare on the heights.

     It is mentioned in scripture that Jesus would go up to a height to pray (Mt. 14:22-23, Lk. 6:12-13), sometimes all night. No doubt there were times when He did spiritual warfare from that position. On one occasion, after feeding the five thousand by a miracle, Jesus retreated to a mountain because He perceived (see ra'a above) that the crowd was about to take Him by force to make Him a king. (Jn. 6:15).

     The greatest spiritual warfare in history occurred at an elevated height. Jesus was crucified on a mount called Golgotha, which is estimated to be about 2500 feet above sea level. Scripture says that if the spiritual rulers realized the overwhelming, overcoming victory that would be achieved by the death of Christ at that appointed place, they never would have crucified the Son of glory. (1 Cor. 2:7-10). What was unseeable to them on that hill was made seeable to us by the Holy Spirit as we came to believe.

     This brings us to this week's Sabbath reading portion titled Balak. Balak was the son of Zippor (little bird, chirping and hopping in a circle) and he was the king of Moab. Balak's name means "devastator, annihilate, make empty, make void." The congregation of the children of Israel was encamped near the boundary of Moab, and its king, Balak, was sick with dread at the sight of them and wanted them destroyed. He sought to hire for a diviner's fee a sorcerer named Balaam (bilam/bala - not of the people, foreigner/consume, waste, wear out, decay, spend) who dwelled a distance away at Pethor (petor - Mesopotamian town on the Euphrates River, soothsayer, interpreter of dreams). King Balak's message to Balaam said: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover (kasa - cover, conceal, hide, clothe, overwhelm) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) face (ayin - eye, sight, fountain, well, face, mental and spiritual faculties) of the earth ('eres - whole earth, region, territory, ground, Sheol: land of no return and the underworld), and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once. curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (Num. 22:1-6).

     King Balak being mentioned as the son of Zippor above has a special significance. "Zippor" refers to a small chirping and hopping bird, like a sparrow. Jewish tradition relates that the bird, in this case, may refer to a little model of a bird that kings like Balak used for divination, receiving demonic spiritual guidance from the underworld. It's where we get the expression, "A little birdie told me." 

      A panicked and desperate King Balak must now seek out a soothsayer of reputation, Balaam, because the presence of the Israelites has covered or blinded his eyes of "spiritual" sight according to the Hebrew meanings above. We read in the account of Elisha above, how the enemy army was suddenly "blinded" and could not find the one they sought, while the servant of Elisha had his eyes opened, discerning the presence of the angels of God.

     The presence of the Israelites had brought spiritual blindness to those who depended upon occultic practices. This may be one reason that the nations around them would not allow the Israelites to cross their borders. All of those nations had fallen into idolatry and demonic practices and were to be dispossessed from their land by God because of it.

     Without going into all of the details of the encounter between Balak and Balaam, we can read that King Balak took Balaam to certain heights from which to curse Israel.: "So it was, the next day, that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places (bamot/bama - great high place/mountain, battlefields, high places of worship, fortress) of Ba'al (name of a false god), that from there he might observe (ra'a - see above) the extent of the people." (Num. 22:41). Balaam was not able to curse God's people from there because God had not cursed them. (Num. 23:8). King Balak discovered that the sorcerer Balaam's power to bless and curse was not unlimited as he had stated above. Balaam was limited by the commands of God concerning His people.

     King Balak then took Balaam to another place in the heights: the field of Zophim (spym - "watchers") at the top of Mount Pisgah (meaning cleft, fragment, to pass between or within, contemplate, consider, divide palaces) to make another attempt to curse the Israelites. Balaam again could not curse Israel, but he prophesied: "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel." (Num. 23:23). Of cursing Israel, Balaam told King Balak the Word he received from the LORD: "Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it." (v. 20).

     Then King Balak took Balaam to "the top of (Mount) Peor (peor/pa'ar - name of false god of Moab, similar to Baal and worshipped by prostitution/gaping open mouth of a ravenous beast) that overlooks the wasteland (Jeshimon/yasam - waste/to ruin, be desolate)." (Num. 23:28). At this location, for the first time, Balaam prophesied not by his sorceries as he had at the other locations, but by the Holy Spirit: "the Spirit of God came upon him." (Num. 24:1-2). When this happened, Balaam said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eyes (ayin - see above) are opened (satam - to open, to unveil, to 'unclose'), the utterance of him who hears the words of God, and sees (haza - see, perceive, look, a seer in the ecstatic state, to have a vision, to see God) the vision (mahaze - have a vision in the ecstatic state) of the Almighty, who falls down with eyes wide open." (v. 3-4, see also 15-16).

     Balaam saw now by the Holy Spirit as he never had before when using his sorceries. He still could not curse Israel for King Balak, of course. The king became very angry as a result and sent Balaam home without the honor that the king would have given him. The sad part of the story is that even after this experience with God, neither man ended up serving God, but they worked together to try to bring harm to Israel. They both ended up dying in their future activities towards this ungodly goal. Here's an additional piece of information to consider: it is no coincidence or accident that those high places named in the Barak/Balaam verses above that were once located in the nation of Moab in its border area, are now shown on maps as being located in the middle of Israel! Those high places became part of the territory of Israel and Moab no longer exists as a nation. We can only marvel at the workings of our God and His justice.

     We can understand why the false gods and those who worship them covet the heights. It is the position of "seeing", of having open eyes, and spiritual vision. The heights also represent the power and authority of God, and the anointing and purpose upon His people. Even Satan is revealed to desire the highest places. The covetous thoughts of Satan were revealed by God to the prophet Isaiah. Satan or Lucifer said: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation (mo'ed/ya'ad - congregation, feast, appointed place, appointed and fixed time, appointed meeting, sacred season, appointed sign or signal/meet together, assemble, appointed, betrothed, gather by fixed appointment) on the farthest sides (yereka/yarek - extreme parts, border, flank side, recesses/thigh, loins as the seat of procreative power, thigh where the sword is worn) of the north (sapon/sapan - north, hidden, obscure/hide, esteemed, hidden ones, secret places, inaccessible, treasure or store up, hide from discovery by covering over [see also Ps. 91:1-2], protect, to be destined [see also Eph. 1:3-6]); I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." (Isa. 14:13-14). However, the LORD promised to bring Lucifer down to the lowest depths of the Pit of Sheol. (v. 15).

    It is important to pay special attention to the meanings associated with "congregation" and "the farthest sides of the north" used in the above verses. There was something hidden in the heights. There was something concealed from spiritual eyes. God covered over this special something in order to hide it, but Satan knew something called "the congregation" was there. He wanted to occupy that spiritual high place. We, the believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, are appointed to that meeting place. The apostle Paul wrote about the whole armor of God, which has been supplied to us. Part of that armor requires us to have our loins (see "farthest parts" above), our procreative parts by which we multiply and bear fruit, girded with truth. We are bearers of truth, which is the Word and Person of Christ (see Jn. 1:14). We are to carry the sword on our flanks (see "farthest parts" above), which is the Word of God, the weapon of our warfare. With the armor of God, we are able to stand in opposition against the wiles (methodeia - cunning, deceit, trickery, methods, devices, craft) of the devil. (see Eph. 6:11-20).

     We were hidden and protected in the Spirit by God until the appointed time had come for Jesus Christ to be sent, and for those who would believe on His name to become sons of God. (see Gal. 4:3-7).

     From another portion of this Sabbath's Balak readings, the prophet Habakkuk wrote that regardless of whatever trying circumstances, which are reflective of a poor spiritual condition, that might come upon his nation: "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk (darak - tread upon, bend a bow, shoot an arrow, lead forth, guide, march forth, tread on a press of wine or oil, tread down enemies as grapes, overtake, enter a threshold) on my high hills." (Hab. 3:18-19).

     Here we can see that walking on the heights includes the warfare meaning that we have seen throughout the above accounts. My nation has long mountain ranges running all the way down near its eastern and western borders and along part of its northern and southern borders. These high places are a spiritual battleground that is calling to us according to what I have learned this Sabbath, and the victory is the LORD's. I live in an area surrounded by hills and mountains. It is known that a satanist some years ago dedicated the mountains and hills in the area to Satan. It is also known that a man of God later flew over those same hills and poured anointing oil out upon them from the window of the small airplane. After this Sabbath study, I now look at these hills differently and I am determined to spiritually "walk upon my high hills", by the Spirit and in the name of the LORD. 

     If you would like to learn more about this kind of warfare, you can pray with me: "Heavenly and Most High Father, You have destined me through Your Son, Jesus, to walk the high places with open eyes and "see"  - to see the King in His beauty", and "the land that is very far off." (Isa. 33:15-17). You have equipped me to do so, not in my own strength, but with Your truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation and Word, according to the armor with which You have clothed me. You spoke blessing over my life in Your Word, including within the epistles of Your apostles. Help me, Lord, to walk faithfully and to grow in the knowledge of Your salvation. I ask these things in the name of Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as ΑΩ , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13. 

Blind

      This week's Sabbath reading portion is titled Balak, which is the name of a Moabite king. The name Balak means "devastator, annihilate, make void, empty." The Sabbath reading begins in Numbers 22. Most of the Torah readings in this Sabbath portion from Num. 22 through 24, deal with Balaam, a practitioner of the occult who was be hired by King Balak, but the Sabbath portion is named after Balak, the king of Moab. Why is the focus placed on Balak in this title rather than Balaam, who plays the central role? What is the LORD telling us by doing this? 

     First, we will look at Moab and its god. Moabites were physically related to the Israelites because they were descendants of Abraham's nephew Lot. However, Moab had turned away from the knowledge of the God of Israel and instead worshipped the god Chemosh, also known as Astar-Chemosh. The Moabites were called "the people of Chemosh" (see Num. 21:29). Chemosh was considered to be a savage god of war and was seen by the Moabites as "the subduer of the enemies of Moab." Chemosh was also called "the abomination of Moab." Chemosh was associated with the sun as well. The name of this god was invoked in curses against the enemies of Moab. Enemies of the Moabites that were killed in battle were considered by them to be sacrifices to Chemosh, who was credited with the victory. Sometimes people conquered by Moab were actually physically sacrificed to Chemosh. At one point in history, scripture says that a king of Moab sacrificed his own son and heir as a burnt offering to Chemosh on the wall of his Moabite city, desperate to escape defeat at the hands of Israel (2 Kings 3:26-27). The nations of Canaan that God had Israel come in contact with had fallen into, not just idolatry, but abomination. It is a sad fact in scripture that King Solomon introduced the worship of Chemosh to Jerusalem to please one of his foreign wives who was a Moabitess (1 Kings 11:1-8). In the case of at least Moab, they also relied upon the counsel of the occult as well, as we will see.

     The children of Israel had moved and camped in the plains of Moab: "Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.' And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time." (Num. 22:1-4). Midian, mentioned here, were allies with the Moabites.

     King Balak sought to pay with "a diviner's fee" and increasing incentives to a soothsayer of reputation named Balaam (bil'am - not of the people, a foreigner, remove garment) to curse the Israelites for him. Balaam used divination as well as soothsaying, both occultic practices. King Balak's message to Balaam regarding the Israelites said: "...see they cover (kasa - to cover, conceal, hide, hidden, clothe, garment, spread over, overwhelm, cover from sight, cover by dust or blood) the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) face of the earth, and are settling next to me!...curse this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) people for me, for they are too mighty for me...for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed." (v. 5-6). 

     The king pointed out that the Israelites were a people that "cover the face of the earth", above. The word translated as "face" here is not the usual Hebrew word panim, but it is the word ayin, which means "eye, sight, presence, fountain, spiritual faculties, physical origin, new power of vision, give sight to the blind, opening of eyes, revive, surface of the earth, face, to flow out as water or tears." Not only do the Israelites cover the earth with new spiritual sight, or new revelation, but at the same time, the earth becomes "hidden" from those who rely on sight that is not from God. Why does the king have to hire an outside occultist to curse this "problem" for him? 

      Proverbs 25:2 says this: "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter (dabar), but the glory of kings is to search out (haqar - search out, seek out, penetrate, examine, investigate, ascertain, examine intimately) a matter (dabar)." This pertains to all kings, not just kings of Israel, as there is no distinction made here. Many foreign kings had counsels of magicians, sorcerers, soothsayers and diviners to advise them and to supernaturally "see" for them. As we find in scripture, wise kings, even if they were foreigners, recognized the special value of an Israelite who had the Spirit of God, and would promote such an Israelite into positions of advisement and authority. A wise Israelite king would have a true prophet advising and counseling him. So why did King Balak need to seek out and hire this foreign soothsayer? He must have had his own counselors in the occult, unless the presence of the Israelites had "blinded" them. 

     There's another interesting piece of information about King Balak. He is called "the son of Zippor (sipor/sapar - sparrow, small bird, twittering/to chirp, to twitter). The oral tradition of the Jews says that "Zippor" does not refer to Balak's natural father, but rather to a small bird object that was used for divination. This "bird" was made from metals and crystal stones which would be placed in the morning light to catch the rays of the sun. Then the little bird would be placed on the person's shoulder to whisper occultic insights into the person's ear. We also today have the expression "a little bird told me" when we don't want to reveal how we came to know something. Could it be that as the Israelites encamped on the plains of Moab and "covered the face of the earth", things that the occultists expected to be able to look into were no longer revealed to them, but they became hidden or "covered"? Did the "bird" of divination on his shoulder no longer have anything to whisper to him? The king might have found himself to be spiritually blind at the nearby presence of the Israelite camp! Perhaps this is an explanation of why the king had to hire the help of this foreign soothsayer to curse the Israelites. Does the presence of the "seeing" people of God cause spiritual blindness to the practitioners of the occult? Is the "sight" of the covered face of the earth become affected by the presence of the people of God?

     Before moving on with this account of King Balak, let's see the moment when the Israelites discovered that they had indeed "covered the face of the earth" with either spiritual blindness or eye-opening spiritual revelation. In Numbers 21, the Israelites found themselves encamped on the borders of the Amorites and the Moabites on the side of the Arnon (arnon/ranan - rushing stream/overcome, sing, rejoice, shout aloud, give a ringing cry in joy, exultation and praise, cry aloud in exhortation of wisdom) river (v. 13). God gave Moses the promise that He would give them water, and the Israelites began to sing this (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) song: "Spring up, O well! All of you sing to it - The well the leaders sank (hapar - search out, seek, explore), dug (kara - pierce, open, to give a banquet or feast) by the nation's nobles, by the lawgiver with their staves." A well or fountain was opened in this place. It was not only a well of water, but of "searched out" and perceived revelation, in this case of the Messiah/Christ, the One who was pierced, and the One who will attend the marriage banquet with His Bride to shouts of great rejoicing in heaven (Rev. 19:6-9).

     Back to the account of King Balak and the soothsayer hired to see and curse the people of Israel. Unfortunately for the king's plan, we find out that God had told the soothsayer that he could not curse the Israelites because they were already blessed by Him (Num. 22:12). Also, in an interesting turn of events, the soothsayer became spiritually blind. His donkey could see the Angel of the LORD standing in the middle of the road with a drawn sword, but Balaam the soothsayer repeatedly could not see the Angel until "the LORD opened (gala - uncover, be disclosed, be revealed, lay bare) Balaam's (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes (ayin - see above)." (Num. 22:31).

     The king met Balaam the soothsayer at the same place that the Israelites had celebrated and sang about the digging of the well above (Num. 22:36). The next day, the king took the soothsayer to the high places (bama - high place, battlefield, victory, dominion, sepulchral mound) of Ba'al (a false Canaanite/Babylonian god) "that from there he might observe (ra'a - see, look, behold, seer, have vision, be visible) the extent (qase/qasa - end, edge, extremity, the whole/cut off, cut down, scrape off, break off, exterminate, finish, destroy people) of the people." (Num. 22:41). The purpose was for Balaam to spiritually "see" the extermination of the Israelites. Then Balaam the soothsayer went to a desolate height (sepi/sapa - barren height, baldness, nakedness [uncovered]/to sweep bare, to scrape off), but the LORD met him there and put a word in his mouth (v. 3-5). Balaam could only speak the word that the LORD had placed in his mouth, which was to bless Israel. The king was very unhappy. He took the soothsayer to a different place: "Then Balak said to him, 'Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there." (Num. 23:13). Taking the soothsayer to a different physical place was done with the hope that the soothsayer would then be able to see what the king wanted him to see - the destruction of the Israelites. But the LORD again met Balaam there and put a word in his mouth, and Balaam could only speak a great blessing towards Israel, including: "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel." (v. 23). The king was getting desperate and took Balaam to yet another place, to the top of Peor (Ba'al Peor/pa'ar - place where the idol Ba'al was worshipped by Moabite women prostituting themselves/gaping mouth of a ravenous beast) that overlooks the wasteland (yeshimon/yasam - desolate place, to ruin, laid waste) (v. 27-28). 

     This time, however, Balaam did not use sorcery but "raised (nasa - lift up, bear up, be exalted, forgive) his eyes (ayin - see above), and saw (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Israel encamped according to their tribes (sebet - rod, staff, branch, royal scepter as a mark of authority, tribe, a scion [meaning a notable descendant]); and the Spirit of God came upon him." He said: "...the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened (satam - unclosed, unveiled), who hears the words of God, who sees the vision (mahaze/haza - a vision in the ecstatic state/see perceive, look, prophesy, to have a vision) of the Almighty, who falls down (napal - fall down, lie prostrate, die, slay, smite out, falling in battle) with eyes wide open..." (Num. 24:1-4).

     The vision Balaam saw of Israel was glorious, including its coming King who will have an exalted kingdom. The end of Balaam's prophetic word regarding Israel was: "Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you." (v. 9). In having this vision by the Spirit of God, Balaam wasn't looking down from Peor, but he had raised his eyes.

     Now having both experienced and reported his vision to the Moabite king, one would assume that both Balak's and Balaam's lives would have been changed. Instead of seeking the extermination of Israel, it would have been wiser for these two men to align themselves with those to whom God had shown such history and world changing favor. However, this is not the case with spiritual blindness, even after God has allowed a person to "see". Both men continued on their paths of trying to exterminate the children of Israel. It is difficult for us to understand their choice.

     Isaiah described spiritual blindness this way in a prophecy to God's own people. The Lord said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed." (Isa. 6:9-10, Isa. 44:18, Mt. 13:10-17). Paul described the spiritual blindness that had come upon Israel in regard to their Messiah/Savior as being "blinded" with the veil that remained unlifted. The veil can only be taken away in Christ, Paul wrote. (2 Cor. 3:14-18). The Gospels tell of several of the physically blind who cried out to Jesus, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me", to heal their eyes and restore their sight, and He did (Lk. 18:35-43). However, the spiritual blindness of Israel that Paul spoke of would one day be removed. "All Israel shall be saved" according to God's covenant promise to them, Paul wrote, when God's prophetic timeline concerning the Gentiles is accomplished (Rom. 11:25-27). When Paul's own spiritual and physical blindness towards his salvation in Christ was removed, it is described in scripture: "Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized." (Acts 9:18-18). 

     Sometimes it seems that we take pride in our ability to spiritually "see" what the Lord reveals to us. However, it is not an occasion for pride, but for falling to our knees and thanking Him for removing our spiritual blindness by His grace and allowing us to see. Jesus told His disciples: "...blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."

     In other selections from this week's Balak Sabbath reading portion, God's people are warned to remember the lesson of King Balak and Balaam. Joshua delivered the Word of the LORD to the children of Israel, after they had settled in the land promised to them by God, to remind them of His interventions on their behalf from the beginning of their history. In part, the LORD told them: "Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose to make war against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he (Balaam) continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand." (Josh. 24:9-10). The LORD considered the incident of King Balak and Balaam the soothsayer to be so important that He mentioned it among His great deliverances of Israel.

     In another reading from this Sabbath, the prophet Micah brought the Word of the LORD, which was a call for Israel to return to Him. The LORD said: "O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove (Shittim - "scourging", border valley in the land of Moab in the east) to Gilgal ("rolling away", on west coast of Palestine), that you may know the righteousness of the LORD....He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Mic. 6:5, 8, see also Ps. 103:11-14). When the LORD removes the spiritual blindness from the eyes of His people, or blinds the eyes of His enemies, it is for the purpose of His people intimately knowing His righteousness. He expects us to "see" and live by what He has "shown" us.

     If you would like to know more about spiritual sight, you can pray with me: "Lord Jesus, You open the blind eyes and cause them to see. Lord, if there is any spiritual blindness in my eyes, remove it. Lord, let me appreciate the spiritual eyes that you have opened for me for my life, and show me how to humbly walk with You. As I speak Your name to others, Jesus, please use the occasion to remove any spiritual blindness in them and to open their (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) eyes. As I read Your Word, Jesus, allow the Holy Spirit to open my eyes to see its depth and wonders. Let my heart and my life be changed by what You show me. My song is "Spring up, O well!" within me. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Enemies

This week's Sabbath reading portion is named after one of the enemies that came against the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The title of this reading portion is "Balak". Balak was the king of Moab, a nation that bordered the land that the LORD had promised to give to the Israelites, the covenant descendants (from whom the Messiah would come) of Abraham. Balak's name means "devastator, annihilate, make empty, void". This brings to mind the condition of the earth before God spoke miraculously in Genesis: "The earth was without form and void." (Gen. 1:2). From his name we can see that this enemy, Balak, represented a spiritual enemy as well as a natural enemy. Up to this point in the Book of Numbers, or B'Midbar in Hebrew, we read how God had numbered His people, whom He called "armies" (Num. 1:2-3). The males of the Israelites, except for the Levites, who were of fighting age, "able to go to war", numbered 603,550 (Num. 2:32-33). If we add the Levites, the women and the children, the total number of Israelites in the wilderness was well over one million, and many believe the number could have been over two million. By the time we come to the account of Balak, king of Moab, in chapters 22-24, the Israelites, by the favor and might of the LORD, had already defeated other kings who had attacked them. For this reason, as the Israelites approached the territory of Moab, those people became afraid: "Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread (qus - sickening dread, grieved, abhor, loathing, cut, cut up, cut off) because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." (Num. 22:2-4). Here's something for the people of God to know about their spiritual enemies: while the Israelites were totally unaware of the ideas of Balak and the Moabites, the Moabites were sick with dread over the Israelites. The enemy's dread was so intense, that it caused them to loathe the people of God, according to the Hebrew meaning. The fear and loathing was so intense that the enemy sought to destroy, or cut off, the people of God in any way possible. Here's something else to know about the spiritual enemy: Balak, this devastator and annihilator, had a father named Zippor. Zippor means "sparrow, small bird, twittering, hopping little bird, skip around in a circle". I'm not saying that this spiritual enemy is not strong enough to "devastate" and "annihilate", but compared to the Father of the people of God, Who carried those millions of Israelites on His great eagles' wings, there's no comparison. We see this description when the LORD told Moses to say to the children of Israel: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega - see Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13) covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:3-6). In this week's Sabbath reading portion, we will see the awesome and terrifying might of the LORD against the enemies of His people. Can God not save His covenant people from little sparrows, no matter how evil? (see also Isa. 14:12-17). We will also see later what drives God to pour out all of His tremendous power against these enemies. Balak, king of Moab, sent his men to hire a certain sorcerer-soothsayer named Balaam (meaning "not of the people, foreigner"), son of Beor ("burning, stupid, dull-hearted, unreceptive, brutish, feed upon, consume"), from Pethor ("soothsayer"). (Num. 22:5-6). King Balak of Moab wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites, so that Balak might then be able to defeat them. However, God would not allow Balaam to curse whom He had blessed, and Balaam could only speak bountiful blessings over the children of Israel. (Num. 23:8, 11-12). Not only did Balaam bless Israel, but the Word of the LORD which Balaam received, revealed the shout of a King among the Israelites (Num. 23:21, 21, 24:7, 9). He compared the Israelites to a lion, which is the identity of the Messiah: the Lion of the tribe of Judah (see also Gen. 49:8-12). In Balaam's fourth prophecy, as he again blesses the people of God, he also again prophesies the Messiah (Num. 24:17, 19). When Balaam looked upon the Israelites, he prophetically saw the Messiah Who was to be born many centuries later. Balaam was not able to curse Israel, but we see that Israel immediately thereafter begins to "commit harlotry with the women of Moab". The Moabite women invited the people (of Israel) to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to (samad - fasten, bind, join, attach oneself to, combine) Ba'al of Peor, this Moabite god, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel. (Num. 25:1-3). Those who had joined themselves to the false god, Ba'al, were killed. Phinehas stopped this wholesale destruction of the Israelites by killing one man who refused to put aside his idolatrous foreign wife. Twenty-four thousand Israelites died in this plague from the LORD. (v. 7-9). It turned out, that this idolatry of God's people with the gods of the Moabite women resulted from Balaam advising King Balak to use this strategy to lead the Israelites away from God, leaving them vulnerable (see Num. 31:15-16). This is still a strategy used by spirits of darkness against God's people (see. Rev. 2:14). Although the LORD intervened powerfully to prevent the curse that the enemy tried to bring on His people, which was the devastation and annihilation that King Balak desired against the Israelites, the Israelites opened the door, invited it in, and brought a plague of destruction upon themselves. From another "Balak" reading portion of this Sabbath, a generation later, Joshua gathered the Israelites and demanded that they decide and commit to either the God who delivered them out of Egypt, or the false gods of the other nations. He demanded: "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served...Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." (Josh. 24:14-15). The Israelites agreed, saying, "We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God." (v. 18). As Joshua and the Israelites spoke of "the LORD", it is written in Hebrew as (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Yehova, or LORD. In another reading portion, titled Balak, for this Sabbath, the prophet Micah (meaning "Who is like YHWH Jehovah") brings forth the Word of the LORD concerning His great victory over His enemies. In Micah 5, the prophet brought a beautiful description of the coming of the Messiah-Savior, whose origin is from eternity: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrahthah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Iarael, whose goings forth (mosa'a/mosa/yasa - origin, family descent/rising, place of departure/begotten, break out, germinate, come out of, water flowing and gushing forth from a fountain) are from of old (qedem/qadam - ancient time, eternal, before-time/hasten to meet, receive, anticipate), fromn everlasting (olam/alam - perpetual time, always, continuous existence, eternity, hidden time/hidden, secret thing).' ...He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; and they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; and this One shall be peace." (Mic. 5:2-5a). This prophecy is emphatic that the Ruler who was to come had His origins in eternity and was eternity. Jesus (Yeshua- "Salvation of God") was continually existent before the beginning, although His natural birth was to be in Bethlehem. Even many Christians erroneously believe that Jesus' "beginnings" were at His birth in Bethlehem, but this is not correct. He was before time itself. He was, and is, and will be "always". From this amazing revelation in Micah 5, the prophet wrote of the LORD's complete victory over the enemies of His people, concluding: "And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury on the (aleph-tav) nations (goyim/geva - nations, people, heathen, Gentiles/body) that have not heard (sama - hear, perceive, obedient, discern, give heed, agree, yield to). We may think that this sounds unjust, but when we look at the Hebrew meanings, those who did not "hear" were those who refused to receive and obey what they knew. They knew because they were aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega nations, people, a body, that belonged to the LORD. These people would not be ignorant of the Lord, Jesus Christ. They would know, but refuse to receive and obey the King of Kings. Man is responsible for what God has faithfully and mercifully revealed to them. These aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega nations, divinely destined to belong to Christ, cannot make war against God's people, and then say, "Lord, I didn't know." In another reading portion from this Sabbath, the prophet Habakkuk (meaning "embrace,clasp") also wrote about this: "He (the LORD) stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled (natar - drive asunder, undo, shake (off), unfasten) the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting...The sun and moon stood still in their habitation...You marched through the land in indignation; You teampled the nations in anger. You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for salvation with Your (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Anointed (masiah - Messiah, anointed [same as "Christ"], anointed prince or priest). You struck the head from the house of the wicked, by laying bare from foundation to neck. Selah...When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble..." (Hab. 3:6, 11-13, 16). The prophet was terrified by what he saw and heard in the Spirit, as the LORD went forth for the salvation of His people through His (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) Messiah, or Christ in Greek. The LORD shook all of creation, stopping the sun and the moon, on behalf of the salvation He had provided for His people with the Messiah. A Balak-type enemy, the son of a "tweet-tweet, hop-hop" sparrow, cannot compare with our God marching forth on behalf of the salvation of His people. As for me and my house, we will fear and serve the LORD of awesome power and might. If you would like to know more about the LORD who shakes the heavens and the earth, and all of the nations on behalf of the salvation of His people by His Messiah, Jesus, you can pray with me: "LORD God, You are mighty and great on behalf of my salvation. You shake all of creation in order to bring me to, and keep me in, Your salvation, Jesus. You sent Your Son to die, to descend into Hell, and to be raised from the dead, to defeat all of the enemies of darkness that, like Balak, would try to destroy me, and all of Your people. Keep me from evil by Your Word, and by Your Holy Spirit, so that I remain steadfast in You, Aleph-Tav/Alpha and Omega Yehova, where my salvation dwells. I ask, as always, in the name of Your Son, Jesus, who saved me. AMEN."

Balak

This week's Sabbath reading is titled, Balak, and refers to the name of an enemy king of Israel. His name in Hebrew means "devastator, empty, void, to lay waste, annihilate, make empty". These meanings make me think of the character and identity of Satan immediately, and I also think of the condition of the earth before the creation as described in Gen. 1:2: "The earth was without form and void...". God alleviated this condition of devastation by speaking to it as we read the account of creation. In our Sabbath reading from Numbers 22, Balak is the name of the king of Moab who sought a man, Balaam (bal/am - foreigner, not of the people; nothing, not, else, become old, wear out like a garment, to fall away; grow dark; not of the people, not of the flock) to speak a curse against the vast number of the children of Israel, who were encamped by his land. King Balak sent messengers from the elders of Moab (meaning seed, progeny of a father) and Midian (meaning strife, contention, quarrel, brawling, discord), to bring this request to Balaam: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall 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." (Num. 22:6). We can see that King Balak, who represents the qualities of Satan, needs someone to speak the words of cursing over Israel. He can't do it himself. He has to find a man who is gifted in this prophetic speech. Both nations of Moab and Midian are familiar with God. Moab is descended, through an act of incest, from Abraham's nephew, Lot. Moses' father-in-law, who provided him with godly counsel, came from Midian. He was a priest of Midian, in fact (see Ex. 2:15-21, Ex. 18:6-24). So both of these nations had a relationship by blood or marriage to the Israelites, and had been at least familiar with God. Now both nations sought to have a curse spoken over the Israelites. Balaam, whom King Balak sought to hire in order to speak the curse, had a known skill in divination (Num. 22:7), and was paid with the rewards of divination. Divination here is the Hebrew word qesem, meaning "witchcraft, false prophet, to determine by using a magical scroll"). He also operated in sorcery (Num. 24:1). In addition, Balaam lived in Pethor meaning "soothsayer". Although Balaam used divination and sorcery, he was also familiar with the God of Israel, and understood that the Word of Israel's God was greater than any words of witchcraft, and His Words would prevail in any situation. So Balaam answered King Balak's request saying: "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less, or more." (Num. 22:18). However, God had already told Balaam: "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed." (v. 12). As King Balak continued to send more impressive messengers to Balaam, the soothsayer finally told them: "Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me." (v. 19). Balaam already knew what the LORD had commanded him, but he intended to press the LORD into saying something "more". As Balaam agreed to go to King Balak against the command of the LORD, the LORD even sent the Angel of the LORD to stand in the narrow path in order to obstruct Balaam (v. 24-27). Balaam had to strike his donkey to try to force the animal to continue. Again we see the will of a man trying to force its way past God. The capitalization of the words "Angel of the LORD" in my version of the Bible would indicate that the Angel is a pre-incarnate form of Christ, especially as the Angel confronted Balaam on an increasingly narrowing path (see Mt. 7:13-15). As Balaam accompanied King Balak to three different locations from which to try to curse God's people, he was shown, instead, the prophetic presence of the Messiah to be born among them: "The LORD his God is with him (Jacob), and the shout of a King is among them...a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion..." (Num. 23:20-24), and "...his King shall be higher than Agag (meaning "I will overtop", and future king of the Amalekites), and His Kingdom shall be exalted...he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who shall rouse him?" (Num. 24:7-9). Balaam also prophesied concerning the latter days and the Messiah saying: "I see Him. but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel...Out of Jacob, One shall have dominion..." (Num. 24:14-19). As Balaam looked upon the Israelites camped by tribes, the Spirit of God came upon him, rather than the usual spirit of sorcery, he pronounced the third blessing of God over Israel. Seeing Israel camped by tribes around the tabernacle in the order commanded by God, Balaam would have seen the shape of a cross formed by the encampment. Balaam was not able to curse the Israelites as King Balak had requested, and said: "God is not a man that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Num. 23:19-20). Later, the Apostle Peter wrote of those who are like Balaam: "...those who walk according to the flesh...have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." (2 Pet. 2:15). Balaam got involved and tried to force the Word of God to change, because there would be great rewards to him from King Balak for doing so. This also applies today. There is still, like King Balak, a "devastator, waster, and annihilator" among men, Satan, who is looking for someone to curse God's people for him, because, although he can lie and accuse, he cannot curse the people of God himself. Where better to find such a Balaam to do it than among those of whom Jesus said: "Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 18:18), and "...whoever...believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says...whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them..." (Mk. 11:23-24). Because we are part of Him, Jesus gave this authority to believers. It is a great blessing in the earth, but has it been misused as a cursing by those who name themselves after Jesus? Jesus also said this: "...I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." (Lk. 6:27-28). The Apostle Paul wrote: "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." (Rom. 12:14). The Apostle James wrote that this was a serious problem among believers: "And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity...it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell...every kind of beast...has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude (likeness) of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so." (James 3:6-10). Perhaps if King Balak were alive today, he would not have to look too far or too long to find his willing Balaam. If you would like to know more about speaking by the Spirit of God, rather than by the soul of man, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, forgive me when I have spoken in an unrighteous manner towards anyone. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit who will teach me how to correctly use the authority that Jesus has put in my mouth and prayers. Teach me how to bless and not curse, so that I may be trusted with the Words and thoughts of God. Isaiah said that he was a man of unclean lips, and that the lived among a people of unclean lips. I ask in Jesus' name that my lips, and the heart from which they speak, would be cleansed. AMEN."

Soothsayers

This Sabbath reading is about a persistent attempt to curse and destroy the people of God, specifically in this case, Israel. We can also see this same determined attitude against Israel, and all of the people of God, today. Jesus told His disciples: "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you...If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you...But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me...that the word might be fulfilled..."they hated Me without cause." (Jn. 15:18-25). Concerning the end times, Jesus prophesied a similar persecution: "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake." (Mt. 24:9). Jesus told us that HE and His Father, are the Ones against whom all of this irrational and murderous hatred is directed. Scripture tells us that because of this hatred, a particular false messiah, the antichrist, and a false prophet will come doing great signs and wonders because they have been empowered by Satan. From this week's Sabbath reading entitled "Balak", in Numbers 22-24, I think we can get a deeper understanding, not only of something that occurred thousands of years ago, but the root of what is prophesied to happen in these last days before the return of Jesus. Let's look at the beginning and root cause of this account: "Now Balak (meaning "devastator, to lay waste, to annihilate") the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid ("excite oneself, to dread, fear, to gather for hostility because of fear") of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread ("to loathe, abhor, sickening dread, to make disgusted or anxious") because of ("face, countenance, presence which causes to turn toward and approach or to turn away") the children of Israel...And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at the time." (Num. 22:2-4). We could state it this way: as the king and people of Moab looked at the great company of Israel, they had an irrational, sickening dread and loathing to such an extent that it stirred up violence, particularly in the one whose name means "devastator". This fear and loathing is the result of that "face, countenance, presence" that was present within Israel. In a similar way, Revelation 12:13 and 17 says that the dragon was enraged with the woman who gave birth to the male Child, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The dragon is enraged in this case by the woman because she gave birth to the male child. We will see the direct connection between the Sabbath account in Numbers, and a revealing of Jesus later. In our account from Numbers 22, we start out with a great fear and loathing towards Israel by the country of Moab. Because of this, Balak, "the devastator", the king of Moab, makes several attempts to connvince a soothsayer to come with him to curse the people of Israel. Balak understood that the battle against Israel could not be won by natural warfare, but would have to begin in the spiritual realm. This soothsayer sought out by Balak the king was named Balaam (meaning "not of the people"), son of Beor ("Burning, consume, burn up"). Balaam lived at Pethor ("soothsayer"), and he had quite a reputation as a practician of the occultic arts (see Num. 24:1), including the practice of sorcery (defined as "divination, incantation, enchantment, fortunetelling"), because the king, Balak, said to him regarding Israel: "See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse ("execrate, bitterly curse") this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall 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." (Num. 22:5-6). As this account continues, God and the Angel of the LORD, first forbid, and then directly turn the repeated attempts to curse Israel by the "devastator" and the "soothsayer", into the blessing of Israel, and a revelation of the Messiah. As Balak and Balaam travelled to different sites in their futile attempts to curse God's people, the prophet Micah would later reveal: "O My people, remember now what Balak, king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove ("Shittim- scourging thorns, to pierce") to Gilgal ("heaven, sacred circle of stones, roll away the stone"), that you may know the righteousness of the LORD." (Mic. 6:5). As Balak took Balaam to various places from which to attempt to curse the children of Israel, Balaam brought forth, these amazing prophetic words from the LORD, which he felt compelled to speak: "Rise up Balak and hear!...God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them...For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, "Oh, what God has done!" Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion..." (Num. 23:18-23). From among the people of Israel, Balaam heard the shout of a King, and a presence like a lion. Because of this "countenance" among the children of Israel, it can be prophesied and declared that there is no iniquity nor wickedness among them, even though we know from the scriptures that Israel displeased and sinned against the LORD on numerous occasions. Again, Balaam was compelled to prophesy: "His King shall be higher than Agag ("I shall increase", "I shall overtop", a king of Amalek), and his kingdom shall be exalted...He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you." (Num. 24:7-9). We can see that a special King is again prophesied, and we know from Balaam's description that this King from among Israel is the Messiah. Balaam then prophesies to Balak about the latter days: "Come, I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the latter days...I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star ("pertaining to Messiah") shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter ("branch, rod, staff, Shepherd's rod, mark of authority") shall rise out of Israel...Out of Jacob, One shall have dominion (tread down, rule)..." (Num. 24:14-19, see also Micah 5:2). As we see and apply by the account of Balak and Balaam, although the enemies of God will persist, by the supernatural tools of the devil, in the fear, hatred and persecution of God's people, especially in these end times, God has already put His Word in their mouths, as it says in scripture: "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him (Jesus) and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-11). The Devastator may come, but the King, the Lion, in the midst of God's people has already defeated him. God has promised that He has cut off the soothsayers and sorceries from the midst of His people (Micah 5:12). As we face these times, we can pray: "Heavenly Father, although the world becomes more and more hostile both to Israel, and to the people of faith, You have already spoken Your blessing, which cannot be overturned. You have placed the face of Your Son, and the shout of Your King, the Messiah, among Your people. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is perceived to be dwelling among Your people, and He will never be defeated. Every tongue, even those which have been dedicated to speak evil, will confess the name of Jesus. Those whom You have blessed, LORD, no man can curse. I want to dwell among Your people, called out of the world by Your Salvation, Jesus, Who died for me, and rose again from the dead for me as the stone was rolled away from His grave. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to lead me in the way of righteousness, "from the Acacia Grove to Gilgal". Help me to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God through His Son. In Jesus' name, I pray. AMEN."