Daily Devotion | Numbers 23:1–26 | 2026 June 03

Title: Daily Devotion | Numbers 23:1–26 | 2026 June 03

Scripture: Numbers 23:1–26 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 June 03

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

All right, peace to all dear brothers and sisters. We thank God for His grace. We have come to a new day, and we are studying Daily Devotion. The Scripture we are studying today is Numbers chapter 23, verses 1 to 26. Come, let us pray. Lord, we thank You and praise You for Your grace. Lord, thank You for leading us into Your presence. Lord, every day our hearts are filled with many things. Lord, we have not fixed our eyes upon You. Lord, we ask You to have mercy on us and lead us, so that we may truly, in such grace, come to know and experience You more deeply. Lord, be with us. Lead us, in this story of Balaam, once again to experience Your faithfulness and power. Lord, let us know that You are the God who protects us. Let us know that in such gracious protection, at times when we are unaware, at times when we do not know, You are so gracious to us and are with us. In Christ’s name, amen.

All right, come, Numbers chapter 23. Balaam, and we continue the story of Balaam. Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” Balak did as Balaam had said. On each altar he offered a bull and a ram. From what we see later, this is a burnt offering. Verse 3 says this is the burnt offering he offered. So here, we see that in Balaam’s understanding, the more altars there are, the better; the more sacrifices there are, the better. This is clearly somewhat different from what we have come to know about the true God as we have read from Genesis onward. This difference does not mean that God’s revelation is different. It is Balaam himself who has made a mistake.

Among Israel, including before the tabernacle, there was only one altar. Seven altars were not needed. But he built seven altars, as if this made it appear that he loved God more, that he was offering more gifts. Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me.” Then he went to a bare height. God met Balaam, and Balaam said, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” Of course, when we first read these words, it seems as if there is no problem. But I think here Balaam’s heart is revealed.

So Balaam has no true knowledge of God. The relationship between man and God, as he understands it, is a relationship of bribery, right? “I have prepared seven altars. On each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.” The meaning is as if he is presenting his achievement before God: “Look, I have offered so many gifts to You.” Therefore Balaam thinks that God is the same as he is, that God also values wealth and resources. The more money there is, the happier God becomes. So this kind of understanding of God clearly comes from paganism, right? He boasts in offering more cattle and sheep. He completely ignores that the God of Israel is a God who cannot be bribed. It is God who determines us; it is not we who determine God.

He uses this so-called method of manipulation: “I offer more gifts, as if I can make You change Your mind, as if I can make You listen to me.” Such tactics cannot possibly succeed before the God revealed in Scripture. So this is the issue. But this sentence writes Balaam’s heart very clearly. Balaam thinks, “The more gifts I give, the happier God will be.” All right, God says, “Go back and speak thus to Balak.” So Balaam spoke. He said that Balak brought him from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?”

“For from the top of the crags I see him; from the hills I behold him. Behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations.” So here, the words Balaam speaks are valid. They come from God. God uses Balaam, this stubborn and rebellious vessel, to speak words that accord with God’s will. So here we need to know that man’s words come from God. He cannot, especially in this situation, when he is going to speak an oracle, when he is going to prophesy, he cannot violate God’s command. He does not have that ability. Actually, it is not only that he does not have the will to do it; he does not have the ability to do it. He must say what God says.

This matter may sound a little surprising to us today. We may think, “Is this not something I myself say? I can say whatever I want to say.” Actually, it is not like that. I once read a testimony. There was a person who, when he encountered persecution, wanted to speak soft words, as if wanting to yield to that persecution. But what came out of his mouth were all words of strength and courage in God. I have read such a testimony.

Of course, it is not because of that testimony. It is because we believe in the power of God. These words are not what Balaam wanted to say. Balaam also could not speak words of curse. He had to follow the word of God. This is the power of God. What does he want to express here? It is that the Israelites are not ordinary people. They are not among the nations, which means they are a people specially chosen by God.

Verse 10 says, “Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel?” This sentence, these verses, express the strength and greatness of Israel. God once gave a promise to Abraham, that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore. The meaning here is that this promise has already been fulfilled. The dust of Jacob—who can count even a fourth part of them? It speaks of the great multitude of the people. “Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his.” Here it expresses that all people would hope to be joined to this people of Israel, to die as they die and to end their earthly life as they end theirs.

So in Balaam’s first prophecy, first he speaks of the origin of the matter. The king of Moab wants me to come and curse, but what God has not cursed, I cannot curse. What I have seen, what result do I obtain? This people is a people dwelling alone. This people is a people not counted among the nations. They are specially chosen. God’s will is especially upon them. This people is numerous, fulfilling God’s promise.

Third, all people are willing to be joined to this people. So here Balaam becomes a vessel through whom God blesses Israel. This also shows that among the Gentiles, God also wants to proclaim His will to the Gentiles, to Moab, to the king of Moab. Then what is the reaction? Balak says to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” Then Balaam says, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

So here, you see these two people. One spent money to hire someone to curse, but in the end the result is the exact opposite. The other person says, “These are the words God has spoken; I cannot fail to speak them.” Actually this is already a complete picture of man’s total failure before God. Two men: one false king, one wicked king, one false prophet. At the same time, Balaam also plays the role of a false priest. A wicked king, a false prophet, and a false priest—these three roles. Balaam is the false prophet and the false priest. These three roles want to curse the people of God. What is the final result? The final result is that they themselves suffer shame.

Balak says, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all.” The first place, the earlier place, was where Balaam could look upon the boundary of the camp of Israel. He could see the whole camp of Israel. The second time, Balak thinks, “Is it because you saw the whole camp of Israel and were frightened? Such a large camp—perhaps you were overwhelmed. Fine, I will bring you to another place, where you can see only a little of them. Then curse them for me from there.”

Verse 14: So Balaam came to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars. So here, although the text does not again explain Balaam’s inner activity or speak again about his psychological movement, have you noticed that by this time Balaam is already completely filled with his desires? In his heart he has already completely turned to Balak’s side. If we were to say that Balaam wanted to understand God’s will, then actually by this point God has already written it very clearly. If earlier there were some signs, right, such as his foot being crushed, those were only reminders. But here God has already spoken. That means that here it is impossible for you to accomplish the task Balak wants you to do, which is to curse Israel, right? The first attempt has already ended.

At this point, if you are a true prophet, even if you are truly dull, even if you say, “Before this I did not know. I am not sensitive as a person,” now you have come here, and you have already done this matter. Right? Now the word of God has already come. It has already been spoken clearly. It is impossible for you to go along with Balak. You can only go along with the LORD. At this time, did Balaam think about what he ought to do? If Balaam had even the slightest fear of the LORD in his heart, at this moment he would immediately withdraw, right? “I cannot continue doing this.” Right? “You called me. Before this, because of my dullness, I did not understand God and did not know God.” All of that could still be understood.

But now God’s word has already come. Now it is very clear. Which side are you going to stand on? Are you standing on the LORD’s side, or are you still standing on Balak’s side? Very clearly, actually, at this time Balaam has completely stood on Balak’s side. So when he speaks words of blessing, and now Balak says, “Come, let us go to another place,” he still follows him. Therefore he is completely following Balak.

So we say again: never be deceived by Balaam’s words. He says, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” It sounds as if he greatly fears God. But in fact, from the later three attempts at cursing, it is very clear that Balaam has already completely, in a definite way, bowed toward Balak. So here, if you want to speak of repentance, if someone truly repents, there were already far too many opportunities to repent, right? Therefore Balaam’s being killed in the end is a conclusion he appointed for himself, a conclusion he himself chose. It cannot be said that he was not reminded. So in this, when some people read Balaam’s story, they feel that every sentence Balaam says is very reasonable, right? He says they are words spoken by God, so how is he not pleasing to God? The reason is right here. If he wanted to turn to God, he could have turned long ago. But he completely did not. He still followed Balak.

All right, now they have arrived at this second place. Again, they built seven altars and offered seven bulls and seven rams. All right, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD over there.” All right, the word of the LORD came to Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” All right, let us say it again. This is the second oracle, Balaam’s second prophecy. It says, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor: God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

The meaning here is that no matter how you change your method, the matter that God is going to bless Israel cannot possibly be changed. This is being told to Balak. Because God cannot lie, and He also cannot regret or change His mind. God also cannot be bribed by you. “Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” So here it is once again seen that Balaam truly is a false prophet. Since he knows this point, and he also preaches this point, nevertheless he still wants to obtain Balak’s silver and gold, and he still wants to curse the Israelites. So this is—ah, this is why you discover that there are some people who know the attributes of God in their minds, but they are unwilling to obey the word of God. This is truly something that makes people sigh with sorrow.

All right, “Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.” It says, “He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them.” So in the second round of prophecy, what is Balaam’s emphasis? First, there is no evil in Israel. There is no trouble. Of course, regarding Israel’s being without sin, we know that the Israelites often sinned. So here you must see this in Christ. Therefore, at this time, the Israelites are being preserved by God. God, in Christ, sees them as having no evil.

God is with them. There is the shout of a king among them. God’s voice is among them. God is with them. There is the shout of a king among them. God is with them. The King rejoices. God is among them. God rejoices together with them. God delights in them together. This is the meaning. God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild ox. Here it is speaking of the strength of Israel. The previous prophecy spoke of Israel’s great number, that all peoples would want to be joined to them.

The second prophecy speaks of their strength. Verse 23 says, “For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel.” In this verse, the Chinese New Version translates it as, “There is no omen in Jacob, nor is there divination in Israel.” When translated this way, the Chinese Union Version gives the meaning. Although the original text may be closer to the New Version’s translation, “there is no omen” and “there is no divination,” in terms of meaning, I think the Chinese Union Version’s translation is correct. There is no kind of sorcery that can harm them. There is no divination that can harm them. Balak wants to harm Israel by means of Balaam’s sorcery and divination. This is impossible.

At the proper time, concerning Israel, there will be words spoken to Israel and to Jacob. At the proper time, it will be said what great things God has done for them. At this point, this is actually a prophecy. A prophecy of what? A prophecy of Israel. They actually cannot protect themselves. It is God who has done such great things for them. God brought them out of Egypt. This matter was already very great, was it not? This is the matter of redemption. God will also lead them into the land of Canaan. God will also lead the church into the new heaven and new earth. Who does all these things? All of these are done by God. So it is God who has done such great things. When the time comes, someone will say it; there will be words spoken. This is the translation of the Chinese New Version. The translation of verse 23 is, “At the proper time, words will be spoken to Jacob and Israel.” So, yes, the Chinese Union Version does not have this phrase, “at the proper time.” Because the translation of poetry is sometimes more complicated, more complicated, so comparing several translations can make it clearer.

Verse 24 says, “Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.” This expresses the strength of Israel. They are strong like a lion. Very clearly, this lion is going to enter again into this land of the Middle East, and it is going to rule over the whole region. So it will devour; it will come to occupy this place; it will not lie down. This prophecy refers to the fact that the Israelites will surely be victorious. It also warns Balak, the king of Moab: Balak, do not set your mind on going to war against this people. You will certainly lose.

Then Balak says to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” Then Balaam says to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?” So here we once again see Balaam’s shrewdness as a person. Right? He did indeed say this before: “I must listen to the words God gives me. You yourself were the one who came to find me.” But actually, these two wicked men, the wicked king, the false prophet, and the false priest, in their hearts are determined to resist God. Between them it seems as if, ah, there is still some disagreement, right? “Why are you blessing them again?” But actually at this time, you discover that Balak is also a person who is very much without—almost as if he has no sense in his head.

Right? He is single-minded in finding Balaam. Balaam has already told him that he cannot go beyond the word of the LORD. Now this has already happened twice. Why does he still want Balaam to do this thing? So here, the image of Balak is also very clear. He is single-mindedly determined to resist the LORD. He knows clearly that he has already failed twice. You spent so much money and invited such a person to come. In the end, what happened? You have already blessed Israel. And now you still want to continue. Below, there will even be a third time. So you can see that Balak’s heart is also stubbornly resisting.

So here, as we look at Balak, as we look at Balaam, and as we look at God’s protection over the Israelites, what do we see? First, God protects Israel when they do not know it. It is not because Israel invited some prophet, or spent a great price to protect themselves. No. God protects Israel out of His love. What is Israel in this matter? Israel is unaware and ignorant. They do not even know that there is such a Balaam, and they do not know what Balak is doing. They do not know any of this. They are simply peacefully obeying God’s law, and God naturally protects them. So here it tells us that as long as we quietly obey God’s law, there is absolutely nothing that can harm us. This is an expression of God’s love for His people. It is not because Israel did something. Wicked people want to harm them, but they cannot harm them. On the contrary, the curses, twice—the two attempts at cursing—became blessings.

The first prophecy explains that people will all come and be joined to the Israelites. The second prophecy tells Balak that the Israelites will surely be victorious. So this message, of course, for Balak, is a heavy blow directly to the head. But you can see God’s preservation of Israel. In addition, in this story, the two negative characters, Balaam and Balak, their collusion and their resistance appear ignorant and powerless. Balaam still hopes to use the method of seven altars, using more altars and more sacrifices, to influence God, as if God could be changed. But actually He cannot be changed at all.

So here it also reveals Balaam’s heart of loving the world. He has a wrong knowledge of God. He thinks that by using these methods he can manipulate God, but he will surely fail. He also will not obtain the silver and gold that he wants. What about Balak? Balak also cannot obtain the thing he wants. So the schemes, plans, and calculations of the kings of this world—this model of a wicked king and a false prophet using the method of false sacrifice to harm God’s people—will surely not succeed. God’s will shall surely be accomplished.

They stubbornly resist. They use false sacrifices. They use silver and gold to buy a false prophet. Such a whole model seems as if it is imitating Israel, but this kind of imitation is a clumsy imitation. God will certainly not hear their prayers. So here we see that God is the holy God. If He has determined to protect His people, He will surely protect them.

May God lead us, so that in this passage of Scripture we may once again see God’s love for us. May He also place before us the warning of Balaam and Balak, so that we do not follow them, but simply obey the will of God. May our hearts not be filled with such evil, not be filled with desires, so that we end up walking in error. Seeing so many hindrances from God, seeing that things do not succeed, and still insisting on going one’s own way—truly, may God have mercy on us. All right, today’s sharing will simply end here. Thank you, everyone.