The Story

A few introductory words with the map may be useful. The children of Israel had journeyed up through the picturesque country east of the Dead Sea, crossing the brook Zered and the Arnon. They passed east of Edom and Moab and left Ammon on their right (the three nations which they should not harm). North of Arnon they found the Amorites, whose king was Sihon, whom they fought and conquered. They kept on across the Jabbok and conquered the people of Bashan and their king Og, who was of a race of giants. You read this story in Num. 21, and more fully in Deut. 2 and 3. Now the children of Israel were resting in the meadows by the Jordan.

After their journey and after wars with people living in this country east of Jordan, the children of Israel were resting in the meadows by the river. The land of Moab was nearby, and Balak, the king of Moab, was afraid of them and wished to do them harm by bringing a prophet to curse them, to predict bad things for them. Far away to the east in the land beyond the Euphrates River there were still some people who had knowledge of the Lord and heavenly things handed down from ancient times. It was probably in this same country that the wise men lived long afterward who saw the star at the Lord's coming. Among those people at the time of our story lived a prophet named Balaam.

So the king of Moab consulted and sent messengers to Balaam with a present, asking him to come and curse the people of Israel, for they believed that what Balaam would say would come true. Balaam would gladly have done what they asked, but the Lord forbade him and he dared not go. Balak sent more and more honorable messengers than at first. Balaam wished in his heart to go with them, and this time the Lord let him go, but charged him to speak only the words which the Lord should give him.

As Balaam went with the messengers of Balak, riding upon his ass, wishing to do harm to Israel, the Lord sent His angel to meet him in the way to warn him again to speak only the words which the Lord would give him. We must read this part of the story (Num. 22:21-35), how the ass stopped three times when the angel stood in the way and at last Balaam's eyes were open to see the angel, and once more he was warned to speak only the Lord's words.

See where the children of Israel were camping by the Jordan. See how they had come. They had left Edom and Moab and Ammon undisturbed (Why?), but had fought with the Amorites north of Arnon and with the people of Bashan north of the Jabbok, and conquered them. Balak, king of Moab, feared the children of Israel and tried in a subtle way to harm them, sending for Balaam the prophet to curse them.

Where was Balaam's home? We read in Num. 23:7, "Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram out of the mountains of the east." Again he is called "Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia." (Deut. 23:4) You remember the names Aram and Mesopotamia as names of the land beyond the Euphrates in the story of Abraham and Jacob. Read how the Lord at first forbade Balaam to go, and then repeatedly and severely charged him to speak only the words which the Lord should give him to speak. It was because Balaam wished in his heart to do Israel harm, and although he spoke a blessing from the Lord he consulted with Balak and showed him how to lead the people of Israel astray into idolatry and wickedness. We are told this in Rev. 2:14 and in Num. 31:16. This is made still plainer by Swedenborg in R. 114 and E. 140, in which this verse of Revelation is explained.

Read especially the verses about the angel and the ass in the account of Balaam's journey. We read that the ass spoke to Balaam. It seemed so to him. We know that an ass has neither the mind nor the mouth to speak a human language; but for the sake of the lesson to Balaam and to us, it was provided by the Lord that the words should seem to come from the ass.

1. Who was the king of Moab? Why did he send for Balaam? Who was Balaam?

2. Where was Balaam's home?

3. What was the result of Balak's first sending? Of his second sending?

4. What happened to Balaam on his journey?

5. What did Balaam wish in his heart to do to Israel? How did he accomplish it?

Spiritual Study

Notice the references to the Ancient Word in Num. 21:14 and 27. The Ancient Word was a Scripture given to the Ancient Church before our Scripture was written. "The book of the wars of Jehovah" was an historical book, and "They that speak in proverbs" was a prophetic book of the Ancient Word. Read about them in T. 279.

It is interesting to see in this story of Balaam evidence of remnants of heavenly knowledge from the Ancient Church, enduring in the eastern country from which Balaam came, probably the same country from which the wise men came to worship the infant Lord. (A. 1366, 1675, 4112)

It is of interest to read the passages in R. 114 and E. 140 explaining Rev. 2:14. They bring out clearly the desire of Balaam to destroy Israel, and his advice to Balak which brought them into evil.

Read in E. 140 what is said about the appearance that the ass spoke, for it was an appearance and not an actual fact. Consider also the lesson of this incident. The ass, we know, represents quite natural faculties of understanding and the rider represents the higher spiritual nature. May it be sometimes when we are perverse and set upon some wrong course that we are not open to interior guidance from the Lord, and in His providence He must meet us in quite external ways, blocking us in courses of action which we are following, compelling us by force of circumstance and necessity to refrain and perhaps to take a safer course? Are not such dealings of the Lord's providence pictured in this blocking of the way to Balaam's ass?

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