Balak's Second Entreaty to Balaam Followed By The Threefold Activity of Balaam's Ass (Numbers 22:15-40).
No doubt feeling that the reason why Balaam had not come was because he was not satisfied with the price offered, ‘the rewards of divination' (Numbers 22:7) that he had previously sent, Balak sent even more important messengers to Balaam, offering him even greater rewards. He could not see why Balaam, the manipulator of gods, could not manipulate this one for him.
While what follows might seem strange to most of us, it would not seem so strange to those who are involved in spiritism and the occult. Evil spirits are still open to being contacted by humans, and although more modern ‘diviners' might talk with their cat rather than their ass, they would in many cases tell you that their cat spoke back to them. They are used to hearing what they consider to be voices from ‘the other side'. (How it is to be interpreted is another matter. Scripture indicates that such activities are connected with devilry - Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20).
But the description of Balaam's dealings with his ass are not just a matter of that, nor are they as trivial as they might appear. They are intended to bring out the extremely important point that while Balaam was mighty in dreams and visions of the night, in the broad light of day he was blinder than his ass. For in what next occurred it was not Balaam who took the central stage, but his ass. This put Balaam right into perspective. His powers were limited. At times even his ass saw more than he did.
Analysis of the passage.
Note the threefold consecutive pattern in the middle which is also repeated in the next series. There could have been no more emphatic way than this to indicate that Balaam was behaving like his noble ass when he three times sought to use his powers against Israel. To retain the perfect chiastic pattern the threefold activity g h, g h, g h could be treated as one, (as one large g). The threefoldness is deliberately inserted for the purposes of emphasis and in order to indicate completeness.
a Chieftains are sent from Balak (Numbers 22:15).
b They bring Balak's word to Balaam (Numbers 22:16).
c He offers great reward which Balaam is not convinced by (Numbers 22:17-18).
d Balaam tells the men to wait while he receives Yahweh's word (Numbers 22:19).
e Yahweh permits Balaam to go but is angry at his willingness to do so (Numbers 22:20-21).
f Balaam's meets the angel of Yahweh in the way (Numbers 22:22).
g The ass sees the angel and refuses to move forward (Numbers 22:23 a).
h Balaam beats the ass (Numbers 22:23 b)
g The ass again sees the angel of Yahweh and cowers into a wall (Numbers 22:24-25 a)
h Balaam beats the ass again (Numbers 22:25 b)
g The ass collapses to the ground in fear because there is nowhere to turn (Numbers 22:26-27 a)
h Balaam berates and beats the ass for refusing to move forwards and is answered (Numbers 22:28-30).
f Balaam's eyes are opened and he is aware of the angel of Yahweh in the way (Numbers 22:31-33).
e Balaam admits his guilt and is permitted to go forward (Numbers 22:34-35).
d Balaam meets Balak and receives Balak's word (Numbers 22:36).
c Balak points out he can give Balaam great reward (Numbers 22:37).
b Balaam says that he can only speak Yahweh's word (Numbers 22:38).
a Balak sends provisions to Balaam and the chieftains (Numbers 22:39-40).
Balak Sends Even More Important Messengers To Persuade Balaam To Come (Numbers 22:15).
‘And Balak sent yet again chieftains, more, and more honourable than they.'
Balak now set out to impress. In his next deputation he sent a more numerous delegation made up of even more powerful chieftains. The large party would have been an impressive sight, and that was Balak's intention.
Balak Offers Balaam Great Reward For His Assistance (Numbers 22:16-19).
‘And they came to Balaam, and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray you, hinder you from coming to me, for I will promote you to very great honour, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come therefore, I pray you, curse me this people.” '
Balak was now desperate. Note the formal style of the diplomatic message. ‘Thus says' (compare Numbers 20:14). Then the title of honour and identification, ‘Balak the son of Zippor'. Then the plea and offer of great reward. Then the statement of what was required.
Thus he courteously, but firmly, strongly expressed his desire for Balaam to come, with promises that he would promote him to very great honour. He assured him that he would fall in line with all his requirements. Nothing more could have been offered. He was at his wit's end. He made it clear that all he wanted was that Balaam would come and curse ‘this people', and that he was willing to pay any price to achieve it.
‘And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh my God, to do less or more.” '
Note the change of description, ‘the servants of Balak'. To Balaam this impressive deputation were but lackeys to a petty king. He had dealt with higher than these, and he was Balaam. He assured them loftily that wealth mattered nothing if the gods were not responsive. Balak could offer him all his treasure house, but it could not alter the situation. In this particular case where Yahweh was involved he could only act if Yahweh was responsive. He was not at the behest of kings, he was a servant of the gods.
“Yahweh my God.” This cannot mean that he was a worshipper of Yahweh for he was later found meddling again along with the Midianites (Numbers 31:8) seeking to subvert the children of Israel. What he was doing was pointing out to Balak that while he was on reasonable terms with Yahweh he was not Yahweh's master, but that Yahweh was his master. (To Babylonians he would have said, ‘Marduk my god'.) By ‘my elohim' he also possibly had in mind one of the particular ‘contacts' he would use through whom he expected Yahweh would speak to him. But either way he was stressing by it that he responded to gods, not simply made them do what he wanted. Like men gods had to be persuaded, and until they were persuaded he was powerless.
“ Now therefore, I pray you, tarry you also here this night, that I may know what Yahweh will speak to me more.”
So he informed the delegation that they must once again stay overnight in order that he might consult Yahweh and learn more from Him.