Review & Intro: For the third time in the wilderness journey the children of Israel are coming to a rest. They stayed a long time at Sinai; they stayed a long time at Kadesh; now they’ll stay a long time here in the plains of Moab. There are certain resemblances to what happens here as to what happened earlier in those long campsites. Today's lesson shows the certain sovereignty of God and the unshakable certainty of His promise of blessing to His covenant people in the face of the attempt of their enemies to bring to bear a supernatural curse on them. 
Numbers Chapter 22 - Observation Questions
1. The sons of Israel had recently won two victories. News had spread that they were many and to be feared. Where did they set up camp next on their journey? vs. 1
2. The king of Moab was Balak. He had seen what the Israelites had done to the Amorites (vs.2) ... What made him fear for his own sake? vs.2,3
3. What did Moab tell the elders of Midian about the sons of Israel? vs. 3,4
4. Because Balak, the king of Moab, was fearful of Israel, he dediced to get a well-known "diviner" to bring a curse upon them for him. Who was the man that he sent the request to? vs. 5
5. Where was this "diviner" from? vs. 5
6. What was Balak's hope of what Balaam could do for him? vs. 6
7. What did Balak say he knew to be true about the words of Balaam? vs. 6
8. The elders of Moab & Midian departed to repeat Balak's word to Balaam. What did they take in their hands? vs. 7
9. How did Balaam answer them? vs. 8
10. God asked Balaam who the men were with him. (vs.9) ... Balaam told him they had been sent from Balak, king of Moab. He told God that the king wanted him to come and curse the sons of Israel so that he might be able to drive them out of their land. (vs.11) ... What was God's clear answer to him? vs. 12
11. Balaam arose the next morning and told the men who had come from Balak to return to Moab becaus the Lord had refused to let him go with them. (vs.13) ... The leaders went back and told Balak what Balaam had said. (vs.14) ... What did Balak, king of Moab "do" about it? vs. 15
12. Have you noticed when you stand firm against the temptations, many times a stronger temptation comes around to wear your resistance down? What is the Lord's promise concerning temptation? He will help us endure and find the way of escape. Do we look for the escape? Why or why not? Comment on the verse below:
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 -
13. What did Balak promise Balaam with the 2nd attempt of more distinguised and numerous representatives? vs. 17
14. Balaam answers that regardless of what Balak would offer him, he would not be able to overrule God's plan for the Israelites. It's not that he didn't want the house full of gold and silver, but he did not have the power to overrule God most High. (vs.18) ... Rather than to refuse the men based on God's first "clear NO", he has them spend the night so that he can see what kind of "deal" he might be able to strike with God. (vs.19) ... The Lord tells him "go ahead" if you want but you will only speak words I tell you to. (vs.20) ... Balaam got up the next day and went with the leaders toward Moab. (vs.21) ... How did the Lord feel about this and what did He do about it? vs. 22
15. Balaam was riding on his donkey and his 2 servants were with him. (vs.22)...What did the donkey "see" that the men did not "see"? vs. 23
16. What did the angel of the Lord have in his hand that caused the donkey to turn away from the road? vs. 23
17. What did Balaam do to his donkey? vs. 23
18. Where did the angel of the Lord stand after this? vs. 24
19. What did the donkey do when she saw the angel of the Lord? vs. 25
20. What did Balaam do to his donkey again?
21. Where did the angel of the Lord go after that? vs. 26
22. Since the donkey could not go to the right or the left, what did she do this time? vs. 27
23. What did Balaam do to his donkey again? vs. 27
24. The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey! What did the donkey say to Balaam? vs. 28
25. Balaam talked back to the donkey saying that she had made a mockery out of him. He said if he had a sword in his hand, he would have killed her by then. (awww....) ...vs.29 ...The donkey reminded him that she had been his donkey all of his life and had never been this way before...(vs.30) ... Then the Lord OPENED the "eyes" of Balaam to see the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn. What did Balaam do at that point? vs. 31
26. The angel of the Lord said "Why have you struck your donkey these 3 times? ..and then told Balaam he had come out as an "adversary" to him because his ways were contrary to Him (the Lord) ..vs.32 ...He said if his donkey had not turned aside the 3 times, He would have surely killed Balaam and let the donkey live. .. (vs.33) ...
27. What did Balaam say at that time? vs. 34
28. What did the angel of the Lord say to Balaam? vs. 35
29. Where did Balak come out to meet Balaam? vs. 36
30. Balak wanted to know what took Balaam so long to get there. (vs.37) ... Balaam wanted Balak to know that although he had arrived, he would only be able to speak the word that God put in his mouth. (vs.38). Where did they go together? vs. 39
31. Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep to his god (which would be Baal) ... and sent some of the food to Balaam and the leaders who were with him. (vs.40) ... Where did Balak take Balaam the following morning? vs. 41
Note: From this high place, they could look down and see a portion of the people of Israel, whom Balak wanted Balaam to curse.
Application:
32. We will continue the story of Balaam in the next 2 chapters, but at this point, we have seen that he went back and tried to deal with the Lord after the Lord had plainly told him "no". It might seem that the Lord changed His mind when He told him to go ahead and speak what He gave him to speak, but the bottom line is the Lord knew the heart of Balaam as he knows the heart of us all. Man may look at the outward appearance, but God looks upons the heart. Read and comment on the verses below to help us understand exactly what Balaam's heart was like:
- Read 2 Peter 2:1-22 - What is Balaam compared to or given as an example of?
- Read Jude 4-16 - What was Balaam's corruption a warning against?
- Read Revelation 2:12-16 - What was the church at Pergamum to know about Balaam? This truly tells us what he did in order to get the Lord to judge Israel.
33. When the Lord would only "bless" Israel through him and not allow a "curse" to come out of his mouth, Balaam led Balak to put a stumbling block to cause Israel to fall into idolatry and immorality. The Lord had to judge them for those things. Are we judged (disciplined) by the Lord if we fall into idolatry or immorality? Comment on the verses below:
- 1 Corinthians 5:11 -
- 1 Corinthians 6:18 -
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 -
- 2 Corinthians 6:16 -
- Ephesians 5:3-12 -
- Colossians 3:5 -7 -
- 1 Timothy 1:8-11 -
- 1 Thessalonians 1:9 -
- 1 John 5:21 -
34. Summarize the lesson and post a prayer if you would like.
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