Numbers 24 - When God Uses the Enemy’s Prophet

What’s Numbers 24 about?

This is the story of Balaam’s final prophecies over Israel - where a pagan prophet hired to curse God’s people ends up delivering some of the most beautiful messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. It’s a masterclass in how God can use anyone, even His enemies, to accomplish His purposes.

The Full Context

We’re reaching the climax of one of Scripture’s most fascinating episodes. King Balak of Moab has hired Balaam, a renowned pagan diviner, to curse the Israelites who are camped on his doorstep. But there’s a problem - every time Balaam opens his mouth to curse, blessings pour out instead. Three times now, Balaam has tried to earn his fee, and three times God has hijacked his words. The tension is building, Balak is furious, and Balaam is caught between his employer’s demands and the irresistible power of Israel’s God.

Numbers 24 opens with Balaam finally understanding that resistance is futile. Instead of seeking omens and trying to manipulate the divine, he simply looks out over Israel’s camp and lets the Spirit of God take over completely. What follows are prophecies so stunning in their beauty and scope that they’ve echoed through Jewish and Christian theology for millennia - including the famous “star out of Jacob” that would later guide wise men to Bethlehem.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew in this chapter is absolutely electric. Right from verse 1, we see a dramatic shift in Balaam’s approach. The text says he didn’t go to seek nachash (enchantments) as before. This word literally means “serpent” but came to mean divination or sorcery - there’s something deeply ironic about a serpent-charmer being tamed by the God of Israel.

Grammar Geeks

When Numbers 24:2 says “the Spirit of God came upon him,” the Hebrew uses ruach Elohim. This is the same phrase used when God’s Spirit came upon the judges and David. A pagan diviner is receiving the same divine empowerment as Israel’s greatest leaders!

But here’s where it gets really interesting. In Numbers 24:3-4, Balaam calls himself shetum ha-ayin - “the one whose eye is opened.” This could mean physically opened (some think he was blind in one eye) or spiritually opened. Either way, there’s beautiful irony here: the man hired to blind Israel with curses has become the one with true sight.

The poetry that follows is some of the most beautiful in the Hebrew Bible. When Balaam describes Israel’s tents in Numbers 24:5, he uses the word mishkenot - dwelling places. This is related to the Mishkan, the tabernacle. He’s seeing not just their physical tents, but their spiritual reality as God’s dwelling place among them.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

Picture the scene: you’re an Israelite in the wilderness, and you’ve just heard that the most famous prophet-for-hire in the region has been brought in specifically to curse you. This isn’t some village witch doctor - Balaam’s reputation stretched across the ancient Near East. Kings paid top dollar for his services because his words had power.

Ancient people took curses seriously. A curse from someone like Balaam could destroy morale, invite attack from enemies, and even affect the outcome of battles. The psychological warfare was real. But then something unprecedented happens - this enemy prophet becomes God’s mouthpiece, delivering blessing after blessing.

Did You Know?

Balaam’s reputation was so widespread that archaeologists have found inscriptions mentioning him at Deir Alla in Jordan, dating to around 700 BCE. Even centuries later, people remembered this prophet who could speak with the gods.

The original audience would have been stunned by the reversal, but also deeply encouraged. If God could control the mouth of their greatest enemy, if He could turn curses into blessings, then nothing could ultimately stand against His purposes for them.

When Balaam speaks of the “star out of Jacob” in Numbers 24:17, he’s using royal imagery that every ancient person would understand. Stars and scepters were symbols of kingship across the ancient Near East. But this isn’t just any king - this is a ruler who will crush Israel’s enemies and extend his dominion far beyond anything they’d yet imagined.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s what puzzles me about this whole episode: why does God use Balaam at all? Israel already knows God is with them - they’ve seen the pillar of fire, the manna, the victories in battle. So why orchestrate this elaborate scene with a pagan prophet?

I think the answer lies in understanding the audience. These prophecies aren’t just for Israel - they’re for the watching world. Balak represents the perspective of the nations: Israel looks vulnerable, displaced, dependent. But through Balaam’s unwilling testimony, God declares to the world that this people is untouchable, blessed, destined for greatness.

Wait, That’s Strange…

In Numbers 24:14, Balaam says he’s going back to his people, but then delivers even more prophecies. Why? The Hebrew suggests these final oracles came spontaneously - God wasn’t finished speaking through him yet.

There’s also something fascinating about Balaam’s internal struggle throughout this chapter. He clearly wants to please Balak and earn his fee, but he’s completely powerless to do so. This creates a kind of prophetic authenticity - when someone speaks against their own interests, you know the message is from God.

The progression of the prophecies is also intriguing. They move from blessing Israel in the present (Numbers 24:5-7) to blessing Israel’s future king (Numbers 24:17) to pronouncing judgment on Israel’s enemies (Numbers 24:20-24). It’s like watching the scope of God’s plan unfold in real time.

How This Changes Everything

The implications of Numbers 24 ripple through the rest of Scripture. When the wise men come looking for the “King of the Jews” in Matthew’s Gospel, they’re following a star - possibly guided by this very prophecy of the “star out of Jacob.” The Targums (ancient Aramaic translations) explicitly connected Numbers 24:17 with the Messiah, calling the star “the Messiah of Israel.”

But the deeper principle here is even more powerful: God’s purposes cannot be thwarted. When the nations plot against His people, He can turn their very plotting into blessing. When enemies hire prophets to curse, He can turn those prophets into preachers of His promises.

“God’s sovereignty is so complete that He can use a reluctant pagan prophet to deliver some of the most beautiful promises in Scripture.”

This chapter also establishes a pattern we see throughout biblical history. God often works through unlikely vessels - foreign kings like Cyrus, pagan sailors like those with Jonah, even donkeys when necessary. The message is clear: God’s purposes don’t depend on our cooperation, but our cooperation allows us to participate in His glory.

For the New Testament writers, Balaam becomes a cautionary tale about the danger of mixing ministry with mercenary motives. But Numbers 24 shows us the flip side - even when our motives are wrong, God can still use us to accomplish His purposes. That’s both humbling and hopeful.

Key Takeaway

God’s promises are so secure that He can fulfill them even through His enemies. When the world tries to curse what God has blessed, He simply turns their curses into prophecies of greater blessing.

Further Reading

Internal Links:

• Numbers 24:17 analysis

External Scholarly Resources:

• The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Numbers
• Numbers (The NIV Application Commentary)
• Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament
• The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament