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📖 Check Your Understanding
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The Story
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“The children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho” (22:1). The Promised Land was right across the river.
Balak, the king of Moab, was terrified. “Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many” (22:3). So he sent for a man named Balaam: “Please come at once, curse this people for me” (22:6). The elders came “with the diviner's fee in their hand” (22:7). A diviner was a fortune-teller, and God's law forbids this (Deuteronomy 18:10).
But God told Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed” (22:12). Balak did not give up. He sent more important men and promised, “I will certainly honor you greatly” (22:17). Balaam answered with fine words: “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God” (22:18).
God's blessing on His people cannot be bought, and it cannot be broken.
The setting (22:1). Israel camps on the plains of Moab, the place where the rest of Numbers and all of Deuteronomy take place.
Balak's fear (22:2-4). Moab was “sick with dread.” The picture of an ox licking up grass shows how overwhelming Israel seemed.
Balaam (22:5). Balaam son of Beor came from Pethor “near the River,” the Euphrates. An inscription found at Deir Alla in Jordan mentions a seer named Balaam son of Beor, showing he was known outside the Bible.
A diviner (22:7). Balaam was a professional, paid by “the diviner's fee.” Joshua 13:22 calls him a soothsayer. He spoke of the Lord, but he worked for money.
“They are blessed” (22:12). God's word recalls His promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you” (Genesis 12:3).
A mixed heart (22:18-19). Balaam's words sound faithful, but he asks God again after being told no. 2 Peter 2:15 says he “loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
After forty years, Israel camped on the plains of Moab. They were right across the Jordan River from Jericho. Balak, the king of Moab, was terrified. He had heard how Israel beat the Amorites. So he sent for a man named Balaam. Balaam lived far away near the Euphrates River. People paid him to put curses on their enemies. Balak's messengers brought money with them. Balaam asked God what to do. God told him not to go and not to curse Israel. God had blessed them. So Balaam sent the men home. Then Balak sent more important men and promised a big reward. Balaam said he could not go against the word of the Lord.
King Balak was afraid. He wanted someone to curse Israel. But God said Israel was blessed. God protects His people.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
How does God protect His people?
Balaam saddled his donkey and set out with Balak's men. God was angry, because Balaam's heart wanted Balak's reward. “The Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him” (22:22). An adversary is someone who stands against you.
Balaam could not see the Angel, but his donkey could. “The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand” (22:23). She turned off into a field. Next she pushed against a wall and crushed Balaam's foot. Then she dropped to the ground and would not move (22:23-27). Each time, Balaam struck her.
“Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey” (22:28), and she asked, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” At last “the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord” (22:31). Balaam said, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me” (22:34).
God sees what we cannot see. He even used a donkey to stop Balaam and save his life. God loves us enough to stop us when we are heading the wrong way.
Permission and anger (22:20-22). God said go, and then He was angry when Balaam went. God saw Balaam's heart: he went because he wanted Balak's reward. 2 Peter 2:15 says he “loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
The Angel of the Lord. The malak YHWH (say: mal-AHK yah-WEH) sometimes speaks as the Lord Himself (compare Exodus 3:2-6). Many Christians believe the Angel of the Lord was the Son of God, appearing long before He was born in Bethlehem.
The seer who could not see. Balaam was famous as a seer, a man who claimed to see what others could not. Yet his donkey saw what he missed. A heart set on money becomes blind to God.
Three strikes (22:23-27). Balaam's anger grew each time. He even said, “I wish there were a sword in my hand” (22:29), while a real sword stood in front of him.
“Your way is perverse” (22:32). The Angel names the problem: Balaam's road was crooked before God. The donkey had saved his life (22:33).
Peter's comment. “A dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet” (2 Peter 2:16). Dumb here means unable to speak.
God let Balaam go, but He was not pleased with Balaam's heart. Balaam saddled his donkey and rode off with the leaders. On the way, the angel of the Lord stood in the road. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam did not. The donkey turned into a field. Then the angel stood between two walls. The donkey squeezed against a wall and crushed Balaam's foot. Then the angel stood where there was no room to turn. This time the donkey dropped down onto the road. Each time, Balaam got angry and hit her. Then God made the donkey speak! She asked Balaam why he had hit her three times. Then God opened Balaam's eyes. He saw the angel and bowed facedown.
Balaam rode his donkey. The donkey saw an angel. God made her talk! Then Balaam saw the angel too.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
What did the donkey see that Balaam could not see?
Balak took Balaam “up to the high places of Baal” so he could see the people of Israel (22:41). Balaam told him, “Build seven altars for me here” (23:1). Balak hoped the sacrifices would change God's mind.
But when Balaam opened his mouth, a blessing came out: “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?” (23:8). Balak was furious. “I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!” (23:11). Bountifully means very richly.
Balak tried again from another place, and God gave Balaam our memory verse: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent” (23:19). Repent here means change His mind. Balaam added, “He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it” (23:20). No trick could work against God's people: “For there is no sorcery against Jacob… ‘Oh, what God has done!’” (23:23).
God keeps His promises. No plan, money or magic can undo His blessing on His people.
Seeking the right spot (22:41; 23:13; 23:27-28). Balak moved Balaam from place to place, as if a new view might produce a new answer. God's word did not change with the scenery.
First oracle (23:7-10). “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?” Balaam even wished, “Let me die the death of the righteous.”
Second oracle (23:18-24). The heart of the lesson: “God is not a man, that He should lie.” The Hebrew word for repent here is nacham (say: nah-KHAM), to change one's mind. Unlike humans, God does not go back on His word.
“The shout of a King” (23:21). “The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them.” Israel's true King was the Lord.
Third oracle (24:3-9). No longer using sorcery (24:1), Balaam praised Israel's tents and repeated Genesis 12:3: “Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”
Looking back. “The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you” (Deuteronomy 23:5).
Balak took Balaam to a high place to see Israel. They built seven altars and offered animals. Balak waited for a curse. But God put a message in Balaam's mouth. Balaam asked how he could curse people God had not cursed. Balak was furious. He said he had brought Balaam to curse his enemies. Balak tried again on another mountain. This time Balaam said something even bigger. He said God is not a man, so He does not lie. God does not change His mind. When God promises something, He does it. God had blessed Israel, and Balaam could not change it. Balak tried a third time, but the blessings kept coming.
Balak wanted a curse. Balaam blessed Israel instead. God does not lie. God's blessing stays.
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Why can no one undo God's blessing?
After the third blessing, “Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together” (24:10). He said, “You have bountifully blessed them these three times!”
Then God gave Balaam one more message, about the far future. “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near” (24:17). Balaam was seeing Someone who would come long after he was gone. “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” A scepter is a king's rod, so this was a promise of a King. “Out of Jacob One shall have dominion” (24:19). Dominion means rule.
Hundreds of years later, wise men came to Jerusalem and said, “We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). And Jesus said about Himself, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).
God used even Balaam to promise a King. Jesus is that King.
The fourth oracle (24:15-19). Balaam looks into the distant future: “I see Him, but not now.” He sees a King: a Star and a Scepter from Israel.
Star and scepter. In the ancient world, a star could stand for a king. Genesis 49:10 had already promised that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah.”
Near and far fulfillment. David was a first fulfillment: he defeated Moab and Edom (2 Samuel 8:2, 14). But David's kingdom did not last, and God's people kept waiting for the Messiah, the greater King.
The wise men. They came “from the East” (Matthew 2:1), the region Balaam came from, following “His star.” Matthew does not quote Numbers here, but many Christians see in that star a reminder of Balaam's promise.
Jesus' self-description. “I am… the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Peter speaks of “the morning star” rising in believers' hearts (2 Peter 1:19).
Balaam's end. Balaam went home (24:25), but later his advice led Israel into sin at Peor (31:16), and he died in battle (31:8). Hearing God's word is not the same as loving it.
Balak was so angry that he struck his hands together. He told Balaam to go home. Balaam had blessed Israel three times! But Balaam had one more message. He said, “I see someone who will come some day.” This King would not come soon. Balaam said He would be like a star from Jacob. He would be a ruler rising from Israel. God was giving a promise about a great King. Many years later, wise men followed a star to find baby Jesus. Jesus called Himself the bright Morning Star. Jesus is the King God promised. He shines light into our dark world.
Balaam saw a star. A King would come someday. Jesus is the bright Morning Star. Jesus is our King!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
Why is Jesus called the bright Morning Star?
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📚 Story Questions
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The Gospel Connection
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The problem. Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15), and Balak wanted to curse God's people. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Our tricks fail. Balak tried altars, high places and a hired prophet. “There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the Lord” (Proverbs 21:30). We cannot save ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Star. Balaam said, “A Star shall come out of Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). Jesus said, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).
Curse into blessing. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). He died for our sins and “rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
The response. “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Trust Him: “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
The heart's problem. Numbers 22-24 shows two kinds of sin. Balak opposed God's people openly. Balaam spoke God's words while loving Balak's money. The New Testament remembers him for “the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15) and “the error of Balaam for profit” (Jude 11). Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned, the open enemy and the religious hypocrite alike.
The failed remedy. Balak tried every religious tool he knew: altars, sacrifices, high places and paid divination. None could move God: “For there is no sorcery against Jacob, Nor any divination against Israel” (23:23). Human religion that tries to manipulate God fails; salvation is “the gift of God, not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Star and the Scepter. “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17). Jews and Christians have long seen the Messiah in this promise. Jesus Himself claims the title: “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16). Later, wise men “from the East” followed “His star” to find the newborn King (Matthew 2:1-2).
The curse borne. God “turned the curse into a blessing” for Israel (Deuteronomy 23:5; Nehemiah 13:2). At the cross He did so for the world: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:13-14). He rose the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
The response of faith. Because “God is not a man, that He should lie” (23:19), His promises can be trusted. God “cannot lie” (Titus 1:2), and “all the promises of God in Him are Yes” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Those who trust Christ are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Unlike Balaam, believers are called to love God's word, not merely to hear it.
Balaam loved money more than he loved God. Balak wanted to hurt God's people. We all have sin in our hearts too.
Balak tried altars, mountains and money. None of it could change God's word. People cannot fix their hearts with tricks or gifts.
Balaam saw a star coming from Jacob. Jesus called Himself the bright Morning Star. Jesus is the King God promised.
Jesus took the curse of our sin on the cross. He died so we could have God's blessing. Then He rose from the dead on the third day!
God does not lie, and He keeps His promises. Everyone who trusts Jesus is blessed by God. Nothing can take that blessing away.
People sometimes love money more than God.
That is sin, and it hurts us.
Money and tricks cannot stop God.
Jesus is the bright Morning Star.
He died for us and rose again.
In Jesus, God's people are blessed!
👨👩👧 Parent Prompt
How did Jesus turn the curse into a blessing for us?
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✝️ Gospel Questions
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Memory Verse
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“God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
— Numbers 23:19 (NKJV)
💡 What This Verse Means
Balaam said these words to King Balak, who kept hoping God would change His mind. “God is not a man, that He should lie”: people sometimes lie, but God never does. “Nor a son of man, that He should repent”: here repent means change His mind. People change their plans; God's plans stay the same. “Has He said, and will He not do?”: if God says something, He does it. “Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”: make it good means keep His promise. The answer to both questions is yes, He will. Balak tried altars and mountains and money, but nothing could change God's word. When you learn this verse, remember that every promise God makes to you is true. The biggest promise of all is Jesus, who came just as God said He would.
Numbers 23:19 is one of the clearest statements of God's faithfulness in the Old Testament, and God spoke it through a hired diviner. God's truth stands even when it comes through an unwilling messenger. The first line sets God apart from people: “God is not a man (ish, say: EESH), that He should lie, Nor a son of man (ben adam, say: ben ah-DAHM), that He should repent.” Repent here (nacham) means to change one's mind. The Bible sometimes uses the same word when God relents and shows mercy to people who turn back to Him, but His character and purposes never change (Malachi 3:6). The two questions at the end both expect the answer yes: what God says, He does, and what He promises, He keeps. Balak thought God could be persuaded, bribed or worn down. This verse says He cannot, and that is very good news for us. Memorize it, and you will have a strong reason to trust every promise of God, especially the promise kept in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). It is easiest to learn in four short lines: two lines about what God is not, and two questions about what God does.
Balaam said these words to King Balak. Balak wanted God to change His mind. But God is not like people. People sometimes tell lies. God never lies. People sometimes change their plans. God's plans do not change. When God says He will do something, He does it. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. God kept His biggest promise by sending Jesus.
God never tells a lie. God does what He says. God keeps His promises. We can trust God! God's word is always true.
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