Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown. Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyesThis phrase indicates divine intervention, where God enables Balaam to perceive spiritual realities beyond normal human sight. In biblical context, God often opens eyes to reveal His will or presence, as seen in 2 Kings 6:17 when Elisha's servant's eyes are opened to see the heavenly army. This act signifies God's sovereignty and control over human perception and understanding. and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road
The "angel of the LORD" is a significant figure in the Old Testament, often considered a theophany, or a manifestation of God Himself. This appearance emphasizes the seriousness of Balaam's mission and God's direct involvement. The road symbolizes Balaam's journey, both physically and spiritually, highlighting the divine intervention in his path. with a drawn sword in his hand
A drawn sword is a symbol of impending judgment or divine authority. This imagery is used in other scriptures, such as Joshua 5:13, where the commander of the LORD's army appears with a drawn sword. It signifies readiness for battle or judgment, underscoring the gravity of Balaam's situation and the potential consequences of his actions. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown
Balaam's response of bowing and falling facedown is an act of reverence and submission, common in biblical encounters with the divine (e.g., Genesis 17:3, Ezekiel 1:28). This posture indicates recognition of the angel's authority and Balaam's acknowledgment of his own position before God. It reflects a moment of humility and the acknowledgment of divine power and presence. Persons / Places / Events 1. BalaamA non-Israelite prophet or diviner who is summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. Balaam is known for his interactions with God and his eventual blessing of Israel instead of cursing them. 2. The Angel of the LORDA divine messenger who appears to Balaam on the road. The Angel of the LORD is often seen as a theophany, a visible manifestation of God Himself, which is significant in this encounter. 3. The Road to MoabThe setting of this encounter, where Balaam is traveling to meet Balak. The road symbolizes Balaam's journey and the spiritual crossroads he faces. 4. BalakThe king of Moab who fears the Israelites and seeks Balaam's help to curse them. His actions set the stage for Balaam's journey and the divine intervention. 5. The DonkeyBalaam's donkey, which sees the Angel of the LORD before Balaam does, and attempts to avoid the angel, leading to Balaam's eyes being opened by God. Teaching Points Divine InterventionGod intervenes in our lives, often in unexpected ways, to guide us back to His path. We must be open to recognizing His presence and direction. Spiritual BlindnessLike Balaam, we can be spiritually blind to God's work around us. We should pray for God to open our eyes to His truth and guidance. Humility Before GodBalaam's response of bowing low and falling facedown is a model of humility and reverence before God. We should approach God with the same attitude of submission. God's SovereigntyDespite human intentions, God's will prevails. Balaam's account reminds us that God's plans cannot be thwarted by human actions. Listening to God's VoiceBalaam's encounter teaches us the importance of listening to God's voice, even when it contradicts our own desires or plans. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Balaam's encounter with the Angel of the LORD challenge our understanding of spiritual awareness in our daily lives? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we are spiritually open to seeing God's interventions in our lives, similar to Balaam's experience? 3. How does Balaam's response to the Angel of the LORD inform our own posture and attitude in worship and prayer? 4. What are some modern-day "roads" we travel that might require divine intervention, and how can we be attentive to God's guidance? 5. How do the accounts of divine encounters in the Bible, such as Balaam's, encourage us to trust in God's sovereignty and ultimate plan for our lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 16:7-13The Angel of the LORD appears to Hagar, showing the recurring theme of divine intervention and guidance. 2 Kings 6:17Elisha prays for his servant's eyes to be opened to see the heavenly army, paralleling Balaam's eyes being opened to see the Angel of the LORD. Acts 9:3-8Saul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, where his spiritual eyes are opened, similar to Balaam's experience. | A Rotting Conscience | H. W. Beecher. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam | C. Kingsley, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam Rebuked, But not Checked | T. T. Munger. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam Stopped by an Angel | J. Parker, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam the Man of Double Mind | C. Ness. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam, an Instance of Moral Perversion | W. M. Taylor, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam; Or, Spiritual Influence, Human and Divine | Homilist | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam's Ass | W. Jones. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam's Ass, or Cruelty Rebuked | J. W. Hardman, LL. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam's I have Sinned | James Vaughan, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam's Protest | W. Roberts. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balaam's Vision | J. P. Smith, LL. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Balak's Second Application to Balaam | W. Jones. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Dallying with Temptation | T. T. Munger. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | God Answers Men as They Wish | Isaac Williams, B. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | God Permits Balaam to Go, and Yet is Angry | F. D. Maurice, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | God Withstanding Sinners | J. J. Van Oosterzee, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | God's Opposition to Balaam | Henry, Matthew | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Gold an Ignoble Motive for Service | C. Kingsley. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | No Contradiction Between God's Two Answers to Balaam | T. T. Manger. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | No Without Any Yes in It | S. S. Chronicle | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Obedience Without Love, as Instanced in the Character Of | J. H. Newman, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Obstacles to Vision | J. Halsey. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Obstructive Providences | T. G. Horton. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | On Tampering with Conscience | A. Jessopp, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Parallels to the Case of Balaam | American S. S. Times | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Perversion as Shown in the Character of Balaam | F. W. Robertson, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Restraints from Sin | D. G. Watt, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Sin Perverse | Bp. Babington. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Something Wrong with Conscience | Christian Age | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Cause of God's Anger with Balaam | S. Cox, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Character of Balaam | G. Wagner. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Divine Permission of Self-Will | S. Cox, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Opposition of God's Angel | W. Roberts. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Talking Ass, and What it Taught Balaam | S. Cox, D. D. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Way of the Perverse | T. De Witt Talmage. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Trifling with Conscience | J. E. C. Welldon, M. A. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | Withstanding Temptation | Juvenile Templar. | Numbers 22:15-35 | | The Angel, the Prophet, and the Ass | D. Young | Numbers 22:22-35 | | Balaam - the Arrest | J. Waite | Numbers 22:31-35 |
People Amorites, Balaam, Balak, Beor, Israelites, Moabites, Moses, ZipporPlaces Amaw, Arnon, Bamoth-baal, Egypt, Euphrates River, Jericho, Jordan River, Kiriath-huzoth, Midian, Moab, PethorTopics Angel, Balaam, Balaam's, Bowed, Boweth, Drawn, Face, Facedown, Fell, Flat, Ground, Low, Messenger, Obeisance, Open, Opened, Prostrated, Road, Seeeth, Standing, Sword, UncoverethDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 22:31 4140 angel of the Lord
5138 bowing
5174 prostration
5480 protection
5572 sword Numbers 22:21-35 4111 angels, servants Numbers 22:27-31 5263 communication Numbers 22:31-34 8319 perception, spiritual Numbers 22:31-35 6735 repentance, examples Library Balaam
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.'--NUM. xxii. 6. Give a general outline of the history. See Bishop Butler's great sermon. I. How much knowledge and love of good there may be in a bad man. Balaam was a prophet: (a) He knew something of the divine character, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureConfession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
The Hardened Sinner. PHARAOH--"I have sinned."--Exodus 9:27. I. The first case I shall bring before you is that of the HARDENED SINNER, who, when under terror, says, "I have sinned." And you will find the text in the book of Exodus, the 9th chap. and 27th verse: "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." But why this confession from the lips of the haughty tyrant? He was not often wont to …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857 The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
Assur-nazir-pal (885-860) and Shalmaneser III. (860-825)--The kingdom of Urartu and its conquering princes: Menuas and Argistis. Assyria was the first to reappear on the scene of action. Less hampered by an ancient past than Egypt and Chaldaea, she was the sooner able to recover her strength after any disastrous crisis, and to assume again the offensive along the whole of her frontier line. Image Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a bas-relief at Koyunjik of the time of Sennacherib. The initial cut, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7 Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God How the Whole and the Sick are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 13.) Differently to be admonished are the whole and the sick. For the whole are to be admonished that they employ the health of the body to the health of the soul: lest, if they turn the grace of granted soundness to the use of iniquity, they be made worse by the gift, and afterwards merit the severer punishments, in that they fear not now to use amiss the more bountiful gifts of God. The whole are to be admonished that they despise not the opportunity of winning health for ever. …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Numbers 22:31 NIVNumbers 22:31 NLTNumbers 22:31 ESVNumbers 22:31 NASBNumbers 22:31 KJV
Numbers 22:31 Commentaries
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