The big picture
Numbers 23 turns Balak's campaign into a repeated demonstration of what he cannot control. Seven altars, seven bullocks, seven rams, another hill, another view, and another round of sacrifice all fail to produce the curse he wants. Balaam's first oracle refuses the commission at its root: he cannot curse those whom God has not cursed. The second goes further, declaring that God's blessing is not available for renegotiation simply because Balak changes location or increases effort. Israel is pictured as distinct, accompanied by the LORD, and beyond the reach of the divination hired against it. Balak's demands shrink as the chapter proceeds. First he wants a curse; then he asks Balaam to stop blessing; finally he tries one more height at Peor. His arrangements multiply while his control disappears. The chapter ends beside yet another set of offerings, with the king still hoping that different scenery might somehow produce a different divine answer.
Central truth
Numbers 22–24 turns Balak’s hired curse into repeated blessing because Balaam can speak only the word the Lord permits, while his donkey sees the angel before he does.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Numbers 23:1: “And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.”
Slow down at the turning point
Numbers 23:17: “And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken?”
Keep this word trail visible
Balak, Balaam, LORD, seven, curse, here
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Numbers 22:1-14
A king hires a curse
Begin with the setting in the plains of Moab and Balak's fear. Explain that Balaam is a famous diviner from far away, near the Euphrates, whose curses were believed to work. Notice that Israel does not know any of this is happening; the whole account takes place over their heads. Then read God's first word to Balaam in 22:12, “they are blessed”. Teach this first so the class knows the outcome before the drama begins: the question is not whether Israel will be cursed but how Balak and Balaam will learn they cannot.
Numbers 22:15-35
The donkey sees what the seer cannot
Read the second embassy and Balaam's pious refusal, followed by his request to ask again. Then read the journey and the three encounters with the angel. Point to the irony: a professional seer, “the man whose eyes are open” (24:3), cannot see what his donkey sees. Explain that the Lord opens the donkey's mouth and then Balaam's eyes. Read 22:32-35 and the angel's verdict. Teach this as the hinge of the account: Balaam is allowed to go, but he goes as a man who will only speak the Lord's word.
Numbers 22:36-23:12
The first oracle: alone and countless
Read Balak's welcome and the first set of altars. Then the first oracle: “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?” (23:8). Explain “parable” as a solemn poetic speech. Show the two pictures: a people that will “dwell alone” and dust too great to count, recalling the promise to Abraham in Genesis 13:16. Read Balak's protest and Balaam's answer in 23:12. Teach this step to show that the blessing begins with the promises made long before.
Numbers 23:13-26
The second oracle: God does not lie
Read the move to Pisgah and the second oracle. Slow down on 23:19-20, “God is not a man, that he should lie”, and Balaam's admission, “I cannot reverse it”. Explain that “repent” here means change his mind. Then read 23:21-23: no iniquity seen in Jacob, no enchantment against Israel, the Lord with them as king. Admit that 23:21 is striking after so many rebellions, and explain it as the Lord's verdict on his covenant people, not a denial of the sins recorded. This is the theological centre of the unit.
Numbers 23:27-24:14
The third oracle: tents like gardens
Read the move to Peor and note 24:1-2: Balaam stops seeking omens, looks at Israel's tents, and “the spirit of God came upon him”. Read the oracle of 24:5-9 and its picture of Israel's camp as gardens by a river, ending with the promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee”. Then Balak's fury and dismissal. Teach it here so the class hears the blessing grow fuller each time Balak tries to stop it.
Numbers 24:15-25
The fourth oracle: a star and a sceptre
End with the oracle Balak did not ask for. Read 24:17 and explain the star and sceptre as royal images. Read the brief oracles on the surrounding peoples in 24:18-24 lightly, as statements about ancient neighbours, and do not map them onto modern nations. Show that Balaam goes home and Balak goes his way. Then tell the class that 31:16 and Revelation 2:14 reveal what Balaam did next, which is the subject of chapter 25. Teach this last so the unit ends on the far-off king, with a warning about the man who announced him.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
“God changed his mind about letting Balaam go.”
In 22:12 God forbids Balaam to go and to curse; in 22:20 he allows the journey but not the curse; in 22:35 he repeats the same condition. What never changes is “thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed”. The anger of 22:22 is at the way Balaam went, “perverse before me” (22:32). Numbers 23:19 states the principle directly: “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent”.
“Balaam was a faithful prophet because he blessed Israel.”
Balaam speaks true words because the Lord puts them in his mouth (22:38; 23:5). But Numbers 31:16 says the women of Midian caused Israel to trespass “through the counsel of Balaam”, and 31:8 records his death among Israel's enemies. 2 Peter 2:15 says he “loved the wages of unrighteousness”, and Revelation 2:14 says he taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before Israel. God can speak through someone whose heart is not his.
“Talking animals mean this account is a fable.”
Numbers 22:28 says “the LORD opened the mouth of the ass”. The text presents it as a sign from God, not as a property of donkeys, and 2 Peter 2:16 refers to it as a real rebuke. The point is the irony that an animal sees and speaks truth while the professional seer is blind. Teach the meaning and do not let the debate about how take over the lesson.
“Curses and blessings work by themselves if you say the right words.”
Balak assumed Balaam's words had power on their own (22:6). The whole account shows the opposite: no altar, no place and no fee can make Balaam curse whom God has blessed (23:8, 23:20). Numbers 23:23 says “Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel”. Blessing and cursing belong to the Lord, and he is not manipulated.
Learning objectives
- Explain why Balak seeks Balaam’s services.
- Trace the Lord’s restrictions on what Balaam may say.
- Describe the donkey’s three reactions before Balaam sees the angel.
- Explain the angel’s warning about Balaam’s way.
- Identify the pattern of blessing across Balaam’s oracles.
- Explain the significance of the star and sceptre language in Numbers 24:17 without overstating its timing.
Teacher preparation
- Prepare a location sketch of Moab’s plains and the successive heights from which Balak tries to show Balaam Israel.
- Keep the tension in chapter 22 visible: the Lord permits Balaam to go under a strict condition, yet the angel confronts him on the way.
- Mark the donkey’s three evasive actions and Balaam’s three beatings in 22:22–33.
- Chart the four major oracles in 23:7–10, 23:18–24, 24:3–9, and 24:15–24.
- Treat 24:17 with care.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Numbers 22:12 explicitly tells Balaam not to curse Israel because the people are blessed, establishing the issue before any journey or altar is built.
Scripture-supported
Numbers 23:19–20 states that God is not a man that he should lie and that Balaam has received commandment to bless and cannot reverse what has been blessed.
Strong inference
The speaking donkey episode strongly reverses expectations: the animal repeatedly perceives the angel before the professional seer does, exposing Balaam’s blindness in a scene with deliberate irony.
Possible or traditional reading
The reach of the star and sceptre in 24:17 is debated. Teach its royal, future language and later messianic connections without assigning a date the passage does not give.
Limit
These chapters do not fully explain Balaam’s interior motives at every stage, nor do they make divination acceptable. The Lord’s use of Balaam does not equal endorsement of everything Balaam represents.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. Why is Balak afraid in 22:2–6?
What a good answer contains
“Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many” (22:2-3). He pictures Israel licking up the land “as the ox licketh up the grass of the field” (22:4). So he sends for Balaam: “curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me” (22:6). A good answer sees that Israel had not attacked Moab, and Deuteronomy 2:9 forbade it. Balak's fear is real but his plan is to fight Israel through a curse. A weak answer misses that Israel was no threat to him.
Show teacher guidance
He has seen what Israel did to the Amorites and fears their numbers, so he sends for Balaam to curse the people he believes too strong for him.
2. What boundary does the Lord place on Balaam from the beginning?
What a good answer contains
On the first night God says, “Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed” (22:12). On the second, “If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do” (22:20). Balaam himself says “I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more” (22:18). A good answer sees that the boundary never moves: Israel is blessed, and Balaam may speak only what he is given. A weak answer thinks God changed his mind.
Show teacher guidance
Balaam must not curse the blessed people and later may speak only the word the Lord gives him.
3. What three things does the donkey do when it sees the angel?
What a good answer contains
She “turned aside out of the way, and went into the field” (22:23); then in a walled vineyard path “she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall” (22:25); finally in a narrow place “she fell down under Balaam” (22:27). Each time Balaam beats her. A good answer sees the narrowing: field, wall, no way at all. The animal sees what the famous seer cannot. A weak answer treats the scene as a comic interlude and misses that the donkey saves Balaam's life (22:33).
Show teacher guidance
It turns into the field, presses against the wall and crushes Balaam’s foot, then lies down when the path narrows completely.
4. What does the angel say about Balaam’s way in 22:32–35?
What a good answer contains
“behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me” (22:32). The angel adds that if the donkey had not turned, “surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive” (22:33). Then: “Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak” (22:35). A good answer sees that Balaam's journey was outwardly permitted but inwardly bent, probably toward Balak's reward (22:17; 2 Peter 2:15). A weak answer concludes Balaam was simply obedient.
Show teacher guidance
The angel says Balaam’s way is perverse before him and repeats that Balaam may go only if he speaks the word given.
5. How does Balak react as blessing replaces curse?
What a good answer contains
He takes Balaam to the high places of Baal (22:41), then to the field of Zophim (23:14), then to the top of Peor (23:28), building seven altars each time. After the first blessing he cries “What hast thou done unto me?” (23:11); after the second, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all” (23:25); after the third he smites his hands together and says “flee thou to thy place” (24:10-11). A good answer sees a king trying to change God's word by changing the view. A weak answer misses the comedy and the theology together.
Show teacher guidance
He moves Balaam to new viewpoints, builds more altars, protests the blessings, and finally tells Balaam to flee home.
6. What images describe the future ruler in 24:17?
What a good answer contains
“there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (24:17). The sceptre is the sign of a king, and the star a picture of a ruler rising in brightness. Balaam says “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh”, so the ruler is far off. A good answer notes that many Jewish and Christian readers have seen David and a greater king to come, and that Genesis 49:10 also speaks of a sceptre. A weak answer either ignores the future reference or presses every detail.
Show teacher guidance
A star comes out of Jacob and a sceptre rises out of Israel.
Responsible application
Heart and habits
Ask learners to compare having words available with having permission to speak them.
Relationships and community
Examine Balak’s repeated attempts to change viewpoint when the answer remains unfavorable.
When the donkey sees first
Use the irony of the animal perceiving the danger before the seer to discuss how status does not guarantee perception.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
A king's fear
Read 22:1-12. Take questions one and two.
The donkey
Read 22:21-35. Take questions three and four, and confusion three.
Whom God hath not cursed
Read 23:7-12 and 23:18-23. Take confusion one.
Balak's frustration
Read 23:25-27 and 24:10-13. Take question five and confusion four.
A star out of Jacob
Read 24:15-19. Take question six and confusion two.
Handout
Read the key verse and hand out the sheet.
90 minutes
Fear and hiring help
Ask learners why people pay for spiritual protection. Read 22:1-6 and take question one.
Two embassies
Read 22:7-20 and take question two and confusion one.
The road
Read 22:21-35 aloud with learners voicing Balaam, the donkey and the angel. Take questions three and four and confusion three.
First and second oracles
Read 22:36-23:26. Take confusion four. Read Genesis 13:16.
The third oracle
Read 23:27-24:14 and Genesis 12:3. Take question five.
A far-off king
Read 24:15-25 and Genesis 49:10. Take question six.
Balaam's end
Read 31:8, 31:16, 2 Peter 2:15-16 and Revelation 2:14. Take confusion two. Ask learners what it means to speak right words with a wrong heart.
Handout and prayer
Read the key verse together and thank God that his word does not fail.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Act out the donkey scene with one child as the donkey, one as Balaam and one as the angel. Let the children laugh, then ask who could see the angel. Explain that a king wanted Balaam to say bad things about God's people, but God made him say good things every time. Teach 23:19 in simple words: God always keeps his promises.
Youth
Ask whether anyone can force God to turn against his people. Read the donkey scene and talk about spiritual blindness in people who seem expert. Read 23:19 and ask what it means that God does not change his mind. Then read 31:16 and discuss how someone can say the right things and still do harm.
Adults
Give time to the structure: three oracles requested, three blessings, and a fourth unrequested. Discuss 23:19-21 and the Lord's verdict on his people. Discuss Balaam's character with the help of 31:16 and the New Testament references. Present the messianic reading of 24:17 as a long tradition without pressing every detail, and avoid political readings of the oracles about neighbouring peoples.
One to one
Ask the person whether they fear that someone or something can undo God's blessing on them. Read 23:8 and 23:19-20 together. If they feel blind to what God is doing, read 22:31 and pray for open eyes. If they are tempted by reward, read 22:18 and 2 Peter 2:15.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Numbers 22:1–24:25
The passage in brief
Balak, king of Moab, is afraid of Israel and hires the famous seer Balaam to curse them. God tells Balaam that Israel is blessed. When Balaam goes, an angel blocks the road; his donkey sees it and turns aside three times until the Lord opens her mouth and then Balaam's eyes. Balak takes Balaam to three high places, but each time Balaam blesses Israel instead of cursing, because he can only speak what God gives him. Finally he foretells a star and a sceptre rising from Israel.
A verse to keep
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Numbers 23:19 · King James Version
Questions to take home
What did God say about Israel in 22:12?
What did the donkey see that Balaam did not (22:23-31)?
Why could Balaam not curse Israel (23:8, 23:20)?
This week
Write out Numbers 23:19 and read it whenever you doubt that God will keep a promise this week.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
