Numbers 22–23: On Balak’s Ominous Cough, Balaam’s Greedy Perseverance, and the Beleaguered People of God (Bible Talk, Episode 50)

The story of Balaam and Balak raises an all-important question: “What will win out—the might of Moab or the promises of God?”

In this episode of Bible Talk, Alex Duke chats with Sam Emadi and Jim Hamilton about Numbers 22–23.

SHOW NOTES

1:41 / Who is Balak? What’s his job?

3:09 / Balak/Moab is nervous about Israel’s close camping, so what idea does he get?

4:22 / Why is Balak’s idea not smart?

6:24 / Who is Balaam?

8:18 / What happens when Balaam and Balak first talk?

9:25 / How does Balak switch his strategy to persuade Balaam to curse Israel after an initial “no?”

10:07 / What happens in the second conversation between the Lord and Balaam?

11:54 / Why is the Lord’s anger kindled against Balaam? What does the Lord then do?

14:06 / What lesson does God want to teach Balaam? And what’s comedic about it?

18:07 / Balaam doesn’t seemed even slightly shocked his donkey starts talking to him. What would you say to someone who thinks we should read this as a fairy tale?

20:23 / What do we see in Balaam’s first oracle to Balak?

24:50 / How does Balaam’s second oracle compare?

29:53 / What’s the big idea of this story?

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Painting: Balaam and the Ass, Rembrandt (1626)