Men of Renown – Part x – The Parables of Balaam

Men of Renown

Part x

Balaam

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:4) And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

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   This series called Men of Renown will begin with these verses in Chapter 6 of the book of Genesis because it is the perfect scene setter for whatever and whoever follows that enables men of renown to act in conflict against God and His Word. Genesis 6 verses 4 and 5 are an accurate definition of men of renown.

   The phrase ‘men of renown’ occurs in the Bible only two times. The second and last mention can be found in the 4th book of the Pentateuch in the book of Numbers, Chapter 16. This last mention of ‘men of renown’ goes beyond the definition of men of renown and expands what ‘men of renown’ are not only capable of, but what lurks in the inner most recesses of their thoughts.

   Although most readers will probably not begin with Men of Renown Part i, ii, iii, iv and v, I suggest that to get more from this particular article, Part x, you should first read Balaam Part vi, and maybe vii, viii, and ix, but that’s just my opinion. . . .

 

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The Parables of Balaam

  Truth through a comparison as an allegory sometimes can be a moral truth or a lesson spoken by the Holy Spirit of God not only prophetically to reveal God’s future plan, but a parable can also teach past or present truths. (Wow . . . just wow . . . as the Word of God has no limits on the voice of God. As the Word cannot be repressed, so also a parable cannot be caged as a bird, nor can it be cut into crisp clean categories.) Many see a parable as just merely a fable or as a myth, but the Word of God doesn’t instruct through myths; God doesn’t have to use myths because there are enough moral lessons to be seen in mankind every second of his existence on earth. As types, symbols, and even colors teach, so also a parable teaches. Simply stated: a parable TEACHES.

    WHY does God have to teach mankind? And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.(Genesis 2:15)And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (Genesis 2:16) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)

   Adam already KNEW GOOD because GOD is GOOD. Adam already KNEW GOOD because all around him was GOOD. Adam already KNEW GOOD because he walked with and fellowshipped with his GOOD Creator in peace and in harmony. Adam already KNEW GOOD because he lived in GOODNESS, in a GOOD paradise, without need and with purpose. 

   God HAS to teach mankind because man is not able to instruct himself of things that are good, true, and moral because mankind is neither good, nor true, nor is mankind moral. Every child HAS to be taught to be good, do good, and to act in goodness because from an early age ALL children already know how to lie, because within ALL there is the sin element passed upon ALL from Adam. (This can be called the sin DNA, or the inheritance code that changed and controls the makeup of mankind. Our DNA system was created along the lines of what we refer to as the internet wireless system where even words, language, thoughts, and emotions can traumatically effect our DNA as sin instantaneously travels through the veins of men stained with the blood of sin.) Thousands of years removed from the creation of Adam, his DNA and the DNA within his descendants has been dramatically altered by the evolution of sin because as Adam was created in the image of God, all of Adam’s descendants (outside of the sons of God) have evolved from the image of God into the image of beasts. This is true evolution at work, and this is the only form of evolution that is true and real. How far has mankind fallen . . . from the image of God into images of beasts!

    WHAT does God teach mankind? Through His Word (propelled by His Holy Spirit), God teaches mankind ALL that is needed to be accepted by Him. God teaches mankind ALL that mankind can comprehend about Him and His divine nature: His purposes, His plan, and His Redeemer Christ, the Son of God. One point in God’s lesson plan is to teach mankind what he has become in Adam. This is one area in God’s teaching program that mankind has difficulty with. Most will admit to being sinners, however, after this admission practically all are unable to define what sin is according to God’s definition; therefore, God teaches through comparisons, and parables what man cringes at . . . that God sees ALL of the human race for what they are: unclean . . . foul . . . filthy . . . impure . . . unwashed. Do you need more synonyms? Then on top of this, God piles on more lessons. In spite of God’s perfect assessment of the race of man, mankind’s appraisal of himself is predicated on two lies: and ye shall be as gods, and Ye shall not surely die. This totally attempts to negate God’s word: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17) Negating or disagreeing with God’s word does not nullify God’s word. Saying that there is no God, does not make it so. Saying that the Word of God is a myth, does not make it so. Just saying anything does not make it so. This is where mankind crumbles into the black hole in insanity. How do I know that mankind has fallen below the survival instincts of the realm of animals? Creatures of nature instinctively react to survive, but not man. Man has proven through insane statements and demented behavior that he believes to be what he is not. Mythland and LaLaLand are not places that mankind can thrive or survive in.

   The race of man deifies, and cerebrally idolizes himself; however, he lacks a very essential quality . . . godly wisdom. Not just any wisdom, but the wisdom needed to live a life that brings peace. I am not writing about national or world peace, but the peace within the soul, heart and spirit. You know the peace that I am referring to . . . . THAT peace . . . THAT peace that can only be experienced and realized when a person is finally at peace with God.

   Godly wisdom (or just common day . . . common sense . . . wisdom) is not the only essential quality outside of the thoughts of mankind, but man’s ability to discern between good and evil is nonexistent in his world of contagious insanity.

And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; (Leviticus 10:10)

Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed [difference] between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. (Ezekiel 22:26)

And they shall teach my people [the difference] between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. (Ezekiel 44:23)

   The Old Testament is saturated with objects, animals, birds, and acts that were considered clean or unclean by God to TEACH Israel the principle that there is a spiritual need to distinguish between clean and unclean: sin and righteousness. The principle is that sin is the unclean element within mankind, and everything that he touches, he contaminates; this lesson in teaching Israel to distinguish everything, whether in food selection, in objects, in animals, and even on the walls of homes was to teach the hideous depth and nature of sin. (Leviticus 14)

  Both the New and the Old Testament deal with the same principle of discerning between clean and unclean; one teaches the many ways that sin physically ravages nature and man, thus requiring constant awareness and diligence in every decision mankind makes; the New Testament further develops this same principle of clean and unclean (sin and righteousness) to a higher spiritual plane in that Christ alone removes sin and makes the sinner clean, and that the root of sin is not outward, but within. (Mark 1:40, 41; Acts 10:14, 15; Matthew 15:11)

   I find that the subject of parables is extremely vast in not only where they are found in Scripture, but also who is using this method of instruction. Whenever the subject of parables is mentioned, almost immediately all think of the parables spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ, however, notice a very interesting point about parables. In the New Testament ONLY the Lord Jesus Christ spoke using parables. (In the gospel of John, for instance, the Lord Jesus used a double phrase of ‘Verily, verily‘ to distinguish or set apart the words that followed ‘Verily, verily‘ as richly instructive parables and connecting past, present, and future moral truths and lessons.) In the Old Testament, Job spoke parables, the psalmist Asaph used parables in song, David spoke parables in song, Solomon used parables, Ezekiel spoke in a parable, and although the word ‘parable’ is recorded in the book of Micah and in the book of Habakkuk it refers to a future time and about a specific entity who swallowed up the world with lies. It is Balaam who is our center piece in these articles of Men of Renown, and it is Balaam who spoke in parables in the book of Numbers in Chapters 23 and 24. The surprising revelation to me was to see that in the book of Numbers and through Balaam more parables were spoken and documented then in any other Old Testament books.

    Can truth come from the mouth of a corrupt priest and prophet? I believe that this question was already answered in a previous article on Balaam when the ass of Balaam spoke. Since Balaam’ ass spoke truth, why could not Balaam’s mouth also speak truth? It was God who untied the strings of the tongue of Balaam’s beast of burden; therefore, it was no great thing for God to capture, tie and control the tongue of this human beast of burden with the words of truth. Let us consider the following references, and the prophecies within these parables.

    The word ‘parable‘ is mentioned seven times, and through this exact number of seven we have God’s will perfectly accomplished even through the mouth of His adversary. God is not limited in who He uses or even who He can use. This is God’s sovereignty displayed in the realm of His creation. There have been many notable men who refer to Balaam’s parables as ‘blessings.’ As we proceed, we will see this point. Seven times the word ‘parable‘ is used in the book of Numbers. Keep in mind, that this book has more references to parables then in any other Old Testament book. That bit of information I think is strange. God’s perfect number seven in parables comes from the mouth of Balaam, keep that in mind also.

1. And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. (Numbers 23:7)

2. And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor: (Numbers 23:18)

3. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: (Numbers 24:3)

4. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: (Numbers 24:15)

5. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek [was] the first of the nations; but his latter end [shall be] that he perish for ever. (Numbers 24:20)

6. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. (Numbers 24:21)

7. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this! (Numbers 24:23)

Balaam’s First Parable

And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. (Numbers 23:7)

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? (Numbers 23:8)

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!  (Numbers 23:10)

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— Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. —

   Balaam begins his first parable (through the power of the Holy Spirit force feeding the words of God through the hypocritical mouth of this unrighteous prophet) by informing us of the intents of Balaam’s employer. Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. All of us have heard these exact words come from the mouths of many other human beasts of burden through the idol that sits in our living rooms, and through the idol that we hold in our hands. This anti-Semitic rhetoric streams from practically every propaganda forum, and has intensified dramatically, as if planned. The Jewish people individually and nationally have been political and religious scapegoats for millenniums. This hatred against Israel and Israelites is not new historically. From the earliest biblical record to our current age, the hatred against this one particular group of people does not need to be taught, for most are aware of not only past history, but the Satanic heinous crimes took place during WWII, and forward into our current age of insanity. However, what is needed is not more history, but an awareness of the active plan behind what we see and hear today about Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

Side Note: Background on Jacob and Israel in Scripture. This is needful for anyone who may not be familiar with Jacob and Esau, the twin brothers born to Isaac, son of Abraham. If this is boring for you, then just go on by, BUT nothing in Scripture is without a reason for being placed in Scripture by the Holy Spirit of God. The background of brotherly love in Genesis definitely is relevant for our time. Now where should I begin . . . of course, with the first two brothers mentioned in Genesis, Cain and Abel. STAY AWAKE and LEARN.

One of the first principles in Scripture is the principle of – He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Huh? (Keep this in mind as you read and follow this thread of He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second to its fulfillment.) This reference comes from the New Testament book of Hebrews, Chapter 10, verse 9. What has this to do with anything? The first man who was actually born on this planet was Cain. This is a very important designation. Cain was the first person born. Naturally, with this distinction would come a place of preeminence and what we think of as the birthright of inheritance. For millenniums laws of inheritance were not only based on the male having a right to total inheritance, but the FIRST BORN was entitled to inheritance. This unspoken right was assumed by Cain as his and only his. When God refused Cain’s sacrifice and approved and accepted Abel (Cain’s brother) and his sacrifice, this was too much for Cain to bare. Jealousy and envy overcame brotherly affection (if there was any affection?). God’s approval of Abel and His disapproval of Cain caused the first man born his place in the pecking order of the newly created race of mankind, or so Cain believed. This can be viewed as the first supplantation or replacement based on obedience and disobedience to man’s Creator God, and we also see the principle of election.

Every thing that we know today (morally, spiritually, emotionally, religiously, and psychologically) is totally based on the events recorded in the first book of the Bible, Genesis.

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.(Genesis 4:1)

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Genesis 4:2)

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. (Genesis 4:3)

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:(Genesis 4:4)

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:5)

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?(Genesis 4:6)

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:7)

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Genesis 4:8)

God’s approval was based on Abel’s obedience in His offering to God through faith in the sacrifice of blood that God had prescribed. Since the fall of Adam, the only way that anyone can approach God in God’s way must come through FAITH looking toward the One who would offer Himself for the sin of the world through His own blood, as the Lamb of God, on the cross of Calvary. Man’s salvation (both in the Old and in the New Testament) is predicated on the same principle: FAITH. For those in the Old Testament it was FAITH looking forward to the Lamb of God. For those in the New Testament it is FAITH looking backward to the past when the Lamb of God gave Himself as an offering for sin. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.(Romans 1:17) Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4) Also read Romans 3:22 – 26.

  He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. The first murderer could not bear the thought of living among his brothers and sisters NOT being the recognized heir and head of this first tribal group. Thus, Cain murdered his brother Abel. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4) Too many times we rush through reading and just quickly skim over some very important information. God gave Cain an opportunity to set things right with God. In order to be accepted by God Cain had to OBEY God’s specific way to approach Him, and Cain refused. Notice the words, And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. Obeying God would then place Cain in the place of acceptance and approval, and Cain would then maintain his place as heir and have the notable position of heirship, and with this heirship would come the authority to RULE OVER his brothers and sisters. But, that didn’t happen, and instead Cain murdered his competition. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. (Genesis 4:1)

   We are still writing under the Side Note because we are still writing about the principle: He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. The next two brothers that this principle touches are the two children born to Abraham. The first child born was Ishmael from Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid to Sarai. The second son born was Isaac. How did God see these two sons through His righteous eyes? God saw Isaac as the ONLY son of Abraham. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Ishmael had no place in God’s program for the blessings of the Gentiles through Israel; Ishmael was not to be of the Seed of blessing. Although Ishmael was blessed, he would not receive God’s full blessing that was reserved only for Isaac. (Remember this, and understand that THIS is the real reason behind the hatred of Israel TODAY). Three times Isaac is called Abraham’s ONLY SON.

And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2)

And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me. (Genesis 22:12)

And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son]: (Genesis 22:16)

   This principle, He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second is again seen in Isaac’s twin sons: Jacob and Esau. WOW . . . sure has taken a long time to get back to the beginning of Jacob. Esau was the first born, and Jacob was the second born, but again God removes Esau, the first, from heirship and inheritance with Jacob, the second.

   We have been tracing the principle of He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Now we need to complete this principle in WHY God established this principle in the first place. Scripture informs us that there was a FIRST Adam and a LAST Adam. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1^st Corinthians 15:45) One of the hardest concepts that many Christians have difficulty shaking off is the understanding that Christ did not come to die in order to reform man. Christianity is not reformation. It is revelation. Being a Christian is neither an upgrade, nor a new model of man. Guess why the Spirit of God three times used the phrase ‘born again.’

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:7)

Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1st Peter 1:23)

   And guess why the words ‘old man‘ is used three times in the New Testament in connection with salvation. 

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6)

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (Ephesians 4:22)

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; (Colossians 3:9)

   Christ was/is THE LAST ADAM. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The human race (whether they know this, or can even accept this) has been erased. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1^st John 3:2) No more human race, but a new created race in the image of Christ. We only know what we are and what we see that our minds cannot breach this broad distance from physical to spiritual.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. (1^st Corinthians 15:46)

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (1^st Corinthians 15:47)

As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. (1^st Corinthians 15:48)

And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1^st Corinthians 15:49) ♦ End of Side Note.

— Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. —

   WHY is the world obsessed with the need to curse Jacob, and to defy Israel? Who was Jacob and what is Israel? Jacob is Israel. Jacob’s name means ‘Supplanter.’ And he said, Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me? (Genesis 27:36) When Esau made this statement he had a very selective memory because he forgot to mention that Jacob did not take away Esau’s birthright (the right of the first born in heirship) but he sold his birthright to Jacob. However, Esau was correct in that Jacob took away his blessing. Although Isaac blessed Esau, it was NOT the blessing that Esau craved, it was God’s blessing that he desired, it was God’s approval, and God’s acceptance that he wanted, but he wanted God’s approval and acceptance on his own terms. (Does this remind you of Cain?) Ishmael and Esau were both first born, however, they were not the men of God’s program. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Read how God sees Esau.

As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. (Romans 9:13)

Lest there [be] any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. (Hebrews 12:16) For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. (Hebrews 12:17)

   What we have today in the Middle East is the old hatred. The Palestinians are not the Philistines of Scripture, and the nations of the Middle East (as most nations) have changed in their genetic makeup by the forced migrations of conquering nations over captive people. The face of the Middle East is the result of thousands of years of turmoil, people displacement, and national intermixing. People change. Places change. Policies change. Governments change. But . . . one thing NEVER changed. The old hatred NEVER changed. The same hatred that we have today in Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel is the same old hatred expressed through the words of Balak to Balaam Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.

   The old hatred is the emotional unity that binds together the Middle Eastern nations against Israel. Religions (all religions) use emotion as a unifying force. Some nations use patriotism as a unifying power, other nations use language to bind their people together, some nations use military power, the United States political and corporate establishments use hatred and lies to separate people from unifying as their means of control and the old generational hatred plays into this program of disunity. Thus, the old hatred can be used as both a unifying force, or a means to separate people into small powerless fragments of society. What is this old hatred? The Holy Spirit not only calls it the old hatred, but also a perpetual hatred, and the great hatred.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; (Ezekiel 25:15)

Because thou hast had a perpetual hatred, and hast shed [the blood of] the children of Israel by the force of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time [that their] iniquity [had] an end: (Ezekiel 35:5)

The days of visitation are come, the days of recompence are come; Israel shall know [it]: the prophet [is] a fool, the spiritual man [is] mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. (Hosea 9:7)

   Where did this old, perpetual, great and generational hatred begin? This first hatred first appeared in the evil seed of Cain and carried into his descendants who ALL perished in the universal flood. This generational hatred then surfaced in the son of Abraham, Ishmael.

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. (Genesis 16:11) And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12)

And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.  (Genesis 21:20)

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. (Genesis 17:20) But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. (Genesis 17:21)

   Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. This old, perpetual, and great hatred will NEVER end until the Lord returns to His earthly kingdom and rules . . . RULES . . . in righteousness for a thousand years, and even after this great period of time, the old, perpetual, and great hatred will again burst forth and spread as a cancerous seed. The root of this hatred is the very same sin that first contaminated the universe when Lucifer in delusional pride and arrogance assumed that he was greater than his Creator. (Isaiah 14:12 – 14) This earthly root of hatred lay partially dormant in Ishmael, but the bitterness within his heart infected and poisoned his descendants. For centuries past (and for centuries yet to come . . . if the human race has centuries before them) Ishmael’s root of jealousy inflamed and enraged the nations of his blood line. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 16:12) The Holy Spirit of God perfectly described the character of Ishmael and those who followed after him as wild, antagonistic, belligerent, unreasonable and unable to dwell peaceably with their brethren.

   Diplomats, ambassadors, national statesmen, and international leaders WILL NEVER SOLVE the problems of the Middle East, simply because they refuse to see, neither will they see what caused the hatred in the very beginning. God saw Isaac as the ONLY son of Abraham. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. Ishmael had no place in God’s redemption program. Although Ishmael was blessed, he would not receive God’s full blessing that was reserved only for Isaac. The Ishmaelites (mixed descendants of Ishmael, the Arab nations) have relatively united together around two main issues: the annihilation of Israel, and the total acquisition of the city of Jerusalem. The prophecy of Zechariah 12:3 describes exactly what Jerusalem has become politically to the world: a burdensome stone. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:3)

    Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel has become a continuous scream to eradicate Jacob and to dispute Israel’s position and possessions. Remember at the beginning of this article I wrote that Jacob is Israel. Although Jacob’s name means ‘supplanter,’ God changed Jacob’s name, because Jacob had spiritually changed.

And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:28)

And God said unto him, Thy name [is] Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. (Genesis 35:10)

   From ‘Supplanter‘ to ‘Prince with God,’ this is how God sees Israel. To fight against Israel is to fight against the Prince with God. Individually and nationally they may not act honorably in their name . . . Israel . . . Prince with God, but nevertheless, the first parable by Balaam continues to teach us that the sovereignty of God is not affected by the wishes and thoughts of mankind. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? (Numbers 23:8) To fight against Jacob and Israel is to fight against the sovereignty of God.

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For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

— For from the top of the rocks I see him, —

   This same parable continues to teach us about God and about Israel. Let’s examine this phrase, For from the top of the rocks I see him. Anything come to mind? There is a double comparison in the first section of Numbers 23:9. I see him, and I behold him. I see this as referring to both God and Israel. Allow the Holy Spirit to move freely in our hearts and minds. For from the top of the rocks I see him. These words from the mouth of Balaam are rich in timelessness. From the past, we have the experience of Moses actually being allowed by God to see God. Then from the future, we have those who fight against Israel and God, and what they will experience.

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (Revelation 6:15)

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (Revelation 6:16)

   Here is a connection for you. The first mention of the word ‘rocks‘ is in Numbers 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him. The last mention is in Revelation 6:16, And said to the mountains and rocks. How does this connect? The first time that we have the word ‘rocks,’ it is from the top of the rocks, and the last time that we have the word ‘rocks,’ it is from under the rocks. This reveals how far mankind has descended. Read Romans Chapter 1 and see how far mankind has fallen. Here is another connection: I see him and then men cry, hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne. Since Adam and Eve, mankind has been as fugitives running away from their Creator God. Refusing the refuge that God offered in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Rock, mankind (at his end) seeks refuge in the depth of mountains and rocks to hide from the face of God. Hiding from the Rock by hiding under rocks exposes the tragic collapse of not only mankind, but all that humanity believed that he had finally accomplished was ALL for naught.

SIDE NOTE: The ROCK

[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right [is] he. (Deuteronomy 32:4)

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1^st Corinthians 10:4)

Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, (2^nd Samuel 23:1) The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. (2^nd Samuel 23:2) The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. (2^nd Samuel 23:3) ♦ End of Side Note

   From the not too distant future in Revelation Chapter 6, to the past as recorded and documented in Exodus Chapters 33 and 34, allows us to see our Creator God graciously and protectively allowing His servant Moses to see Him. For from the top of the rocks I see him. I have chosen specific references to aid in understanding the time line. If you are not familiar with this section of Scripture, please do not skip lightly over them. Read and actually place yourself into this scene. It is beyond earthly comment.

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. (Exodus 33:18)

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (Exodus 33:19)

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  (Exodus 33:20)

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: (Exodus 33:21)

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: (Exodus 33:22)

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.  (Exodus 33:23)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. (Exodus 34:1)

And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.  (Exodus 34:2)

And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.  (Exodus 34:3)

And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. (Exodus 34:4)

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  (Exodus 34:5)

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  (Exodus 34:6)

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  (Exodus 34:7)

And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. (Exodus 34:8)

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. (Exodus 34:27)

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. (Exodus 34:28)

   I am focusing on For from the top of the rocks I see him in the parable of Balaam. This is the only point from which anyone can view God Himself, and it is so because He desires that His creatures should know Him. It is not only because God in His determinate counsels chose to open the heavens to His creatures (mankind) through a documented experience of revealing His glory to Moses, but He also covered Moses with His hand to protect him from the power and energy of His glory. For from the top of the rocks I see him.

And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. (Exodus 33:18)

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (Exodus 33:19)

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (Exodus 33:20)

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: (Exodus 33:21)

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: (Exodus 33:22)

   God’s glory was revealed to Moses. All His goodness and truth presented, His name proclaimed, His mercy and His longsuffering declared, and His divine nature through His Glory manifested. But as the glory of God moved, Moses had to be shielded by God’s hand, however, in Exodus 34:5, we understand that And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. No protective hand here, nor was Moses in the clift of the rock, but it was now face to face. How can these things be?

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle. (Exodus 33:11)

The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, (Deuteronomy 5:4)

And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, (Deuteronomy 34:10)

   How can these things be? By placing Moses IN a clift of the rock God revealed His glory to Moses in the Old Testament because NO ONE CAN SEE THE POWER OF GOD in HIS effulgent GLORY and live, but just a few references further on we see that . . . the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. How can these things be? This revelation was enriched in the New Testament when Christ Jesus revealed Himself as the GLORY OF GOD on the mount of transfiguration.

And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2)

And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. (Mark 9:3)

And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. (Mark 9:4) Note: Moses represents Old Testament prophets and prophecy, and Elijah represents those who will be translated into heaven.

    Christ was sent to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2^nd Corinthians 4:6) The New Testament also reveals that Christ is the image of God, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the EXPRESS IMAGE of God sent to mankind to fulfill ALL the Old Testament types as the PURE SACRIFICE for sin.

   Back now to Moses on the mount with God in His effulgent GLORY . . . allowed to see God ONLY from one side . . . And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. (Exodus 33:23) Then later with the Ten Commandments carved in stone, held in the hands of Moses, he is allowed to stand beside God manifested in His earthly form: Jesus the Christ. Now, Moses sees God in His earthly manifested form.

And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. (Exodus 34:4)

And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  (Exodus 34:5)

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  (Exodus 34:6)

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34:7)

And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. (Exodus 34:8)

   The Law was now given to mankind through the hands of Moses. Man could now approach God through His sacrifices and through His offerings looking through faith to the future fulfillment in the Perfect One yet to come in the Person of their Messiah. The manifestation of God in the form of His Sacrifice and Offering stood with him there, and divulged the name of the LORD. In Exodus Chapters 33 and 34 we are privileged to see the Godhead, and Godhead bodily in Jesus the Christ. It is from the evidence of Exodus 34 that Moses was face to face with God manifested in bodily form. So much more can be said if only there were enough earthly words available.

   After the Law was given to Moses, God’s glory was not revealed until the New Testament when it was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. First we have the unseen, then the seen; we have the shielded, then the manifestation; in the Old Testament we are allowed to see God ONLY from one side, in the New Testament we are shown the completeness of the Godhead in Jesus Christ from another side. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second – this Biblical principle can be again seen in how God manifested His glory to Moses on the mount in Exodus Chapter 33, and Chapter 34.

Side Note: Two Sides of One Faith. The same faith of the New Testament is the same faith of the Old Testament: one shielded, and one revealed. In the New Testament there is a Chapter that is referred to as the faith Chapter, this is Hebrews Chapter 11. Through this Chapter we have the definition of faith, and examples of those who lived by faith: By faith Abel, By faith Enoch, By faith Noah, By faith Abraham, By faith Isaac, By faith Jacob, By faith Moses, and By faith the harlot Rahab . . . then the Holy Spirit of God unites together those of faith in the past before Calvary, and those in the present age of Calvary. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40) In Hebrews 9:14 and 15 we see that those in the new testament and those in the first testament share the same Savior, the same redemption, the same promise of eternal inheritance by faith. (The first is of the earth, and the promise to Israel was of the earth. The second is of the heavenly). The first testament looked forward to the promise of redemption, and those of the second testament look back to the fulfillment of that promise of redemption through the blood of Jesus Christ. – He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)

But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. (Hebrews 8:7)

Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17) ♦ End of Side Note.

   Again, For from the top of the rocks I see him. We see in the many expressions of THE ROCK of Israel, such as the rocks (plural of rock), the vastness of Himself as The Corner Stone . . .

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; (Job 38:6)

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner [stone], a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16)

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; (Ephesians 2:20)

Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1^st Peter 2:6)

. . . The Precious Stone, The Stone of Stumbling, The Jasper Stone, The Sardine Stone, The Sapphire Stone, and The Stone that smote the image in the book of Daniel. Through these stones cut out of the mountain (The Rock) we see the many wondrous facets within the Lord Jesus Christ. (Psalm 118:22; Ezekiel 1:26, 10:1; Daniel 2:34, 35, 45; 1^st Peter 2:4, 6, 7, 8; Revelation 4:3; 21:11) For from the top of the rocks I see him.

   These are just a few things that we have seen from the top of the rocks.

♦

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Numbers 23:9)

— and from the hills I behold him —

   Through this section of the first parable of Balaam, God teaches us that He can be known from the top of the rocks, and from the hills. What can be seen? What is seen? He has already shown us His Sovereignty in His Glory, now God is teaching us about His Sovereignty in His manifested form from the view point of the earth . . from the hills . . . we behold Him. Two views of our Great God is seen in the heavenlies and on the earth. He DESIRES that His creatures should KNOW Him as their CREATOR, as their ROCK, as their precious STONE, and as their SALVATION.

   Where I first thought this phrase and from the hills I behold him would lead is NOT where it has led. I first thought that the Holy Spirit of God was going to lead to the hill of Calvary, but this does not appear to be His direction here, and I am a bit surprised. Let us tread slowly forward, and see what God has prepared for us.

   The first mention of the word hills is in Genesis 7:19. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered. Genesis Chapter 7 (seven being the number representing God in His PERFECT COMPLETION, and in His PERFECT ACCOMPLISHMENT) is the Chapter of the destruction of the first earthly world (from our limited knowledge and understanding). The first mention of hills is in verse 19.

Side Note: The Teaching of the placement of 7:19. As the phrases in Scripture are connected to other phrases, and as words are connected to each other, so also numbers are connected to each other; they tell a story. Another interesting number in 19 being 10 + 9; nine being the end of the single digits teaches us the end, the finality, or the end of things; the number 10 teaches us God’s divine order; the number 10 completes the previous number sequence and allows us to proceed into the next double numbering system. The number 10 also represents the Law, and man’s responsibility to the Law and to God. Genesis 7:19 discloses a message in the number sequence itself (7 [God’s perfect work accomplished], 19 mankind’s end is accomplished in God’s divine order because of man’s refusal to be responsible to his creator God.) (If numbers in the Bible is a new idea to you then click on THIS and you will be directed safely to an article about the basics of biblical numbers.)  ♦ End of Side Note.

   The first mention of hills definitely points to judgment. (Psalm 104:6) This little word hills is recorded 64 times in the Old Testament, and only 1 time in the New Testament for a total of 65 times. (One refence short from being 66). The last mention is found in Luke 23:30, Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. No one can run away from this lesson that God is teaching us. God’s first judgment on the earth was perfectly executed by God in His judgment and wrath against a sinful corrupt world. In Luke (considered to be the gospel of man because God deals with man at his withered ruined state in body, spirit and soul, and also, the mention of the word ‘man‘ is documented more than in any other gospel.) It is in THIS particular gospel that the last mention of hills is noted in connection with judgment. Yes, hills directs us to judgment past, and to judgment present, and judgment yet to come in the future. Why the word hills? Mankind has placed his hopes, dreams, and his aspirations on the little things of the earth, and it has ALL failed him. As the inhabitants of the first world ran to the hills for refuge from the fast rising waters of death quickly swallowing up land behind them, they could not outrun, nor could they out climb their watery doom. The inhabitants of the second world will not be able run into their hideaway safe dungeons in the earth. They will neither be able to dig deep enough, nor to dig fast enough, and thus, they will cry out, Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. (Jeremiah 3:23, Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.)

   I behold Him . . . and from the hills I behold him . . . I see Him in CREATION, in JUDGMENT, and in His PERFECTION. I see Him coming to gather His sheep, his children to Himself. When I behold Him as the God of glory, the Lord of glory, what do I behold? It is from the many hills of His perfection that we can know Him. He is HOLY, He is PURE, He is RIGHTEOUS, He is GRACE, He is TRUTH, He is ALPHA, He is OMEGA, He is the ANCIENT OF DAYS, and He is PRECIOUS. These are just some of the hills that are visible under the thick blanket of clouds floating under the massive rock structure of towering mountains. It is from the hills that we can behold him; however, this is only the view from the earth. How God sees His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is from heaven looking downward to earth. God sees His only begotten Son as PRECIOUS. God sees His Son as He is described in the book called Song of Songs, Chapter 2, verse 8. The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (2^nd Peter 1:17)

   Truly God’s Son of His love can be seen from many hills; however, it is from one particular hill that God the Father has set for Himself. It is His holy hill of Zion. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. (Psalm 2:6) And when His King is set on His holy hill, even the hills of the earth will tremble with rejoicing and joy. The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. The following references document the greatness of this moment.

Why leap ye, ye high hills? [this is] the hill [which] God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell [in it] for ever. (Psalm 68:16)

For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.(Psalm 132:13) This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. (Psalm 132:14)

Side Note: A Love Story told through the heart of God. The Song of Songs is an intriguing book buried as a treasure vault filled with types, symbolism, colors, and with sweet odors of perfumes drawing readers into its pages through words of love. There is no end to the love of God, nor is there an end to beauty and the preciousness of God as revealed through His manifested self as The Shepherd King, Jesus Christ, our Beloved. This book is a true love story.

The reason that we find ourselves in the book of Song of Songs is because of the first parable of Balaam, and this phrase, and from the hills I behold him. Researching the words hills and hill, we find a very interesting connection with our parable. The Song of Songs is the ONLY book that has these words only ONCE. We have already written about The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. Now, let us look at one particular hill. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (Song of Songs 4:6) ♦ End of Side Note

   Balaam’s parable discloses God from the top of the rocks and from the hills as the God who is seen . . . In the beginning, God. . . The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1) . . . Thy righteousness [is] like the great mountains; thy judgments [are] a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast. (Psalm 36:6) . . . For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:20) . . He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. (Jeremiah 10:12) . . . For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him.

   God in His judgment of sin, and in His love for His creation placed ALL on a particular hill for ALL the world to see. This was not only for the world to see, but it was also for God to display Himself to His creatures. If you want to see God . . . look to the hill of Calvary. If you want to know the love of God . . . look to the hill of His suffering. If you want to know the heart of God . . . look to the hill as man pierced the heart of the Creator God with a spear. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. (John 19:34)

Side Note: This one hill was the hill of frankincense. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. (Song of Songs 4:6) Here mankind is stopped short unable to comprehend the depth of God’s emotions. Yes, God has emotions, but His emotions cannot be expressed by sinful man; consequently, God uses types, symbols, colors, and substances from the ground as His means of connecting to man. Through Song of Songs Chapter 4, verse 6, the Holy Spirit of God drawing us into the thoughts of God. Until the time of living in the shadows is past, we (those with the faith of Christ) must rest on the Rock (the mountain). Finding ALL rest within our Rock of God Himself, we look to the hill of frankincense, because it is on THIS hill that God breathes in, and is delighted by the sweet savor of the expression of love of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, through His perfect sacrifice, in His perfect obedience unto death, in His perfect offering of Himself (not only for the sin of the world) but to the will of God.

   God the Holy Spirit uses the substance ‘frankincense,’ because this substance can only be produced through the cuts and wounds of a particular family of trees found in harsh and arid regions. (Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. – Isaiah 53:4, 5) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2) Esteemed beyond measure, whereas even the fragrance of perfection is scented by the purity of Christ’s offering of Himself. In the book of Leviticus the costly and precious whitish resin of ‘frankincense‘ is placed on the meat offering also known as the Gift Offering, and there on the altar this offering was consumed by fire as a memorial unto the LORD, for the LORD, and to the LORD. Frankincense was never to be placed on any offering for sin. This precious oil was ONLY to be applied to the meat offering (gift offering), and to the table of shewbread. Christ offered His body. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19) And we, who love the Lord, . . . are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: (2^nd Corinthians 2:15) This the hill of frankincense was preciousness in earthly form unfolding the thoughts of God as the PRECIOUS and inestimable sacrifice in the ultimate gift of love to mankind. On this holy hill of frankincense God GAVE HIMSELF as a love offering, and a gift offering to ALL.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: (Galatians 1:4)

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:14)

   This Gift offered on the hill of frankincense PLEASED the Lord, this Meat Offering SATISFIED the Lord, and it DELIGHTED the Lord; therefore it was a sweet savour to God. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.(Isaiah 53:11) Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:1) ♦ End of Side Note.

♦

— lo, the people shall dwell alone, 

and shall not be reckoned among the nations. —

   Jacob became known as Israel, and Israel became a nation hated among nations. The principle that is most often ignored, or refuted is 2^nd Corinthians 6:17and 18, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. This principle was first enacted by God outside of the garden when God expelled the murderer Cain from his tribe. God drove Cain from His presence and from the presence of the first family unit on earth. (Genesis Chapter 4)

   The nation of Israel is God’s witness to the peoples of this world throughout the ages that there is a God. Through blessings and judgments, Israel (whether united as a national entity, or dispersed as individuals clinging to their roots in the promises to Abraham) has never ceased to exist. They have endured annihilation attempts by powerful empires, only to have these same powerful empires beaten into substandard soil, never to rise again to their first place of prominence on the world stage of power. The people of Israel have been stepped on, stepped over, and yet, they are ever present. Their history is like no other national history. They have been blessed, judged, torn, healed, repentant, and unrepentant, they have been cruel and merciful, they have been faithful to God and they have been faithless and irresponsible to God and to His word; nevertheless, they are still known as Israel, a Prince with God. It matters not whether you like the Jews or you hate the Jews, it matters not what your reasons are for either the latter or the former because it is not about your feelings, or about your politics. It is about God. It is about His Word. It is about His program. It is about His will.

   It is His will that His people be separated from the world. It is His will that Israel dwell alone away from the corruption of surrounding nations and from all ungodly influences. But, alas, they continuously turned from His will — lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. No matter how many times individual Jews assimilated into other nations through marriage, religion, socially or politically, they were, and they still are always identified for being Jews. Alone, separated, segregated from other groups may not be what some Israelites would like, but, nevertheless, Jews are not readily accepted by many. You could say that there is almost a certain action of separation by others forced on Jews — lo, the people will dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. If not a voluntary separation, then it became an involuntary separation; one way or another God’s will and word are accomplished — lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. The biblical principle in God’s people being a people separated is not because they are better, but because on what God is — God is holy.

♦

— Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! — (Numbers 23:10)

   This is the last verse of the first parable of Balaam. What does God communicate to us AND to Balaam? Regardless of how mankind desires to destroy and to annihilate the descendants of Jacob, and the nation of Israel . . . . it ain’t gonna happen! The Jewish people will be as the dust of the earth . . . . beyond number. Even the fourth part of the nation of Israel will be beyond number.

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. (Genesis 13:16)

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; (Genesis 22:17) And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:18)

 

 Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! 

   The last phrase of this first parable from the corrupt lips of Balaam pronounces what unrighteous priests and prophets HATE . . . . they hate that God sees His people as righteous in His eyes. Let me die the death of the righteous. Looking at the death of the righteous from the point of first mention connecting with the last mention is the death of the first righteous man on earth, Abel. The last mention (by name) of the death of a righteous man is recorded in the book of the Revelation Chapter 2.One of the connections between the death of the first righteous man in Scripture and the last righteous man NAMED in Scripture is that Abel was slain by his brother, and Antipas was slain in the midst of his brethren. This is a very hard point to take in for those who live by the faith of Christ.

   The death of the righteous was on the lips of an unrighteous prophet and priest; however, his last end was not as the death of the righteous. Balaam at his end was found dwelling among the enemies of God, the Midianites, and it was there in the camps of Israel’s enemies that he was found and slain with the sword. And they slew the kings of Midian, beside the rest of them that were slain; namely, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword. (Numbers 31:8) The first parable of Balaam ends with these words from his own lips tainted by self-indulgent pride, and gross hypocrisy. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! Saying and wishing is not the same as the assured knowledge that God is faithful to His own.

   There are quite a few words that are not spoken today, namely: sin, wrath, righteous and righteousness are a few of these strange old fashion words. To be righteous is more than a high standard of morality. God is righteous. He is right always, or we could write that God is ALWAYS right, and He is right in ALL WAYS. Being right or righteous is not a standard that mankind can obtain to, or to acquire as in achieving a set goal. The belief of many individuals that to be righteous or ‘right’ with God is to obey the Ten Commandments (which is impossible) or to attend church, or to be a member of a particular religious organization, or to be good (or at least to try to be good), or to go to confession on a regular schedule, or to give your tithe, or to donate to charity, or to say your nightly prayers, or to, or to . . . or to . . . . the list of getting ‘right’ with God is very long depending on whatever anyone wants to foolishly believe made up by their own facts of fantasy. BUT NEVER, EVER go to the Bible to find out what God the Holy Spirit teaches about being ‘right’ with God, or being ‘righteous’ according to God’s definition of ‘righteousness.’ You see, it is more than being ‘right’ WITH God, it is also being ‘right’ BECAUSE of God.

   Why is this such a difficult point for many to understand? IT IS NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR GOD to become ‘right’ with God. IT IS WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU that makes you ‘right’ with God.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) (Romans 5:17) Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. (Romans 5:18)

   Righteousness is a gift that is given freely to ALL through the righteousness of the One who gave Himself as the complete perfect offering for the sin of the whole world. No one can EVER be ‘right’ with God by working for it. No one can EVER be ‘right’ with God through the Law. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness [come] by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21)

   To those who insist on believing that they can be ‘right’ with God by being good, or by following the Ten Commandments, or the Law of Moses, do ye not hear the law? (Galatians 4:21) How good do you have to be to be ‘right’ with God? 90% good, 80% good, 65% good, 52% good, or 49.999% good? Come on now, what is the turn off point with God? And how did you arrive at that decision? Did you hear it from someone in the know? Did you read it in a book? Did you just make it up? Well . . . here it is . . . you have to be 100% ‘right’ with God. You have to obey ALL the Law, and it is here where we all fail the 100% grade. Keeping your favorite part of the Law while disregarding the complete Law isn’t going to make you ‘right’ with God. God’s standard isn’t 9 out of 10 will make you ‘right’ with Him. Boo hoo hoo.

   Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! Who is righteous? What saith the scripture? The first time that we see the word ‘righteous’ is in Genesis 7:1, And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Although Noah wasn’t the first righteous person in the world, it is the first time that the word ‘righteous‘ is used, mainly because he was the LAST righteous person in the OLD WORLD, and the first and only righteous person in the NEW WORLD until Abraham comes on the scene hundreds of years later in the land of Shinar.

   It is through the New Testament in Matthew 23:35, and Hebrews 11:4 that we are told by the Holy Spirit refers to Abel as righteous Abel. What determined that Abel was called righteous by God? By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4) Abel was called righteous because he offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. It was how Abel approached God that made him righteous in the eyes of God. Scripture is quite clear that There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10) The question is: How did Abel approach God that called him righteous? The answer is also found in Hebrews 11:4, By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. It was FAITH. It was BY faith that righteousness was imputed unto Abel. Faith before the Law, faith after the Law, faith in the age of grace, faith in the age of the Old World, faith throughout ALL dispensations, FAITH is the answer. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

   Faith is a word that we often hear spoken as ‘my faith,’ or ‘he has faith,’ but, and there is a BUT . . . . because I have rarely ever heard the word ‘faith’ linked to the Giver of faith, and the Author of faith, Jesus Christ. Most who use the word ‘faith’ use it loosely without meaning, and often it means faith in themselves, faith in their church organization, faith in what they call ‘a higher power,’ this way they do not have to use the word ‘God.’ Every time I hear the phrase, ‘I have faith,’ I cringe because this phrase is NEVER EVER followed up by stating who or what they have faith in.

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning  the faith in Christ. (Acts 24:24)

Even the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)

Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25)

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:14)

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise  by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. (Galatians 3:22)

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, (Ephesians 1:15)

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (Ephesians 3:17)

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (Ephesians 4:5)

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:13)

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Philippians 3:9)

Since we heard of  your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love [which ye have] to all the saints, (Colossians 1:4)

For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. (Colossians 2:5)

And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant  with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (1^st Timothy 1:14)

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

   Notice how the word ‘faith’ is used, and the very next time anyone says ‘faith,’ ask them, Faith in what? Faith in whom? Hold their tongue to the fire, do not let anyone use the word ‘faith’ without naming the Person who was and is the Author of ALL FAITH, Jesus Christ.

   By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.  Yes, Abel acted by faith, and through faith in God obtained witness that he was righteous. But how could Abel have faith in Christ Jesus, if He had not yet appeared to offer His blood for the redemption and forgiveness of the sins of the world? Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25) Abel had faith in the promise of Jesus Christ yet to appear . . . and Abel’s sacrifice of a lamb, and in the blood of the lamb represented the Lamb to come, and the blood yet to be shed was the more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. Not only does the blood of Abel speak from the bloody ground that we stand on, but his excellent blood sacrifice speaks (and his gifts offered to God through his blood sacrifices speaks) of his faith in the promises of God of a Savior yet to come. There are many other Old Testament saints who speak today (through the Word of God) concerning their faith in the promises of God being their Savior/Redeemer God.

    By faith Abel offered , By faith Enoch was translated, By faith Noah . . . prepared an ark . . ., and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. By faith Abraham . . . was called to go. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)

   By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son; By faith Isaac; By faith Jacob, By faith Joseph, By faith Moses . . . By faith he forsook Egypt, Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land, By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not.

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: (Hebrews 11:32)

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, (Hebrews 11:33)

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (Hebrews 11:34)

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (Hebrews 11:35)

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: (Hebrews 11:36)

They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Hebrews 11:37)

(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (Hebrews 11:38)

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (Hebrews 11:39)

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.  (Hebrews 11:40)

   Many do not like to read the ending section of the book of Hebrews because it is difficult to comprehend the suffering that many of the Old Testament faithful endured for their faith in God in His promises that they never received, but although they ALL died, they died in FAITH seeing God’s promises, and convinced that all that God had said and promised would come to pass. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (Hebrews 11:13)

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (Hebrews 11:39) God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40)

   We often think that spiritual unity only applies to our age, but through Hebrews 11:40 we see true spiritual unity through the promises of Old Testament saints joined with the New Testament saints in the fulfillment realized in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) Although there are time dispensations in the purpose and plan of God, there are also spiritual elements that transcend all dispensations that are strictly based only on time; for instance, the elements of faith, righteousness, and holiness. Within every dispensation there are common spiritual truths and foundational basics, one of which is that The just shall live by faith. Another common truth is For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, [was] not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13) In Galatians 3:26 to verse 29 we have yet another basic principle of faith.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  (Galatians 3:27) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

   The end of the first parable of Balaam ends with Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! There are two thoughts in this statement: to die the death of the righteous, and the last end. There is death, and then there is the last end. The last end comes after the death of the righteous. I see this as a ‘first end’ and a ‘last end.’ For the righteous, death is the door to another realm, a spiritual realm where the last end is endless, an eternity made endless and secure because of the promises of God. God’s words are SURE . . . . and because His words are sure then His people (Israel) is SURE. (I write here specifically about Israel because this first parable of Balaam is primarily about Israel.) However, ALL of His people (Israel and the Church) are righteous in His eyes, therefore, eternal life is surely their last end.

   God SPOKE it, and therefore it has already happened. God SPEAKS and it is done. God SAYS and it cannot be altered. Satan and his operatives (Balaam and Balak) can never reverse God’s program, neither can they delay His plan, nor can they modify His will. The 11^th verse of Numbers Chapter 23 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

   The promises and words of the Holy Spirit of God (whether in the Old Testament, or in the New Testament) are inalterable, set, settled, and sure. The following references from the books of Jeremiah, Daniel and Matthew show the last end of the righteous is not the last, nor is it the end.

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (Jeremiah 31:31) Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: (Jeremiah 31:32) But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: (Jeremiah 31:35) If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. (Jeremiah 31:36) Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:37)

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2) And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.  (Daniel 12:3)

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:46)

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3)

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Men of renown is a companion piece to Giants in the Earth series.

© Copyright 2021, Mary Haigh

This article may be used, but not for gain. Freely ye have received, freely give.

All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)

 

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