Numbers 22:34

_AND BALAAM SAID UNTO THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, I HAVE SINNED; FOR I KNEW NOT THAT THOU STOODEST IN THE WAY AGAINST ME: NOW THEREFORE, IF IT DISPLEASE THEE, I WILL GET ME BACK AGAIN._ I have sinned ... if it displease thee. Notwithstanding this confession, he evinced no spirit of penitence, as he speaks of desisting only from the outward act. The words "go with the men" was a mere withdrawal of further restraint; but the terms in which leave was given are more absolute peremptory than those in Numbers 22:20....

22-35 We must not think, that because God does not always by his providence restrain men from sin, therefore he approves of it, or that it is not hateful to him. The holy angels oppose sin, and perhaps are employed in preventing it more than we are aware. This angel was an adversary to Balaam, because Balaam counted him his adversary; those are really our best friends, and we ought so to reckon them, who stop our progress in sinful ways. Balaam has notice of God's displeasure by the ass. It is common for those whose hearts are fully set in them to do evil, to push on violently, through the difficulties Providence lays in their way. The Lord opened the mouth of the ass. This was a great miracle wrought by the power of God. He who made man speak, could, when he pleased, make the ass to speak with man's voice. The ass complained of Balaam's cruelty. The righteous God does not allow the mea...

Verse Numbers 22:34. _IF IT DISPLEASE THEE, I WILL GET ME BACK AGAIN._] Here is a proof, that though he _loved the wages of unrighteousness_, yet he still feared God; and he is now willing to drop the enterprise if God be displeased with his proceeding. The piety of many called Christians does not extend thus far; they see that the thing displeases God, and yet they proceed. Reader, is this _thy_ case?...

EXPOSITION THE COMING OF BALAAM (Numbers 22:2). NUMBERS 22:2 BALAK THE SON OF ZIPPOR. The name Balak is connected with a word "to make waste," and "Zippor" is a small bird. Balak was, as is presently explained, the king of Moab at this time, but not the king from whom Sihon had wrested so much of his territory (Numbers 21:26). He seems to be mentioned by name on a papyrus in the British Museum (see Brugseh, ‘Geogr. Inschr.,' 2, page 32). The later Jews made him out to have been a Midianite, but this is nothing but the merest conjecture....

AND BALAAM SAID UNTO THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, I HAVE SINNED,.... That is, in beating the ass; not that he was sensible of his sin of covetousness, and of the evil disposition of his mind, and of his wicked intention in going along with the princes to curse Israel, if possible, and get Balak's presents and preferments: FOR I KNEW NOT THAT THOU STOODEST IN THE WAY AGAINST ME; signifying, that if he had known it, he should not have smitten the ass, but submitted himself to the will of the angel: NOW THEREFORE, IF IT DISPLEASE THEE, I WILL GET ME BACK AGAIN; which he spoke very coldly and faintly, not caring heartily to go back, unless forced to it; for seeing a drawn sword in his hand, he might be afraid of his life should he persist in his journey, and therefore feigns a readiness to go back, quitting it on condition that his going forwards was displeasing; whereas he knew it was, especial...

ANGEL (_ See Scofield) - (Hebrews 1:4) _...

III. EVENTS IN THE PLAIN OF MOAB FACING THE LAND 1. Balak and Balaam and Balaam's Parables CHAPTER 22 _ 1. Balak's message to Balaam (Numbers 22:1)_ 2. The journey of Balaam (Numbers 22:21) 3. Balaam with Balak (Numbers 22:36) The last section of the wilderness book begins with the story of Balak and Balaam. An enemy, the Gentile Balaam, has to speak the words of prophecy, predicting wonderful blessing and glory for the hosts of Israel. The advancing Israelites inspired terror and Balak (waster), the king of Moab, not willing to meet Israel in open battle, sent for Balaam (devourer of the people) to put his powerful magic spell upon Israel and curse them. Balaam, or

BALAAM'S JOURNEY TO BALAK WITHOUT GOD'S CONSENT. This section is clearly not the sequel of the preceding, but the continuation of Numbers 22:5, and (as far as Numbers 22:34) is derived from J. Balaam disregards the Divine prohibition to go to Balak which is recorded in Numbers 22:12, but is made aware of Yahweh's anger in the course of his journey. The ass was the animal commonly used by the Hebrews for riding in times of peace (Genesis 22:3; Exodus 4:20; Judges 10:4;...

Jehovah was angry with Balaam for going, and His -Angel" hindered him on the way....

I HAVE SINNED; FOR I KNEW NOT THAT THOU STOODEST IN THE WAY— It is evident, that this cannot be the true meaning of Balaam's words, as Psalmanazar well remarks; for how could he be guilty in this respect, if his eyes were withheld from seeing the angel? According to the Hebrew idiom they carry a much higher sense, and more agreeable to the context; namely, _I have sinned,_ or _transgressed, in that I did not know,_ or _duly consider, that thou stoodest in my way:_ or, in other words, _didst oppose my proceeding; or that it could be displeasing to God, who had given me leave to go. But now,_ continued he, _since I find it to be so, I will readily return home again._ According to this sense, Balaam artfully evades the charge laid against him by the angel, of having _perverted his way;_ (see on Numbers 22:32.) i.e. as before explained, of entertaining views so ver