14 He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar. 15 He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet Yahweh yonder.” 16 Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.” 17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 He took up his parable, and said,
“Rise up, Balak, and hear!
Listen to me, you son of Zippor. 19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor the son of man, that he should repent.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good? 20 Behold, I have received a command to bless.
He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it. 21 He has not seen iniquity in Jacob.
Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel.
Yahweh his God is with him.
The shout of a king is among them. 22 God brings them out of Egypt.
He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. 23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob;
Neither is there any divination with Israel.
Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
What has God done! 24 Behold, the people rises up as a lioness,
As a lion he lifts himself up.
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
and drinks the blood of the slain.” 25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.” 26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?’” 27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse me them from there.” 28 Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down on the desert. 29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Numbers 23:14-37
Commentary on Numbers 23:11-30
(Read Numbers 23:11-30)
Balak was angry with Balaam. Thus a confession of God's overruling power is extorted from a wicked prophet, to the confusion of a wicked prince. A second time the curse is turned into a blessing; and this blessing is both larger and stronger than the former. Men change their minds, and break their words; but God never changes his mind, and therefore never recalls his promise. And when in Scripture he is said to repent, it does not mean any change of his mind; but only a change of his way. There was sin in Jacob, and God saw it; but there was not such as might provoke him to give them up to ruin. If the Lord sees that we trust in his mercy, and accept of his salvation; that we indulge no secret lust, and continue not in rebellion, but endeavour to serve and glorify him; we may be sure that he looks upon us as accepted in Christ, that our sins are all pardoned. Oh the wonders of providence and grace, the wonders of redeeming love, of pardoning mercy, of the new-creating Spirit! Balak had no hope of ruining Israel, and Balaam showed that he had more reason to fear being ruined by them. Since Balaam cannot say what he would have him, Balak wished him to say nothing. But though there are many devices in man's heart, God's counsels shall stand. Yet they resolve to make another attempt, though they had no promise on which to build their hopes. Let us, who have a promise that the vision at the end shall speak and not lie, continue earnest in prayer, Luke 18:1.