Numbers 23 - Balaam Blesses Israel Three Times | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Numbers 23 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer.In Numbers 23 the story of Balaam’s attempt to curse Israel continues. He is determined to go through with his attempt, even though he knows God doesn’t approve. He tries various ways to get God to speak evil, but only good comes out each time.Out of his mouth come some of the most profound prophetic blessings in the entire Bible, despite him being a false prophet. Chapter 23 contains the first two of seven prophecies by Balaam. He is a false prophet not in the sense that his words were false, but in that his motivations were false. In verse 24, it says for example: “Behold, a people rises up as a lioness.As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” The Israelites are compared to a lioness, and then it says a “lion” will lift himself up and will not lie down until he eats of the prey and drinks the blood of the slain. Here we have a reference to Christ who will rise and humiliate Satan at Calvary.The New Testament puts is even more cleary when Paul wrote that Christ “having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15) Some of the greatest Messianic prophecies have come through the prophetic voice of a man whose heart was far from God.One wonders, why does God use such people? The truth is that like the donkey in the previous chapter, God can use anyone, oor anything, even Judas Iscariot. Even Satan unwittingly played into the hands of the Almighty bringing glory to His name through his own rebellion.