From Eliyahu

Hello Friends,

We continue with the story of Balaam in Bamidbar/Numbers 22 and 23 in our latest Midrash. Our theme is "Prophecies of Balaam." This is a curious portion of Scripture in which YHWH chooses to reveal details about His Plan through the pagan soothsayer, Balaam. As with Balaam's donkey, YHWH once again shows that He is in control and can speak through whomever He chooses, even  a despicable personality such as Balaam. As for these prophecies, realize that they look far into the future from the time they were uttered, stretching some 35 centuries down to and beyond our day!  I think you will be amazed by the foresight of YHWH, and His control of history, as we unpack these amazing prophecies together.

In this account, Balaam is supposedly working for Balak, king of Moab, who has promised him great wealth and honors if he will curse Israel. Yet, YHWH will not allow Balaam to curse Israel at all, but instead forces Balaam to bless Israel, over and over again, revealing through Balaam how Israel lies immovably at the heart of Yah's great Plan, now and for all time. This is a main theme of the story which we consider closely in the Midrash.

A side point about Balak caught my attention, which I would like to comment on here. As you will see in reading the account, Balak as king assumes he should get his way. After all, he is able to offer great riches and honors as an inducement to Balaam. In this attitude we find something that has not changed among the rich and powerful in 35 centuries. Still today rich and powerful people assume they can get virtually anyone to do anything they want by offering rewards of wealth and power. This is called by some the "golden rule." Of course this is not the "golden rule" set forth by Messiah, which is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The golden rule of the rich and powerful is quite different from the real golden rule. The golden rule of the rich and powerful is this: "He who has the gold makes the rules." What they call the "golden rule" I call the "sin of Balak."

Think on that for a minute, and consider the real world around us. Is the sin of Balak not the rule this world seems to follow everywhere we look? Surely, the hallowed wheels of government turn on this rule far more than any constitutional or legal framework. Running for high office in a so-called "democratic" election requires huge stacks of money. Where is that money going to come from? Yes, there are small donations to any given campaign, but it is the large donations from the rich and powerful that determine the outcome of most if not all elections. So while everyone, rich or poor, is said to have an "equal" vote - meaning just one vote each - are we really so naive to think that the vote of the person who may have given a small donation will equal the "vote" of the man who donated millions? That big donor expects a return on his investment, and he will get it in special favors the ordinary person will never see. This sin of Balak is how justice and righteousness is perverted as a matter of course every single day.

Certainly we know that finance and commerce operate by the same rule. How about religion? Here too the sin of Balak seems to reign supreme. Like the managers of any Las Vegas casino, the religious notables of the world's great religions all seem to know and court the "high rollers." These big donors always expect special recognition and influence in exchange for their donations and gifts - and they get it. From their point of view, even God can be bought, and (so they think) He frequently is.             

While the sin of Balak seems to be the rule almost everywhere, it is not the rule in the Kingdom. Here, fidelity, righteousness, justice, goodness, mercy and faith are the rule! That is because our King, our Messiah, absolutely requires that we do what is RIGHT rather than selfishly seeking after personal gain. Why? Because that is what He does. Always. Every time.

Opposite from the sin of Balak, we have the righteous Kingdom government of Messiah.

 Here is how Messiah was prophesied to do things in His Kingdom:

The Spirit of YHWH will rest on Him:
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH.
His delight will be in the fear of YHWH.
He will not judge by the sight of his eyes,
neither decide by the hearing of his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the humble of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
Righteousness will be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his waist.                Isaiah 11:2-5  

Truthfully, I am so sick of all of the corruption of this world. Perhaps you feel the same way. Isn't it wonderful to know that our Leader is not like that and He does not tolerate the sin of Balak in His Kingdom? Yes, there are some who would bring the sin of Balak into the midst of Messiah's people. Woe to them!  For Messiah will deal with them in due time. As for us, let us find rest from all corruption in the bosom of our righteous King Messiah, and let us strive in all we do to turn away from the sin of Balak and toward the righteous example of our King.

Blessings and Shalom,

Eliyahu ben David

www.tsiyon.org

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