1846.] The Journey of Balaam. 359 "Thou shalt not go to curse this people." But as Balaam was not satisfied with the declaration of Jehovah, but still desired to curse those who had been pronounced blessed, with the intention of punishing his disobedience, He says, when Balaam presents himself again before him: Go-" but yet the word that I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do." In the first instance, the going in the abstract is not prohibited, only going in order to curse; and in the last, going is commanded but with the restriction which precludes that, on account of which he was before commanded not to go. So that there is a perfect consistency between the passages. If this be the correct explanation of the preceding verses, then the phrase "that God's anger was kindled because he went," is easily understood. The permission is given in anger, that Balaam did not rest satisfied with the explicit command first given, and is in no way a retraction of the obligation of that command; rather, when rightly understood, it is a substantiation of it, by compelling Balaam to go to bless those whom he would curse, and thus inflicting a penalty for its violation. In the expressive words of one from whom we have already several times quoted: Ironice ergo permittit Deus quod interdixerat. Si quis absurdum existimet, Deum qui veritas est, simulate loqui in promptu est solutio, Deum nihil finxisse, sed homini in sua contumacia obstinato laxasse habenas, acsi quis protervum filium et moribus perditis emancipet, quia se regi non patitur. The Occurrences of the Journey of Balaam. "Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his ass and went with the princes of Moab." A common mode of travelling in the time of Moses was upon asses, so that there is nothing strange in the fact that one who expected to be loaded with riches and honor, set out on such an expedition in so unostentatious a manner. While on this journey, "the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him" (to oppose him). This representation of the appearance of the angel and the speaking of the In the Arabic translation of Saadi, the explanatory word, o, e ex aviditate, is added to the declaration that, "he went;" and in the passage in 2 Peter 2: 15, it is said of those who in addition to other crimes, have exercised a heart with covetous practices, "they have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, ὃς μισθὸν ἀδικίας ἠγάπησεν." ass, has been the subject of various and contradictory opinions among biblical expositors. With some it has been considered so strange and unnatural, as to render the genuineness of the passage questionable. Others have supposed that it was a figment of Balaam to cover his retreat, should he not be successful in the object of his mission; or that his horse stumbled and fell, which he considered to be a bad omen, an indication that God was displeased with him for undertaking the journey, and that this circumstance occasioned the imaginary conversation with the animal on which he rode and with the angel of Jehovah. Still others, on the opposite extreme, suppose that a literal angel, with an actual sword, stood in the way and talked with him, and that the animal literally uttered the words of a man. But it is impossible, were it desirable, to enumerate all the explanations which have been made of these words, much more to discuss all the theories which have been devised for escaping the difficulties of the passage. It is only necessary for our present purpose, to endeavor to give the most reasonable explanation of these occurrences. The ass turned aside out of the way, and Balaam smote her to turn her back. In a narrow pass between two vineyards Balaam's foot was pressed against the wall, and he again smote the faithful animal on which he rode. Subsequently when the divine messenger stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn to the right or left, the ass fell down and Balaam became angry, and struck her with a staff [divining rod], and the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she expostulated with her master for his cruel treatment. "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?" Hast thou not ever ridden upon me? and have I been wont to be restive and obstinate? How then didst not thou suppose there was good reason for my conduct? Until this time, Balaam had seen nothing to prevent him from proceeding directly on his way; but Jehovah now opened his eyes, and he saw the angel, and bowed himself in adoration before him. The angel chided Balaam for his blindness, which was even greater than that of the stupid animal on which he rode, and for his consequent cruelty.. 'And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me." It cannot be doubted by those who acknowledge the genuineness of this passage, that the several occurrences, of which we have enumerated only some of the most prominent, were reali 1846.] Manner of God's Revelation to Balaam. 361 ties to Balaam. The plain, straightforward narration demands this. The only question is, in what manner did they present themselves to him. Did God exert such an influence upon a beast, that she saw his messenger which men did not see, and distinctly uttered the words of a rational being? Or did he exert such an influence upon Balaam himself, that the expostulation of the messenger of God and his own faithful animal, sounded in his ears and sunk into his heart? The difference is really and strictly formal. There is not indeed such a gulf fixed between the two, as at first view there seems to an occidental reader to be. The one is as really, though not so palpably, accomplished through the direct agency of God, as the other. On the one supposition, God causes such exhibitions as are perceptible to the bodily organs; in the other, he causes the direct internal perception of the same thing. In the one case, the instrument is brought a little more directly into view than in the other. It can hardly be supposed that the ass was endowed with a reasoning mind, by which her words were prompted. Bochart well says: "Non tamen hic verus fuit asinae sermo. Sermo enim est imago mentis; et τὸν λόγον προφορικόν praecedit ὁ ενδιάθετος. At in asina nihil fuit tale: non capiebat animo voces, quas ore suo proferebat." We ought not to judge this case by our own feelings in reference to visions and dreams, or by the standard of the present age and this western world. We should remember that the Lord had said: "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream." These were evidently the customary methods by which he revealed himself in the Mosaic age. "Why then," says Herder, "should not the Divine Being, who would now employ the voice of this crafty diviner, going not in fact to curse but to bless, proceed in the way which was the most customary, and most effectual upon the mind of the diviner. A fearful phenomenon was to meet him in the way. He actually heard and saw, in a waking vision what is here related, and how trifling for us to inquire, Whether the ass actually spoke? and How? Whether and in what way God gave her reason and human organs of speech, etc.? To the diviner the ass spake in a vision, that is, he heard a voice and saw an appearance."2 It may not be amiss, however, since so much stress has been laid 1 Hengstenberg, Gesch. Bil., S. 49. * Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, Vol. II. pp. 173, 4. Marsh's Translation. upon this point, to enquire which is the more probable manner of this divine communication. In the first place, it seems quite certain that the angel was seen by Balaam in vision, and not with the physical sense. That he did not see it, at first, and not until Jehovah had opened (literally uncovered,,) his eyes, would indicate an internal communication. It was only when, in the language of the apostle, the veil that was upon his heart was taken away, that he saw. Similar language is used in 2 Kings 6: 17, "I pray thee open [the verb ] his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw, and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." there is an evident reference to seeing in vision. So in Ps. 119: 18, "Lord open mine eyes, ba, that I may behold wonders in thy law," the prayer is for internal illumination. used in the Bible in connection with, it seems to denote that one sees something out of the ordinary course, or desires an especial illumination. Here is גָּלָה When There is but one way in which the blindness can be explained, if there were a real physical appearance of an angel, and that is, that God closed Balaam's eyes so that he could not see; for an accidental inattention is impossible in the circumstances. But in that case there would have been no guilt in not seeing, whereas it is plainly implied in the thirty-fourth verse, that Balaam felt condemned for his blindness: I have sinned, for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me." The visions of future wealth and honor that would accrue from this expedition, were too vivid before the eyes of the prophet for him to perceive what was the will of the Lord. This was his guilt. Now if the angel was perceived by the internal sense, it is a strong argument in favor of explaining the speaking of the ass in the same way. For the different parts of the narration of the supernatural phenomena, are so blended together and mutually dependent, that the manner of their occurrence cannot be supposed to be so widely separated, without doing violence to the connected relation. But there are other arguments in favor of this manner of understanding the communication of God to Balaam. 1. We have no evidence that Balaam ever received any other communication from Jehovah, except through visions. When the messengers arrived, in both instances, he waited until the 1846.] Reasons for and against a Vision. 363 night, the proper season1 for visions and dreams. There is no evidence of a personal appearance of God, when Balaam retired before his first and second prophecy; and in the third and fourth, he designates himself as one in an unnatural, prophetic state, who saw the vision of the Almighty. 2. No astonishment is produced in Balaam by the speaking of the ass. He answers the question, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? directly, and with as much coolness as if it were a common occurrence for him to be thus addressed; and even with a severe threat: "Because thou hast mocked me, I would there were a sword in mine hand for now would I kill thee." Is not this reply most unnatural on the supposition of an external communication? Would not his answer in that case have indicated fear, reverence, dread, as to a messenger of Jehovah? Augustine says: "Nihil hic sane mirabilius videtur, quam quod loquente asina territus non est, sed insuper ei velut talibus monstris assuetus, ira perseverante respon. dit."2 Wonderful indeed is it, that such an unheard of thing made no impression upon him. A stupid learner, "in schola asinae," he must surely have been. The contents of the speech only seemed to have any significancy with him; the fact of so unnatural and strange an occurrence is not noticed. 3. In Numbers 22: 22, it is said, that when the angel first appeared, Balaam "was riding, and his two servants were with him." And the Moabitish messengers were also yet in company with him according to the thirty-fifth verse: The "angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men.-So Balaam went with the princes of Balak." This, be it remembered, was said after the occurrence of the supernatural phenomena, so that they could not, as has sometimes been supposed, have gone on before, to prepare for the reception of Balaam. It is not a little strange, if there was an external communication to Balaam, that no evidence appears that the messengers and servants were aware of it. It may be that the messengers were separated for a time from him, but his servants were with him (verse 22). It is possible also that God shut up the sense of sight and hearing in all these men. But it is far more probable that the communication was not to the external senses of Balaam. 1 Objections have been urged against this manner of explaining See, for example, Zechariah 1: 8 sq. "I saw by night," etc. |