Today’s Scripture Reading (October 3,
2015): Numbers 22
In the Star
Trek: The Original Series episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver,” the Enterprise
encounters an unknown and extremely powerful ship. The ship judges the people
that inhabit the Enterprise to be too violent to deal with (earlier the
Enterprise had destroyed a marker buoy that had been apparently owned by this new
race). Judgment is passed and the Enterprise is to be destroyed. In a last
minute effort to save his ship, Captain Kirk decides to take a lesson from the
game of Poker. He decides to bluff even though he is holding no cards (and we
thought that “The Next Generation” had all of the Poker playing Star Trek characters).
He tells the attacking ship that the Enterprise is protected by a substance
called “corbomite.” What “corbomite” is apparently is open to discussion, but
what it does is not – it reflects the deadly force of the attacker back onto
the attacking ship. The Enterprise would be destroyed, but since the Federation
began using corbomite, no attacking ship had ever survived an attack on a
Federation ship. It was an empty threat, but the Enterprise’s new enemy didn’t
know that.
The bluff
worked, and the alien ship decides to tow them back home. But then the
Enterprise goes on the attack, they attempt to sheer away, but in the process
they damage the smaller pilot ship that is towing them. They could destroy the
ship, but instead they decide to board it. And it is there that they discover
that they have been conversing with a puppet. The real alien is a diminutive,
cherubic man named Balok. And Balok has been putting them through a test of
character to see what the Enterprise crew is really like. The alien ship, like
Captain Kirk’s bluff, is empty with no crew other than the small Balok.
The writers
of “The Corbomite Maneuver” probably were not thinking about the story of
Balaam and Balak, but there are some interesting parallels between the two
stories. First there is the name of the small alien – Balok. Balok’s only hope
is to portray an illusion – something that he is not. His threat is really an empty
one, as is Captain Kirk’s response. Nothing in this episode is what it seems.
Interestingly that is also the story of Balak and Balaam. Nothing is as it
seems. Balak’s name actually means wasteful or empty. Balak employs Balaam who
on the surface appears to be a prophet of the God of Israel. Balaam continually
tells Balak that he cannot go against the will of the God of Israel who calls
this people that Balak wants to curse his possession. And yet in this passage
Balaam accepts a fellowship meal from Balak, and it seems quite likely that
Balak’s sacrifice was being made to Ba’al – one of the gods of the Canaanites.
Balaam’s whole persona is really nothing more than an illusion.
Balak’s name
may mean empty, but the actions of Balaam are really empty. He is nothing more
than a prophet for hire. His protestations about the God of Israel are not out
of knowledge of this God, but are most likely a defense in case he fails – and
probably a tool to drive the price up for his services. But any appearance that
he is a prophet of the God of Israel is nothing but an illusion. The story of
Balaam and Balak is a test of character for all who are involved – and
unfortunately, unlike the fictional story of the Corbomite Maneuver, everyone
in this story fails the test.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Numbers
23
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