… sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. – Numbers 22:5

Today's Scripture Reading (December 17, 2021): Numbers 22

Motivational Speaker, Wayne Dyer, argued that "our intention creates our reality." Intention creates the framework toward which we are working. It sets our goals, which is very important to all that we want to accomplish. Intention isn't everything, but its power should not be underestimated in our lives. What you intend does not necessarily produce the planned outcome, but it does set the goal of where you want to go.

Numbers 22 introduces us to one of the fascinating Gentiles (or non-Jewish) characters of the Bible. His name is Balaam, the son of Beor. According to rabbinic literature, Balaam is one of seven Gentile prophets in the pages of the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible, and those seven prophets are featured in just two story arcs contained within its pages. From the story of Balaam, we find two of the Gentile prophets, Balaam and his father, Beor. The other five Gentile prophets are located in the story of Job, Job, and his four friends; Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu.

Balaam is a prophet of the one true God, but his intention is not necessarily to serve him. In the story of Balaam, Balaam is hired to curse Israel by Balak, King of the Moabites. Balak has watched with interest as Israel dispatched Sihon of the Amorites, and he is frightened that the same thing might happen to him and his kingdom. He recognizes that the power behind Israel is found in their God, and he wishes to find a way to neutralize that advantage. And so, he offers to hire Balaam, a prophet, to curse the Israelites and remove God from the equations.

Balaam accepts the money and proceeds to curse Israel; at least, that is his intention. In reality, every time the prophet opens his mouth, he speaks a blessing over Israel instead of a curse, which does not impress the prophet's employer, Balak.

But Balaam intends to curse Israel. So, after several attempts, Balaam decides on a different course of action and instructs Balak on how to lead Israel into sexual immorality. Then, the prophet argued, their God would turn against them. Balaam's plan worked to perfection, as Balaam finally completed what it was that he had intended to do. Balaam's intention had created his reality. And for that task, Balaam earned a reputation for being a wicked prophet in Jewish and Christian belief systems.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 23