Teach us your way, O Lord,
and lead us on a level path.
Teach us, O Lord, to follow your decrees;
then we will keep them to the end.
Give us understanding, and we will keep your law
and obey it with all our hearts.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—based on Psalm 27:11, Psalm 119:33-34
Balaam is an interesting character. I’m glad we are reading a large piece of text today, because we get a better picture of him. There must be a lot going on that isn’t written. At first Balaam seems like a godly man – at least a God-fearing man. I’m always surprised when we find someone like this outside of Israel. Here comes the Angel of the Lord ready to kill a man on a mission again (remember Moses and the “bridegroom of blood” scene?). The Israelites kill Balaam in chapter 31, and we realize he was the one behind the seducing women (31:16). That sheds some light on why the Angel of the Lord may have been standing in his way.
There is a lot of camping in the beginning of today’s passage. Many years ago someone passed this on to me, and now I am passing it on to you:
“God's Provision for Israel in the Wilderness
After they left Egypt, Moses and the Children of Israel were in the desert for 40 years, but what was God going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food.
According to the Quartermaster General of the US Army, it is reported that Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food each day!
Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each a mile long, would be required! Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would need firewood to cook the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were 40 years in transit.
And, oh yes! They would need water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day, and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring the water to them!.
Then another thing! They were to get across the Red Sea at night (in one night). Now, if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long, and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So, there had to be space in the Red Sea 3 miles wide, so that they could walk 5000 abreast, in order to all cross over in one night.
But then, there is another problem. Each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles ... think of it! This space was just for nightly camping. Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed God. God took care of these things for him supernaturally...
Now, do you think God has any problems taking care of all your needs?”
After they left Egypt, Moses and the Children of Israel were in the desert for 40 years, but what was God going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food.
According to the Quartermaster General of the US Army, it is reported that Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food each day!
Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each a mile long, would be required! Besides, you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would need firewood to cook the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were 40 years in transit.
And, oh yes! They would need water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day, and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring the water to them!.
Then another thing! They were to get across the Red Sea at night (in one night). Now, if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long, and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So, there had to be space in the Red Sea 3 miles wide, so that they could walk 5000 abreast, in order to all cross over in one night.
But then, there is another problem. Each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles ... think of it! This space was just for nightly camping. Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed God. God took care of these things for him supernaturally...
Now, do you think God has any problems taking care of all your needs?”
Obviously one could debate exactly how big the group was, but the fact remains that provision for a group like this in the barren desert is a God-sized task. On a complete side note, I now wonder how much the people cared about the palm trees when over a million of them showed up at a place with 70 palm trees and 12 springs of water.
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