Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Numbers 23-24 and Origen's De Principiis: Preface 7-8

Numbers 23 – Balaam tells King Balak of Moab to build seven altars and to prepare seven bulls and seven rams for sacrifice on the altars.  Then he goes off to consult the Lord. 

When he returns, he delivers the following oracle: King Balak has called him to come and curse Israel, but “How can I curse whom God has not cursed?” (23:8) “Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!” (23:10) He can’t do it.

King Balak takes him to where he can see only part of them, and asks him to curse “part of them” (23:13). Again they do the altars and sacrifices, and again Balaam goes off to consult God. God tells him to tell Balak that the people of Israel are “rising up like a lioness, and rousing itself like a lion! It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain” (23:24). 

This seems like what God is saying is that the people of Israel, a new nation, is full of energy and vigor and will not be stopped until it has established itself—even if such establishment requires the blood of the slain.  Balak asks him not to curse them or bless them, but again Balaam tells him only the Lord can tell him what to say (23:26). Again they move, this time to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.  Again they set up altars and again Balaam goes to consult God.

Numbers 24 – This time, Balaam does not go somewhere away to seek an oracle.  He looks out over the camp of the Israelites and sees through the Spirit of God that the people of Israel are blessed of the Lord.  Balaam is described as “the man whose eye is true, . . . one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows” (24:3-4).

This man gives the following oracle: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel! They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the Lord. His wills shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within reach; His king shall rise higher than [illegible] and his royalty shall be exalted.  It is God who brought him out of Egypt, a wild bull of towering might.  He shall devour the nations like grass, their bones he shall strip bare.  He lies crouching like a lion, or like a lioness; who shall arouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.”

Balaam is testimony to the generosity of the Lord to bless all those who are attentive and obedient to the will of the Most High.  He will give them the spirit of wisdom and open himself to him.

The next oracle Balaam delivers, some of the church fathers have seen as prophetic.  Balaam’s words include the following: “I see him though not now; I behold him, though not near: a star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel” (24:17). He recounts all the peoples who have inhabited the lands Israel will take—Amalekites, Kenites, Ishmaelites—and then Balaam leaves as does Balak.

Origen (185-254 AD)

De Principiis (First Principles)

Preface

7 – The Church believes that “the world was made and took its beginning at a certain time, and is to be destroyed on account of its wickedness. But what existed before this world, or what will exist after it, has not become certainly known.” There is no clear teaching about this.

8 – As for the Scriptures, the Church teaches that they “were written by the Spirit of God, and have a meaning, not such only as is apparent at first sight, but also another, which escapes the notice of most. For those (words), which are written are the forms of certain mysteries [sacramentorum], and the images of divine things. Respecting which there is one opinion throughout the whole Church, that the whole law is indeed spiritual; but that the spiritual meaning which the law conveys is not known to all, but to those only on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed in the word of wisdom and knowledge.”

The term “incorporeal” is not well used in many writings, and even in our Scriptures. He makes reference to its having come from a text called The Doctrine of Peter. He reminds us that this is not a work included with the authoritative books Christians use. We do not know for sure who wrote it.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Numbers 22 and Origen's De Principiis: Preface 5-6

Numbers 22 - The Israelites camp on the plains of Moab, across the Dead Sea from Jericho.  Balak, son of Zippor (a name very like Moses’ wife, Zipporah), is the king of Moab. He is afraid of the Israelites and sends elders from Moab and Midian to Balaam of Pethor on the Euphrates. 

Balaam is a pagan prophet known for his occult powers. He is asked by Balak to come and curse the intruders.  Now God Himself comes to Balaam (at night so perhaps in a dream) and warns him not to interfere with these people for they are blessed. The next day Balaam tells the messengers from Balak that he cannot return with them.  King Balak does not give up, however.  He sends more important messengers to offer a great reward to Balaam if he comes.  This time God tells him he may go but only if he does just as God directs.  In the next paragraph we are told that God becomes angry with Balaam but it is not clear why.  The traditional interpretation is that Balaam did not follow the Lord’s direction but succumbed to the temptation to take the riches in return for his powers. [In the letters of Jude and 2 Pet, this is the reason they give for God’s displeasure at Balaam]

On the road, Balaam’s ass sees the angel of the Lord with a sword drawn, and leaves the path--Balaam beats her.  This happens three times each time the path becomes narrower and the movement off less noticeable.  Then the Lord allows the ass to speak to her master and she asks him why he is beating her.  Then his “eyes are opened” and he too sees the angel in the middle of the road armed with a sword.  So he finally gets on course again and arrives in Moab where Balak is annoyed he took so long.  Balaam tells him he can only say what the Lord puts in his mouth. 

This story is interesting for a number of reasons, the main one being that here again we see example of a non-Jewish king with a powerful connection to the Lord.  He is generally obedient and responsive to the correction of the Lord when he is tempted by riches to leave the path.  So he represents the capacity of those who are outside the promise to understand at least that God favors these gathered people and they should be allowed to follow the Lord.  Presumably for the entire stretch of history before Christ there were people of all nations who could in some measure see and respect the presence of God and the working of God around them even though the work did not directly relate to them.  As God gathered the Jews he is patiently building a redemptive possibility through historical events that will ultimately be opened to all men.

Origen (185-254 AD)

De Principiis (First Principles)

Preface

5 – On the soul, the apostolic teaching is “that the soul, having a substance and life of its own, shall, after its departure from the world be rewarded according to its deserts being destined to obtain either an inheritance of eternal life and blessedness if its actions shall have procured this for it or to be delivered up to eternal fire and punishments if the guilt of its crimes shall have brought it down to this: and also that there is to be a time of resurrection from the dead, when this body which now ‘is sown in corruption shall rise in incorruption,’ . . . “

“This also is clearly defined in the teaching of the Church, that every rational soul is possessed of free-will and volition; that it has a struggle to maintain with the devil and his angels and opposing influences because they strive to burden it with sins; but if we live rightly and wisely we should endeavor to shake ourselves free of a burden of that kind.” We do not believe that we are “subject to necessity so as to be compelled . . . even against our will, to do either good or evil.” There may indeed be things that “influence” us to do one or the other, but our will is not bound by those influences.

He goes on to deny that the “stars” are any “cause of human actions.” And there are details about the nature of the soul that are NOT subjects, which the Church claims clarity on.

6 – Regarding the devil and the angels with him, the Church does say that “these beings exist. . . but what they are, or how they exist, it has not explained with sufficient clearness.” The opinion most Christians have, however, is that the devil, having become “apostate” (rebellious), did “induce” other angels to fall away with him, and these beings are still called angels.