“Who has counted the dust of Ya‘akov
or numbered the ashes of Israel?
May I die as the righteous die!
May my end be like theirs!”
-Numbers 23:10
In Numbers Chapter 23, there are two oracles presented through the mouth of Balaam.
The first oracle is from verses 7 to 10.
The second oracle is from verses 18 to 24.
Let’s take a look at the profound theological insight packed in the last few verses of the first oracle.
Balaam says…
“May I die as the righteous die!
May my end be like theirs!”
Here Balaam is expressing his desire to in some way be attached to Israel and as a result also partake of the blessings they receive from their God.
Yes, even this pagan gentile sorcerer senses that Israel has been blessed and given privileges unlike any other nation on the planet and of course being human, Balaam naturally wants some of those blessings to rub off on him.
Remember from a true Biblical perspective, the word “blessing” is simply another way of referring to the Abrahamic Covenant.
Although Balaam would not have fully understood it, he is basically expressing some vague yearning in his heart to also be put under the terms and conditions of the Abrahamic Covenant.
And I believe every lost gentile soul out there also has the same yearning in his or her heart.
Now this of course leads to that 20 billion dollar question of how in the world can a non-Hebrew or a gentile partake of the blessings that are part of Israel’s EXCLUSIVE covenant with God?
In Scripture, we are going to encounter several quite fascinating glimpses of gentile fascination with Israel and a burning desire to want to become part of God’s Chosen People.
The whole mixed multitude joining Israel when they left Egypt is a perfect example of this.
The meeting between the Queen of Sheba and the King of Solomon is another good example.
The Queen travelled all the way to the Holy Land to meet King Solomon because she wanted to know the source of his renowned wisdom.
And perhaps the most famous example is Ruth the Moabite.
Ruth was another gentile woman who expressed her desire to become a part of Israel’s covenants by proclaiming…
“Your people will be my people
and your God will be my God.”
-Ruth 1:16
And let’s not overlook the other mind-blowing coincidence between King Balak and Ruth.
They are both Moabites.
However, in terms of their attitude towards Israel, they were polar opposites.
King Balak, the King of Moab wanted to curse Israel while Ruth the Moabite wanted to become one with Israel and receive the blessings of God’s Chosen People.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“If you belong to Messiah,
then you are Abraham’s seed,
and heirs according to the promise.”
-Galatians 3:29
there is no word for coincidence in HEBREW. isn’t that cool?
Absolutely cool!