The Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness

Bamidbar {22:22} G-d's anger was kindled because he went; and the Angel of HaShem placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. {22:23} The donkey saw the Angel of HaShem standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the donkey turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Bilaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the way. {22:24} Then the Angel of HaShem stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. {22:25} The donkey saw the Angel of HaShem, and she thrust herself to the wall, and crushed Bilaam's foot against the wall: and he struck her again. {22:26} The Angel of HaShem went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. {22:27} The donkey saw the Angel of HaShem, and she lay down under Bilaam: and Bilaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. {22:28} HaShem opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Bilaam, What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times? {22:29} Bilaam said to the donkey, because you have mocked me, I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed you. {22:30} The donkey said to Bilaam, Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Was I ever wont to do so to you? And he said, no. {22:31} Then HaShem opened the eyes of Bilaam, and he saw the Angel of HaShem standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. {22:32} The Angel of HaShem said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because your way is perverse before me: {22:33} and the donkey saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain you, and saved her alive. {22:34} Bilaam said to the Angel of HaShem, I have sinned; for I didn't know that you stood in the way against me: now therefore, if it displeases you, I will get me back again. {22:35} The Angel of HaShem said to Bilaam, Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak to you, that you shall speak. So Bilaam went with the princes of Balak. {22:36} When Balak heard that Bilaam was come, he went out to meet him to the City of Moav, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. {22:37} Balak said to Bilaam, "Didn't I earnestly send to you to call you? Why didn't you come to me? Am I not able indeed to promote you to honour?"

Torah never ceases to amaze me, the more I learn from it the more I realize how little I know about it! Perhaps I have read this Parshat (Portion) twenty times in the course of my life as a believer in Mashiach Yeshua, yet it still speaks new illumination to me even today.

What have I found this year from reading Parshat Balak? The battle between HaShem and HaSatan (the adversary) illuminated! Follow me for a few minutes.

Bilaam was already told by HaShem not to go to Balak. Yet when new servants, sent by Balak arrived at his home, ones who were of much higher honour than the first group, Bilaam entertained their better offer. Greed, I would say, got the better of Bilaam and he once again consulted HaShem on whether or not he should go. This in itself was a mistake, because G-d knows the hearts of men and Bilaam’s was filled with greed. Bilaam like Yisrael (Israel), pressed HaShem for what he wanted and though it was outside of HaShem’s will to give him what he wanted, HaShem granted it to him anyway, and both occurrences ended in tragedy. Bilaam, we see from the following passage, died as a result of his disobedience.

Bamidbar {31:8} They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Bilaam also the ben B'or they killed with the sword.

As we continue our story, Bilaam, while on the road to Balak king of Moav, encounters an Angel brandishing a sword and blocking his way. The Angel was there because the anger of HaShem was stirred up by Bilaam’s disobedience. The Angel delivered a stern warning to Bilaam. Finally, when Bilaam arrives at the border of Moav, Balak the king is there to meet him with the following message:

Bamidbar {22:37} Balak said to Bilaam, "Didn't I earnestly send to you to call you? Why didn't you come to me? Am I not able indeed to promote you to honour?"

What I would like you to see here is the contrast between the message of the Angel of the L-rd and that of Balak on encountering Bilaam. Both by the way, as you have read, encountered him on the road; one just as he was leaving, the other just as he was arriving. This in its self has significance, which I will discuss later. What I would like to point out now is the difference in the messages delivered; the one given to Bilaam from the Angel and the one from Balak. They are as different as light is from darkness! The disobedience to HaShem’s Word was met with a promise of wrath by the Angel of HaShem. That is because disobedience to HaShem always results in consequences. However, notice that the same disobedience was met with the exact opposite when Bilaam arrived at the border of Moav; it was met with a promise of honour by Balak. "...am I not able indeed to promote you to honour?"

Do not be fooled by the schemes of HaSatan. Promises of honour are a lie when they require disobedience to HaShem Word. In this Parshat we can clearly see the difference between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of HaShem.

Now to the significance of the two roadside encounters! One encounter obviously depicted the L-rd while the other HaSatan. I think my explanation can be summed up in this passage of Scripture:

Korintim Bet (2 Corinthians) {10:5} Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of G-d, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Mashiach (Messiah);

HaShem wants us to take every thought captive before it set out on a journey in our minds; in the case of Bilaam it was greed. If we allow any thought to remain and take its journey unrestrained, HaSatan will be waiting to greet us in the end with a temptation that may end up costing us our lives. HaShem tests, HaSatan tempts!

Rabbi Jack "Yaacov" Farber is the spiritual leader of Congregation Melech Yisrael in Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2005