Why Do We Read from Balaam's Oracles for Advent? - Monday of the Third Sunday of Advent

Why do we read from Balaam’s oracles during Advent? What does it have to do with our preparation for the coming of Christ? 

First, we need to understand significance of Balaam’s oracles.

Balaam wan Ammonite prophet (Numbers 22:5).

Moving toward the promised land, the Israelites defeated the Amorites (Numbers 21:21-35). This frightened Balak, a king of Moab, knowing that they were in great numbers. As the Israelites entered and began encamping in the plains of Moab (Numbers 22:1), Balak asked Balaam to curse the Israelites, by sending messengers to him, but Balaam refused because God told him not to do because they were blessed by Him (Numbers 22:2-14). However, Balak did not take Balaam’s “no” for “no” and sent his princes to this Ammonite prophet, asking him not to refuse his request to curse the Israelites, promising to reward him handsomely (Numbers 22:15-17). At first, Balaam declined Balak’s second request, saying that he could not do anything about it because God had told him not to curse (Numbers 22:18; cf. 22:12).

Though he seemed to honor God’s command not to curse the Israelites by rejecting Balak’s request again, Balaam told Balak’s princes to stay with him for the night so that he might learn if God would have to say anything else to him (Numbers 22:19). Then God came to Balaam that night and told him to go with Balak’s princes to be summoned by him but do only what He would command (Numbers 22:20). Next morning, Balaam got on a donkey and went with the princes of Balak (Numbers 22:21).

God was angry that Balaam actually went to see Balak with this Moab king’s men, tempted by his greed to receive reward from Balak (Numbers 22:22). So, God, through His angel, blocked Balaam’s path, and the donkey got off the road and drifted to the field, but Balaam beat the donkey to get back on the road (Number 22:23). Apparently, the donkey recognized the angel but not Balaam. 

The angel of the Lord blocked the path again and the donkey eventually laid down under Balaam, while his anger toward his donkey flared up, beating the donkey (Numbers 22:24-27). Then God spoke to Balaam through the donkey, confronting his abuse of the donkey (Numbers 22:28-30) and opened Balaam’s eyes so that he saw and bowed down to the ground (Numbers 22:31). As he humbled himself, the angel confronted Balaam’s acts against God’s will and abusive behavior to his donkey and reminded that he could have been killed by the angel if the donkey had not acted as she did though she would be spared (Numbers 22:32-33).

In response, Balaam repented for his sin, which kept him blind to the angel’s presence and promised to return home, instead of going to see Balak (Numbers 22:34). However, the angel told Balaam to go to Balak with his princes but say only what the angel would tell him (Numbers 22:35).

In meeting Balak, Balaam said, “Well, I have come to you after all. But what power have I to say anything? I can speak only what God puts in my mouth”(Numbers 22:38). And Balaam spoke four oracles about Israel to Balak, citing God’s poetic words on Israel against other nations (Numbers 23:3-24:25).

The First Reading (Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a) is taken from Balaam’s fourth oracle to Balak against Moab (Numbers 24:14-25).

So, Balaam said to Balak:

The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,

the utterance of the man whose eye is true,

The utterance of one who hears what God says,

and knows what the Most High knows,

Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,

enraptured, and with eyes unveiled.

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 (Numbers 24:15-17).

Though he was not Jew, Balaam was a prophet whom God spoke to and spoke for God of Israel directly to Balak who first asked this prophet to curse Israel. Balaam was blind but his eyes were opened by God (Numbers 22:31). So, in his oracle, Balaam was able to prophesize for God and against Moab and other obstacles to Israel what God had revealed to him (i.e. Numbers 24:15-16).

And Balaam told Balak that a star sould advance and rise from Israel (Jacob)(Numbers 24:17a). And furthermore, Balaam said, the star and the scepter rising and advancing from Israel would defeat Moab (Numbers 24:17b; cf. 2 Samuel 8:2).

What a blow it was to Balak to hear this from the Ammonite prophet, whom he commissioned to curse Israel! 

The star and the scepter advancing and rising from Israel (Numbers 24:17) is referred to Christ (i.e. Matthew 2:2, 9-10). And this points to Christ’s conquest of all nations upon his return (Revelation 19:11-21). Therefore, the Israel defeating all its enemies on the way to the promised land during the Exodus is rather symbolic to the victorious army of Christ, with his authority over all nations, defeating the forces of the antichrist until his return as the King of all kings (i.e. Revelation 2:26-28).

Now it is clear why we read Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a during Advent as we prepare for the coming of Christ, who is the star and scepter rising and advancing from Israel to unite all nations under his reign. As implied in Balaam’s oracles, no nation, no tribe, nothing, can defeat those who are blessed by God Almighty. The blessed are not just the Israelites but all of those who receive Christ in their hearts at this coming.  Upon receiving Christ, we work with him and for him, as he dwells in us (i.e. John 14:20; 17:23; Galatians 2:20).

In the Gospel Reading (Matthew 21:23-27), we see religious leaders who failed to see Christ in Jesus making an inquisition against him in regard to his authority. In response to their question about his authority to cleanse the Temple and speak against the “Temple business”(Matthew 21:12-16), Christ cleverly responds by saying that he would answer their question if they could tell him whether John the Baptist’s ministry was of human origin or of heavenly origin (Matthew 21:24-25a).

The religious leaders could not answer, because they were afraid of angering those who believed John the Baptist as a prophet if they had say “of human origin” and being accused by Jesus for not believing in John the Baptist if they had to say “of heavenly origin” (Matthew 21:25b-27). 

In this Gospel text, we see the Christ whose coming that we have been preparing for is the one with heavenly authority, and he is coming to defeat those whose are against him as their authorities are not of heavenly origin. The victory of Christ, who is with the authority and the power, originated from heaven, leads to conquering death on the Cross (i.e. 1 Corinthians 15:54–55) and all nations to be united under his reign (Revelation 19:11-21). And Balaam’s oracles also suggest this (Numbers 23:3-24:25). 

We are, indeed, preparing to receive the King to serve him for his Kingdom and to celebrate our victory over all his enemies. And we are in our exodus, heading to our promised land, the Kingdom of God, defeating all antichrist forces and conquering all nations with Christ's Good News.