An Overview of Numbers Chapters 22-26 Answers

1. Why were the Moabites afraid of the Israelites?

• “And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was sore afraid of the

people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel” (Numbers 22:1-

3).

2. Who did Balak call for to curse the children of Israel?

• Balaam the son of Beor (Numbers 22:4-6).

3. What was Balaam’s first response to the princes of Balak?

• “And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand;

and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. And he said unto them, Lodge here this

night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with

Balaam. And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? And Balaam said unto God,

Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out of

Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to

overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not

curse the people: for they are blessed. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of

Balak, Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you” (Numbers 22:7-13).

4. For the sake of clarity, did God permit Balaam to go unto Balak?

• No, (Numbers 22:13).

5. What did Balak promise Balaam the second time he sent for him?

• A position of great honor and to be able to tell Balak whatever he wanted with Balak doing that which he

said (Numbers 22:15-17).

6. Even though Balaam already knew God’s answer, did he again inquire of God if he could go?

• Yes, though he tried to sound noble (Numbers 22:18-19).

7. Why did the Lord get angry with Balaam?

•

Because he went against the will of God and by way of implication would not be determined to speak

only what God would say (Numbers 22:20-22; cf. Numbers 31:16 and II Peter 2:15-16). The Lord will make it

clear to Balaam very soon.

8. Did the Lord prevent Balaam from going with the princes of Balak?

• No, but God sent an angel to make sure Balaam understood what he was supposed to do in going

(Numbers 22:23-35).

9. What did the Lord have Balaam say unto Balak in his first parable?

• “And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he

took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the

east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?

or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills

I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count

the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let

my last end be like his” (Numbers 23:5-10; cf. Deuteronomy 10:22)!

10. What was Balak’s response to what the Lord said through Balaam?

•

“And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and,

behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that

which the Lord hath put in my mouth? And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another

place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them

all: and curse me them from thence” (Numbers 23:11-13)?

11. What did the Lord have Balaam say unto Balak in his second parable?

• “And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he

not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless:

and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen

perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. God brought

them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. Surely there is no enchantment against

Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of

Israel, What hath God wrought! Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young

lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain” (Numbers 23:18-24).

• We can have a good discussion on God not repenting. We have to understand that God can change

His mind and even cease from a course of action. However, in those things He promises He will not change (I

Samuel 15:10-11; 26-29, Genesis 6:6, I Samuel 24:10-16, and Titus 1:2).

12. Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all”. How did Balaam respond?

• “But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that I

must do” (Numbers 23:26; cf. Deuteronomy 23:3-6, Joshua 24:8-10, and Micah 6:5)?

13. Was the third parable spoken by Balaam good news to Balak’s ears?

• No, (Numbers 24:3-10).

14. According to the words of Balak, who kept Balaam back from being promoted unto great honor?

• God (Numbers 24:11).

15. According to Balaam’s fourth parable, what would be the end of Balak’s people?

• “And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall

do to thy people in the latter days. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said,

and the man whose eyes are open hath said: He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the

knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes

open: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a

Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do

valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the

city. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but

his latter end shall be that he perish for ever. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and

said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted,

until Asshur shall carry thee away captive. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when

God doeth this! And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber,

and he also shall perish for ever” (Numbers 24:14-24).

• God’s people will often fight the Moabites, even beyond our context, and subdue then throughout their

history ( I Samuel 14:47-48, II Samuel 8:1-2, II Chronicles 20:15-25, and Zephaniah 2:9-11).

16. What caused the children of Israel to sacrifice and bow down to other gods?

• “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their

gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel”

(Numbers 25:1-3).

• The ultimate source of this was Balaam (Revelation 2:14).

17. What was God’s judgment against those who were joined unto Baalpeor?

• “And the Lord said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the Lord

against the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel. And Moses said unto the

judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor” (Numbers 25:4-5).

18. What happened when the Midianitish woman was brought in among the congregation by a man of Israel?

• “And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in

the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before

the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the

priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the

man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her

belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel” (Numbers 25:6-8).

19. How was Phinehas rewarded for turning away the wrath of God through his zealous act?

• “Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after

him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an

atonement for the children of Israel” (Numbers 25:12-13).

20. Why did the Lord instruct Moses to vex the Midianites, and smite them?

• “For they vex you with their wiles, wherewith they have beguiled you in the matter of Peor, and in the

matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, their sister, which was slain in the day of the plague for

Peor's sake” (Numbers 25:18).

21. The children of Israel were instructed to take another census after what?

• The plague (Numbers 26:1-2) after 24,000 had died (Numbers 25:9).

22. What was the final number from this census of the children of Israel?

• Six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty [601,730] (Numbers 26:51).

23. How many Levites were numbered?

• Twenty and three thousand [23,000] (Numbers 26:62).

24. How many people were left of those who Moses and Aaron numbered in the wilderness of Sinai?

• Excluding Moses and Eleazar, only two were left as God promised [Caleb and Joshua] (Numbers 26:63-

65; cf. Numbers 14:29-30).

Having A Basic Understanding of Some Old Testament Truths
Part 22 – Israel In The Plains Of Moab Through The Renumbering Of Israel (Numbers 22-26)

Click Here To Download This Material in a PDF File