Audio Download

Numbers 24:1-25  Balaam’s Eyes Being Opened to See

[Study Aired October 16, 2023]

Num 24:1  And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 
Num 24:2  And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. 
Num 24:3  And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 
Num 24:4  He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 
Num 24:5  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!
Num 24:6  As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.
Num 24:7  He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
Num 24:8  God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 
Num 24:9  He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee. 
Num 24:10  And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 
Num 24:11  Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. 
Num 24:12  And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 
Num 24:13  If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? 
Num 24:14  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. 
Num 24:15  And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 
Num 24:16  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: 
Num 24:17  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. 
Num 24:18  And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 
Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 
Num 24:20  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. 
Num 24:21  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. 
Num 24:22  Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
Num 24:23  And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!
Num 24:24  And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish forever. 
Num 24:25  And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

Introduction

This chapter continues with Balak and Balaam attempting to curse the people of Israel. However, in this chapter, the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes to see things from the Lord’s viewpoint. As a result, Balaam gave us more insight on who the Lord’s elect are and their destiny. He also prophesied concerning our captivity in Babylon and how Babylon shall be destroyed. A good takeaway from this study is the fact that in Christ, nothing can harm us and that what we speak when our eyes are opened is a parable to the people of the world, including our brothers and sisters in Babylon. That is why they cannot understand what we say. In summary, this is what happens to us when our eyes are opened:

Mar 16:17  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18  They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Speaking in a new tongue means speaking in a parable that only the elect can understand. Casting out devils also implies doing away with the lies or the false doctrines of the evil one. Taking up serpents and not being hurt by drinking any deadly thing signifies that nothing can harm us if we are in Christ. 

Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

The LORD Opened Balaam’s Eyes to See

Num 24:1  And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 

It is when Christ comes to us that our eyes are opened, and our ears begin to hear the words of the Lord. That is when we begin to see who the Lord’s elect are and that they are a blessed people. That was what happened to Balaam. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

As we come into the church of the firstborn, that is when we come to see the blessedness of the Lord’s elect.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

As a result of Balaam’s eyes being enlightened, he stopped seeking enchantments and set his face toward the wilderness. Seeking for enchantments symbolizes seeking another Jesus. What this means is that when Christ comes to us, and we become part of the church of the firstborn, that is when we stop seeking another Jesus as we focus on the path of life the Lord had apportioned for us. 

Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Num 24:2  And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. 

In verse 2, Balaam lifting up his eyes to see the Israelites abiding in tents signifies that we, His elect, are strangers here on earth. As we are aware, strangers do not become entangled in the affairs of the city where they are dwelling. This implies that as strangers here on earth, we are to focus on what will please our Lord in this life and not become entangled in the affairs of this world. 

Jer 35:7  Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.

Living in tents also implies that we are looking for the city whose designer and builder is God. In other words, the Lord causes us to seek Him.

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 
Heb 11:9  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 
Heb 11:10  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 

Abiding in tents according to their tribes implies that the Lord has called and chosen His elect from every tribe and tongue.

Rev 5:9  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

The Spirit of the Lord coming upon Balaam in verse 2 is another way of saying that Balaam was given eyes to see and ears to hear the word of the Lord just as the Lord’s elect are enlightened to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Speaking in Parables

Num 24:3  And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 
Num 24:4  He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open: 
Num 24:5  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! 
Num 24:6  As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river’s side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. 

As indicated, it is when our eyes are opened, as shown in verse 3, that we hear the words of the Lord (verse 4). Seeing the Almighty as our eyes are opened means the Lord is coming to us with the brightness of His coming to open our eyes to see and ears to hear.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

In verse 5, it is when our eyes are opened by the Lord that we come to appreciate the beauty of our dwelling place in tents and also the tabernacle of Israel. As Psalm 90:1 suggests, Christ is our dwelling place. This implies that we come to see that we are in Him as He is in us. The beauty of our tent is therefore Christ. 

Psa 90:1  A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

The tabernacle of Israel refers to Christ coming to dwell in us.

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

In verse 6, the elect is described as valleys which have spread forth. According to Strong’s Dictionary, the valleys are actually streams. It is therefore insightful to describe the elect as streams that spread forth. As we are aware, streams or water stands for the word of the Lord. This implies that the elect being described as streams spreading forth means we live according to the word of the Lord which is alive and active in our lives just as the Lord Jesus represents the word of the Lord.  

Heb 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 

The elect is also described as gardens by the river’s side. This means that what nourishes us is the word of the Lord. Again in verse 6, we, His elect are described as cedar trees beside the waters.  These descriptions of the elect being a garden by the river’s side and as cedar trees beside the waters means that if we live by the word of the Lord, we shall surely prosper in all that we do.  

Psa 1:1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psa 1:2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 
Psa 1:3  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 

In verse 5, we are also described as trees of aloes which the Lord has planted. This implies that we do not contribute anything to our salvation. Everything is the work of the Lord from the very beginning up to the finish line. 

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

As stated in John 6:29, the work of God causes us to believe in Christ. 

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Num 24:7  He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

It is instructive to note that Israel in these verses is referred to as “He.” This is because, in this case, Israel is seen from the perspective of Jacob and not as a woman betrothed to Christ. 

Num 24:5  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!

What this means is that we are looking at the elect from the perspective of a man with dominion or authority who submits to Christ. This verse therefore emphasizes the role of the elect in prophesying or speaking the word of the Lord without having our heads covered. 

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
1Co 11:4  Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 
1Co 11:5  But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

In verse 7, we are told that the Lord’s elect shall pour the water out of his buckets. This signifies that we shall prophesy or speak the word of the Lord from what the Lord has given to each one of us. In other words, every joint shall supply the word of the Lord. 

Mat 12:35  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

His seed shall be in many waters signifies that the Lord has called and chosen His elect from the nations of the world. As we are aware, the many waters mean the nations of the world as shown in the following verse:

Rev 17:1  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

The king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted means that our Lord Jesus as king shall reign through the ages to come, unlike our earthly kings like Agag whose reign was very temporal or short. It also means that as king, Christ is superior and more powerful to all earthly kings as all power is given unto him. He shall establish his kingdom over the whole world in the fullness of time when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. 

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9  Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:10  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
Heb 1:11  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Num 24:8  God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 
Num 24:9  He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.

The Lord brought us out of the world (Egypt) to serve Him with a mighty hand which is described as the strength of a unicorn. A unicorn is a wild bull with great strength. 

Exo 32:11  And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

Deu 5:15  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

The Israelites eating up the nations, breaking their bones and piercing them through with arrows, signifies that as His elect, we shall overcome the old man or our flesh, represented by nations. This will be done through the word of the Lord which is symbolized by arrows. In verse 9, the elect is signified by a great lion who is ready to eat its prey which is our old man or the flesh.

Num 23:24  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.

Those who bless us shall be blessed, and those who curse us shall be cursed. The Lord also told Abraham the same thing. What this means is that those who fight against us shall find themselves fighting against the Lord. 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee (Abraham), and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Num 24:10  And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.
Num 24:11  Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. 
Num 24:12  And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 
Num 24:13  If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak? 

Balak saying that Balaam had blessed the Israelites three times shows us that it is a blessing to be judged as we go through the process of attaining spiritual maturity (the significance of the number three). People of the world think that they have the power to promote people to great honor since they believe in man charting his own destiny through his free will just as Balak thought in verse 12. The fact that he admitted that the Lord had kept Balaam from honor is to let us know that whatever happens here on earth is according to the counsel of God, whether good or evil.   

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 

Balaam’s stance that he could not go beyond the Lord’s commandments and that whatever the Lord says is what he would do or speak, affirms the fact that it is the counsel of the Lord which shall stand – not what we want. Balam’s resolve not to accept if Balak offered him his house full of silver and gold is to let us know that in this life, what is important is knowing Christ – not riches.  

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Num 24:14  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. 
Num 24:15  And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: 
Num 24:16  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: 

In these verses, we are being reminded that all Balaam was saying about Israel was the result of his eyes being opened by the Lord. It is instructive to note that he mentioned that what he was going to say about Israel comes as a parable. As Jesus stated, a parable can only be understood by one whose eyes have been opened by the Lord, which in this case is the Lord’s elect. This means that the physical churches of this world who focus on the letter of the word of God, do not have a clue as to what the word of the Lord is actually saying to His people.

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
Mat 13:13  Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 
Mat 13:14  And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 
Mat 13:15  For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 
Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

In verse 14, Balaam stated that he was going to tell Balak what the people of Israel would do to the people of Moab in the latter days. The people of Moab represent our flesh which the Lord shall destroy through His elect who are the people of the Lord in the latter days. 

Hos 3:5  Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Jer 23:20  The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

Num 24:17  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. 
Num 24:18  And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. 
Num 24:19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city. 

Here Balaam is prophesying that he shall see the Lord but not in His lifetime. It is during the lake of fire age that all humanity, including Balaam, shall see the Lord. The star out of Jacob is Christ, who is the morning star. A sceptre is a symbol of rulership. Thus, a sceptre that shall rise out of Israel is speaking of the Lord’s kingship over His elect and His kingdom. 

Gen 49:10 The scepter [of royalty] shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes, And to Him shall be the obedience of the peoples. (AMP)

These verses also assure us that when the Lord, the Star of Jacob, comes to us, He shall destroy our old man or the flesh through the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming. The old man or the flesh is signified here by the Moabites, the Edomites and Seir who are being destroyed within His elect by the fire of His word.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

In verse 19, He that has dominion and comes from Jacob is Christ our Lord. It is He who is fighting our battles for us to become overcomers. He shall destroy everything that remains of our old man or the flesh in our city (bodies).

Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Num 24:20  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 forever. 
Num 24:21  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. 
Num 24:22  Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

Amalek means ‘dweller in a valley.’ The Amalekites are descendants of Esau and therefore are fleshly related to Israel. They represent our flesh which is being subdued by the Lord’s elect.

1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. 
1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 

1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. 
1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

The instruction by the Lord to totally destroy the Amalekites is to show us that we cannot leave any aspect of our flesh untouched. The defeat of our old man must be thorough if we are to become overcomers. The Kenites were a nomadic tribe. Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses, was a Kenite. A significant number of them settled among the Israelites.

Jdg 1:16  And the children of the Kenite, Moses’ father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.

In verse 21, Balaam prophesied that the Kenites’ dwelling place was strong, and they put their nest in a rock. This implies that the Kenites were initially secured as a result of their dwelling among the people of Israel and the fact that they worshiped the Lord who is the rock. However, as time went on, the people of Israel, including the Kenites, forsook the Lord their God. The Kenites therefore also represent Babylon.

In verse 22, Balaam prophesied that the Kenites shall be taken away captive by the Assyrians (Asshur). The going into captivity of the people of Israel included the captivity of the Kenites. It is insightful to note that Heber’s wife Jael, a Kenite, was the one who killed Sisera when their family separated themselves from the Kenites. This means that it is only when we separate from Babylon that we are able to overcome the flesh.

Jdg 4:11  Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

Jdg 4:15  And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. 

Jdg 4:17  Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 
Jdg 4:18  And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. 
Jdg 4:19  And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. 
Jdg 4:20  Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 
Jdg 4:21  Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Balaam and Balak Finally Separated

Num 24:23  And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!
Num 24:24  And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish forever.
Num 24:25  And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

Balaam’s question in verse 23 that who shall live when God does this is to remind us that what he was prophesying will take a long time to occur. 

Hab 2:3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

In verse 24, Balaam predicted the fall of Babylon which is represented by Asshur (Assyria) and Eber. Abraham is described as a descendant of Eber, and therefore Eber also represents Babylon. This destruction of Babylon is first within us. Later, Babylon shall be destroyed for everyone to see.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Rev 18:17  For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 
Rev 18:18  And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 

In verse 25, Balaam and Balak separated from each other. As the Lord’s elect, the Lord will separate us from people who are close to us, who have the potential to influence our walk with Christ negatively. It is sometimes very painful, but it is necessary for our walk with Christ. Abraham’s call by the Lord to go to the land of Canaan was characterized by separating himself from his people and kindred. The nature of the call of Abraham is applicable to us today. It is the same as what happened to Lazarus. When he was raised from the dead, he could not walk because of the grave clothes. As we are aware, clothes or garments represent righteousness. Grave clothes therefore represent our own righteousness (iniquity) which includes some of our relationships which we cherish but are not helping us to grow in Christ. That is when Christ comes in to take them away so we can walk with Him.

Joh 11:43  And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 
Joh 11:44  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

May the Lord continue to show mercy to us as He drags us to Himself. Amen!!