You could be forgiven for thinking that the prophecies of Balaam were all about Balaam. In fact, Balak is the one taking center stage here. His transformation throughout all four prophecies of Balaam is striking…and subtle, if we’re not careful.
Think about the slight switch in phrasing between the first two oracles. Three times in the Narrative so far, Balaam has stated the fact that he can only say what God puts in his mouth (Numbers 22:38; 23:3, 12).
Now, Balak seems to get the message. When Balaam returns from his isolation to inquire of the Lord before giving the second prophecy, Balak asks him flatly: “What has the Lord spoken?”
It’s unclear at this point whether or not Balak actually cares what God has to say about anything. After all, he already told the Midianite and Moabite messengers that God told him not to go (Numbers 22:13), so does he just assume God will give up and do what Balak wants? Does he think he’s stronger than Jehovah?
He certainly thinks he can manipulate God, at least. In a bid to try and direct divine energy in his general direction, he changes locations in between oracles one and two, and two and three (Numbers 23:13, 27). This time, he only shows Balaam the edges of the Israelite camp—a much smaller portion than what he saw the first time around (Numbers 22:41).
But why does it matter how much Balaam sees?
Evidently, he feels that the “prophecies” Balaam delivers are more a product of his own fear in seeing the magnitude of the Israelites. If he only sees a tiny sliver of Balak’s enemy, maybe Balaam—or God—won’t be as intimidated, which shows how much credibility Balak gives to this whole process in the first place.
Balak is still playing his part, though. When Balaam returns from the second oracle, he asks if God will be more “agreeable” the third time with a more favorable message towards Moab. Somehow, still thinks he’s the one calling the shots.
But God isn’t the one that needs to change His mind. That’s what the second oracle sums up in a nutshell: God has spoken (Numbers 23:19), He brought them out of Egypt (23:22), and God will ensure Israel conquers its enemies (23:24). That includes Moab, Midian, and anyone else that wants to stand in its way.
In response, Balak asks Balaam to please shut his yapper. He doesn’t want Balaam to curse them or bless them. In fact, Balaam can just stop talking…now.
Balaam won’t stop talking. Balak asked for oracles, and that’s exactly what he got. Just because Balak doesn’t like what God has to say, doesn’t mean that God will stop saying it.
Balak has no choice but to sit and listen.