In Numbers chapter 24, Balaam is still trying to get what God doesn’t want him to have; the reward from Balak for cursing Israel. Balak takes him to three different locations to look out over the Israel camp and to pronounce a curse on them. Each time Balaam ends up pronouncing a blessing instead. This self-willed prophet, who pursues his own agenda, who explodes in anger when things interrupt his plans, who tries to find loopholes in God’s plans, finally begins to learn that God’s plan and revealed purposes are unalterable, either by man or God!
Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried through?” The assumed answers are of course, “No, Never!”
Then in chapter 24 Balaam blesses Israel at God’s instructions and each time he begins his blessing with the same phrase. “The message of a man whose eyes see clearly…who sees a vision from the Almighty…who bows down with eyes wide open.” (vs 3 and 16) What an interesting thing for a man whose agenda blinded him to the angel blocking his way before to now say. He now submits his hard hearted self-will to God. He doesn’t get the reward he wanted so badly at first, but that doesn’t seem to bother him.
In a final exclamation of God’s sovereignty over all the affairs of life, Balaam concludes in 24:23 “Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it.”