Daily D – Numbers 31:8

by David Bowman | Feb 19, 2026 | Daily D | 0 comments

Numbers 31:8 Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. (NIV)

—

Isn’t Balaam the Prophet for Hire, whom King Balak offered to pay handsomely for a curse on Israel? (See Numbers 22-24.) Yes, yes, he is.

King Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel, but God gave Balaam nothing but blessings for his people. So far, so good. That was the end of that.

But it wasn’t. Balaam couldn’t conjure up a curse against Israel, but he came up with another plan to trip up God’s people, and it worked. Balaam gave the advice for the Moabites to send in women with a two-part mission. (See Numbers 31:16.)

First, they were to entice the Hebrew men into adultery. Second, they were to entice them to worship the Baal of Peor, a sex god. This worship included “fertility rites, ritual meals, and sexual union with cult prostitutes to secure agricultural prosperity.” (See [https://bit.ly/3ZKGMCQ](https://bit.ly/3ZKGMCQ) for more.)

This resulted in a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites. (See Numbers 25:9.) Balaam got to look powerful and rich at last, but at the cost of his life.

I wonder what Balaam’s donkey said about that?

A couple of observations leap from the page that are as current as what is playing on Netflix right about now.

Sexual sin is an ongoing stumbling block or tripping hazard.

The back door entry into worshiping false gods is the pathway of pleasure that secures momentary satisfaction but drives a wedge between us and God.

As God was looking out for his people to bless them when King Balak hired Balaam to curse them, he seeks to bless us today as we live in alignment and attunement with his will and ways.

Right about now is a good time to live the kind of life God can bless and to build walls against what looks like pleasure but ends in destruction.

I’m pretty sure a certain donkey would agree.

—

I will build walls against the evils that would allure me into gross disobedience and false worship.

—

Our Father, thank you for seeking to bless us as we live in a deeper and abiding relationship with you. Thank you for providing a way of escape from every temptation. Bless us today with walls against evil and pathways into peaceful enjoyment of your grace and mercy. Amen.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

CONNECT WITH ME!

Interested in learning more about Church Unique or Life Younique? Send a note through the Get In Touch box or Message me through the Facebook link above.

GET IN TOUCH!

READ MY BLOG!

Daily D – Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

Daily D – Deuteronomy 29:29

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

Daily D – Deuteronomy 26:16-19

Deuteronomy 26:16-19 “The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws; carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have declared this day that the Lord is your God and that you will walk in obedience to him, that you will keep his decrees, commands and laws—that you will listen to him. And the Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised, and that you are to keep all his commands. He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised.”

Daily D – Deuteronomy 23:4-5

Deuteronomy 23:4, 5 “For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.”

Daily D – Deuteronomy 17:16-20

Deuteronomy 17:16-20 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and **he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left.** Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.