The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 352

carefully for further use ; but if it turns out a failure, fling it without more ado on the dunghill. Balak acts here towards Balaam just as he might be expected to act. 2. He lays tJie whok blame on Balaam. He does not consider that the evil purposes of his own heart must needs be frustrated. Three prophecies, full of solemn and weighty matter, uttered in his hearing, have not made him in the slightest degree conscious of the folly nnd iniquity of his project. He sees indeed that the project must fail, but is blind as a bat to the real relLSon of the failure. All that he has heard concerning Jehovah, his character, his pnst dealings with Israel, and his purposes for them, has not impressed him one whit, save with the fact that somehow he cannot get his own way. His curse project has ended in a huge, humiliating, exasperating failure, and Balaam must bear the blame of it. Wicked men cannot be got to give Heaven credit for all its timely and irresistible interferences with their darling schemes. The fault in Balak's angry eye rested with Balaam, and with him alone. "The Lord bath kept thee back from honour." A true word indeed, but not applicable in the way in which Balak intended it. The Lord had kept Balaam back from honour, but not from the paltry honour which Balak would have conferred on him. The lesson for us is, that whenever any selfish plan of ours fails, we should not, like this blind, besotted king, go laying blame elsewhere, as if it would exonerate ourselves. Balaam of course was to blame, grievously to blame, a great deal more than Balak, seeing he sinned against greater light. But we must not let the grievous and conspicuous faults of others cast our own into the shade. We are at the best very poor judges of the transgressions of our fellow-men. When we fail in anything, it is far the wisest, kindest, nnd most profitable course to give diligent heed to such causes of failure as nre in our own heart. Whatever disappointments may come to us in life, we shall never fail in anything of real importance if only we keep our own hearn right with God. II. BALAX's VAIN ATTEMl'T TO GET PROMPT RIDDANCE OF TJIE PROPHET. He thinks it is enongh to say, "Stop." But as he was not able to make Balaam speak what he wanted and when he wanted, so neither is he able to make Balaam cease when the Lord's message is on hie lips. God opened Balaam's mouth, and it is not for Bulak to close it. Before Balak is left, hie in1potence shall be manifested in the completest possible way. He had been the thoughtless and unwitting means of turning on the stream of glorious prophecy, and now be finds he cannot stop that stream at wil!, Jehovah did not seek this occasion, but when it is furnished he deems it well to avll!l himself of it to the full. And now Balak finds that, whether he will or not, he must listen to the doom of hie own people, expressly and clearly announced, Learn that when you begin the headstrong course of making everything on earth-and perhaps, after Balak'e fashion, in heaven as well-subservient to self, you cannot stop when- ever the consequences begin to get troublesome. Baluk said, " Let my "'.ill be done, not because it is right, but because it is mine," and he was not contented with a refus_al, once or e,en twire. He must have it a third time, and then he finds that the choice is no longer under bis control. Let us choose wisely while we are able to choose.-Y Vere. 15-2fi.-Tke Star out of Jacob and the Sceptre out of lBrael. The final prophecy, unsolicited by Balak, which indeed be woula have been glad to stop, goes far beyond the concerns of bis kingdom and his reign. It stretches over an ever- widening extent of space and time. As long as there is any Moab kind of nation to be destroyed, Israel must continue to prevail. The kin(;'doms of this world no~ onl_y will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of hie Chnst, but no other conclue1?11 1s easily conceivable. The power by which Israel conquers one enemy enables 1t t_o conquer all; and the disposition which leads it ogainet one enemy .~ust lead it against all. It will again and again be attacked, and must defend where 1t 1s attacked. It must expand by the ever-strengthening life within. The more it gro_ws, the more room 1t will require, until at lust the kingdoms of the world become its own. Notice- I. THE ADVANCE IN THIS PROPHECY UPON THE PRECEDING ONE, AS SHOWN BY 'l'Hl!l DlFJrERENT FIGURE EMPLOYED. The lion destroys, and that most effectually, but he can do nothing more than destroy. The horse or the ox will draw the cart, and thus aerve coDstructivc purposes. EYen the tiniest bird can build its compact and ~ym· cm. x~n. 41-xuv.] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. 339