To this end, the Pulpit Commentary properly reflects that, Enchantment, נָחַשׁ. Rather, "augury." Septuagint, οἰωνισμός. That as prescribed by the Law if God in Leviticus 19:26, where there was no practice of such as forbidden to Israel or, "in Jacob," as the marginal reading, and this is favoured by the Septuagint and the Targums, and is equally true and striking. Therefore, It was the proud peculiarity of Israel that he trusted not to any magic arts or superstitious rites, uncertain in themselves, and always leading to imposture, but to the direction and favour of the Almighty. Divination. קֶסֶם. Septuagint, μαντεία. The art of the soothsayer. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel. Rather, "in season," i.e., in God's good time, "it shall be said to Jacob and to Israel. What hath God wrought! or, "what God doeth." The meaning seems to be that augury and divination were useless and vain in the case of Israel, because God himself declared and would declare his mighty acts in behalf of his people, and that by no uncertain vaticination, but by open declaration.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary for his part assures those children of God who will free themselves from faltering between two opinions by faltering between God and the gods and be proven as "enchantment and divination free-Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob— THEN such shall proudly declare that, "No art can ever prevail against a people who are under the shield of Omnipotence, and for whom miracles have been and yet shall be performed, which will be a theme of admiration in succeeding ages."
Jacob infers to the Believer and Israel infers to The body of Christ or The Church as a whole. So in this wise the notion carried by many on this verse changes and table turns. Let's look to the whole context and then you will get the picture if God's mind for His Church as illustrated to me.
This is the CONFESSION of a magic priest. A false Prophet, The devil's spokesman in person. I mean I whose art and profession is to skillfully wage an evil war with words (prophecy or what is called, incantation), against God (for whoever fights against God's children has declared war on God Almighty himself). This is his second oracle after his first contact against God's divine purposes set for his children on their journey in conquest of the promises land. Therefore the bitter defeat of Balam is evidenced whiles engaged in the war itself... Destruction by words also called curses are turned into Edification. Blessings are installed instead of curses. And Ballam recognizes that even he the king of destruction has to bow when God arises!
Balaam's Second Oracle
…21"He has not observed misfortune in Jacob; Nor has He seen trouble in Israel; The LORD his God is with him, And the shout of a king is among them. 22"God brings them out of Egypt, He is for them like the horns of the wild ox. 23"For there is no omen against Jacob, Nor is there any divination against Israel; At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob And to Israel, what God has done!…
The verse 21 gives us a clear view and this will help those who always like quoting scriptures at random. -HE HAS NOT FOUND INIQUITY IN JACOB. SO THIS US WHY HE FIGHTS FOR THEM LIKE THE WILD OX - A CASTRATED BULL. AND WHAT IS THE INIQUITY HE DID NOT FIND IN THEM? 1. They was none who was an enchanter nor divines nor those who engaged enchantment or divination. Theirs were the prophets and the rim and turim. To these believers and Church that rid themselves of trusting in the works of men, and fully trust in God's divine power, HE WAS FOUND TO BE A SAFE HAVEN.
NO MISFORTUNE: Magic, witchcraft, enchantment, divination, reading if horoscope and all that is A MISFORTUNE - bringing it to our language, sin in its high level. Iniquity us usually those sin handed over by trading or from our for fathers or picked from other cultures. It is A STUMBLING BLOCK. It's IMPEDES GOD TO ACT ON BEHALF IF HIS PEOPLE. Yet over and over again, there are those who have this abominable thought that you may worship Christ and Mammon, God and Baal, Church and world or that all religions leads to one God..
In the book of 1Samuel 15, King Saul in his haste to please the people and his fear of the enemy, offer sacrifices to God against God's command and immediately after, there arrives the prophet ordained to offer the sacrifices. God's prophet Samuel, Denounces Saul's WORSHIP instead of him WAITING.
…22Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23"For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.
So we have SIN, INIQUITY AND TRANGRESSION. REBELLION is as THE SIN
DISOBEDIENCE IS LIKE WORSHIPPING IDOLS. ITVIS THE SECOND GRADE OF SIN CALLED INIQUITY.
As such when God says he has not found INIQUITY IN ISRAEL, His intent was that, there was none that acted presumptuously or arrogantly. There was non that walked in ecclesiastical disorder by presumptuously taking a role in the Church which was for another or by ursurping authority. This turns the house of God into a den of robbers. It is no more the house of prayer but the temple of Baal. And a God is in the midst of His Church not amongst idolaters.
When God found none that sacrifices to idols nor them by bowing to them and them that worshipped idols by being presumptuous and indu ordinate in the house of God, he fought for his people like A WILD OX. God overthrew and disengaged the principalities engaged in the activation of evil curses by meeting them like A WILD OX and showed his divine might by fighting them with the HORNS OF THE UNICORN. Therefore the Psalmist in his hymal raises a triumphant and high praise by singing
Numbers 24:8
"God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them.
Deuteronomy 33:17
In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh."
Here is Job's Description of the Wild OX. He says in Chapter 39:9 -10"Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night? Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness? Will it till the valleys behind you?
No till date have declared to engaged in battle against God and won and none shall ever. He is mighty in battle. THE LORD sis His name! The God of the Armies of heave,. The LORD of Host. Either you are for him or against him. No halting here and there. James put it so clear. NO DOUBLE MINDED PERSON MUST EXPECT TO RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM GOD. Don't go seeking help from magicians and come jumping halleluia in God's house. It is INIQUITY and must not be found among the Church.
Simon, A New Testament Believer in THE BOND WITH OF INIQUITY
Acts 8:9-24Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
9 But there was a man named Simon, (whose profession and stays was like Balaam of The Old Testament) formerly practicing magic arts in the city to the utter amazement of the Samaritan nation, claiming that he himself was an extraordinary and distinguished person.
10 They all paid earnest attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that exhibition of the power of God which is called great (intense).
11 And they were attentive and made much of him, because for a long time he had amazed (thrown them in confusion and ensnared or bewitched) and bewildered and dazzled them with his skill in magic arts.
12 But when they believed the good news (the Gospel) about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) as Philip preached it, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed [he adhered to, trusted in, and relied on the teaching of Philip], and after being baptized, devoted himself constantly to him. And seeing signs and miracles of great power which were being performed, he was utterly amazed.
14 Now when the apostles (special messengers) at Jerusalem heard that [the country of] Samaria had accepted and welcomed the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them,
15 And they came down and prayed for them that the Samaritans might receive the Holy Spirit;
16 For He had not yet fallen upon any of them, but they had only been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then [the apostles] laid their hands on them one by one, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 However, when Simon saw that the [Holy] Spirit was imparted through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he brought money and offered it to them,
19 Saying, Grant me also this power and authority, in order that anyone on whom I place my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.
Peter REBUKES Simon as God REBUKED Balaam and as Samuel REBUKED King Saul
20 But Peter said to him, Destruction overtake your money and you, because you imagined you could obtain the [free] gift of God with money!
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is all wrong in God’s sight [it is not straightforward or right or true before God].
22 So repent of this depravity and wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, this [a]contriving thought and purpose of your heart may be removed and disregarded and forgiven you.
WATCH THIS!
23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in [b]a BOND PASSED UNTO YOU or bond FORGED BY INIQUITY forged by iniquity [to fetter souls].
- And Simon answered, Pray for me [beseech the Lord, both of you], that nothing of what you have said may befall me!
Simon the Magician, or The Sorcerer (flourished 1st century ad), practitioner of magical arts who probably came from Gitta, a village in biblical Samaria. Simon, according to the New Testament account in Acts of the Apostles 8:9–24, after becoming a Christian, offered to purchase from the Apostles Peter and John the supernatural power of transmitting the Holy Spirit, thus giving rise to the term simony as the buying or selling of sacred things or ecclesiastical office. Later references in certain early Christian writings identify him as the founder of post-Christian Gnosticism, a dualist religious sect advocating salvation through secret knowledge, and as the archetypal heretic of the Christian Church.
Having been revered by the people of northern Palestine as possessing vast preternatural powers, Simon Magus manifested his own admiration for the power of Christian evangelization when, in the New Testament story, he requested Baptism from Philip the Deacon. The biblical account concludes with Simon’s repentance and apparent reconciliation with Christianity .( Encyclopedia Britanica).
People are not only bound by alcohol, etc... Some are bound by witchcraft, pride, arrogance and insubordination. They are addicted to Magic, divination, curses, enchantment and seem not to be able to live without it . Such needs deliverance and wherever there is A PETER, THE CHURCH OF CHRIST SHALL a purged of them that CHRIST MAY DWELL IN THE MIDST OF HIS CHURCH AS THE WILD OX! Fighting our battles for us!
FORGES INIQUITY AGAINST ISRAEL
Numbers 25Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
25 Israel settled down and remained in Shittim, and the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab,
2 Who invited the [Israelites] to the sacrifices of their gods, and [they] ate and bowed down to Moab’s gods.
3 So Israel joined himself to [the god] Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
So IDOLATRY which is INIQUITY was found in Israel not because the propose worshpped these false gods by bowing to them, but by bringing their philosophy into the Church, notably FOOD AND SEX. Eat is symbolically of believing in and sex in actively participating. How well this message speaks to us now. There is a Church of Christ that are free to practice any form if sex and worship with any kind of religion. GOD IS NOT IN THEIR MIDST. And THRY are WITHOUT COVER.
The above recounts that, when witchcraft and supernatural powers would not work against Israel, another weapon was forged through the INIQUITY. It was through THE FLESH. It was EVIL COUNSELING. Israel saw no harm in fellowshipping with the cultures and adapting the customs of the people of the east. They did not bow to the gods of Moab but ate their food and had sex with their women and bum! These were left mercilessly to the devour of their enemies until THAT SIN WAS PURGED THROUGH BLOOD SACRIFICE.
The same warning rings to all Gnostics and false prophets and those who go to buy witchcraft to work wonders in the church and to those who practice sorcery and those who live like they never got born again. Yet a more serious warning goes to CHURCH LEADERS TODAY WHOSE ADULTEROUS FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD HAS WEAKENED THEM IN PREACHING THE GOSPEL. A time is coming when God is going to remove such leaders whose teachings becomes a trap to God's people and impede God's manifestation in His Own House and among His people.
2. (4-5) God’s judgment on the offenders.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the LORD, out in the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”
2 Peter 2:15-16 speaks of Balaam and his love of money, using him as an example of later false prophets: They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
Revelation 2:14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality
This same terms or conditions are listed in Paul's stance on spiritual warfare. Here the battle was against humanism which is just as serving idols. Humanism is spiritual arrogance. As witchcraft blinds the minds of people so does worldly philosophy. They led non to the cross, but to themselves and to the devil.
Thus for every New Testament, that wishes to engage or activate God's hand against the threats of their foes or to any that might harass them spiritually. The Scriptures says in 2Corinthians chapter 10 that,
…3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. WHAT THE VERSE 6....... It says, "And GOD shall (we are ready to) punish all disobedience, WHENEVER YOUR OBEDIENCE IS COMPLETE.…
God's WORD is clear today. Where there is no INIQUITY in the midst of His people - the Believer and The Church, then INIQUITY shall not prevail against them.
D. Adu BINEY.
