And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
This verse opens Balaam's prophetic utterance by naming the speaker as Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eyes are open. That description means he had received supernatural knowledge in a vision from God while in a trance, with his eyes open. In delivering it he was obeying God, laying aside his pretended enchantments and speaking with the dignity of a true prophet. God had opened his sight to behold Israel's ordered camp and the divine presence protecting and guiding them.
The setting was Balak repeatedly taking Balaam to different places in hope he would curse Israel rather than bless them. The Lord had shown Balaam beforehand what Israel would do in the future, including its conquest and settlement in Canaan and its eventual triumph. The oracle so introduced foretells the world's Redeemer and the final destruction of God's enemies, including Moab and Edom. That prophecy made clear to the Moabites that their efforts to subdue Israel would fail. The futility of Balak's efforts to make Balaam alter the blessing illustrates how repeated attempts could not shake Luther's decision when sustained by divine power.
This verse opens Balaam's prophetic utterance by naming the speaker as Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eyes are open. That description means he had received supernatural knowledge in a vision from God while in a trance, with his eyes open. In delivering it he was obeying God, laying aside his pretended enchantments and speaking with the dignity of a true prophet. God had opened his sight to behold Israel's ordered camp and the divine presence protecting and guiding them.
The setting was Balak repeatedly taking Balaam to different places in hope he would curse Israel rather than bless them. The Lord had shown Balaam beforehand what Israel would do in the future, including its conquest and settlement in Canaan and its eventual triumph. The oracle so introduced foretells the world's Redeemer and the final destruction of God's enemies, including Moab and Edom. That prophecy made clear to the Moabites that their efforts to subdue Israel would fail. The futility of Balak's efforts to make Balaam alter the blessing illustrates how repeated attempts could not shake Luther's decision when sustained by divine power.