Balak “Balak”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Norman, Oklahoma.
While customs are not commandments there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
Balak is the Hebrew title for “Balak” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Numbers starting in chapter 22 and going through chapter 25 verse 9.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah reading comes from the book of Micah in chapter 5 verse 6 through chapter 6 verse 8.
The gospel readings that are incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 21 with verses 1 through 11.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
Balak (Balak, בלק) was the name of a Moabite king in the days of Moses. It is also the name of the fortieth reading from the Torah. It comes from the second verse of this week's reading, which says, "Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites" (Numbers 22:2). This week's Torah reading tells the story of how Balak hires the occult prophet Balaam to lay a curse on Israel. Balaam meets resistance from God, has a conversation with his donkey and ends up blessing Israel instead of cursing them.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Numbers 22:1 Balak Summons Balaam to Curse Israel
Numbers 22:22 Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel
Numbers 22:41 Balaam’s First Oracle
Numbers 23:13 Balaam’s Second Oracle
Numbers 24:1 Balaam’s Third Oracle
Numbers 24:15 Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
Numbers 25:1 Worship of Baal of Peor
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Micah 5:2 The Ruler from Bethlehem
Micah 5:7 The Future Role of the Remnant
Micah 6:1 God Challenges Israel
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Matthew 21:1 Jesus comes to Jerusalem as King
Matthew 21:5 Jesus fulfills prophecy
The Book of Numbers “Bamidbar” which means “In the Wilderness.”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the fourth book of the Bible (Numbers) is Bamidbar. The name “Bamidbar” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Numbers which means “In the Wilderness,”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Bamidbar” called “Numbers.”
In the Book of Numbers, we see the recounting of the story of Israel’s quest through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. It is a journey that could have been negated if it weren’t for the bad report of the ten spies. It also outlines how the generation who came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness and give way to the triumph of the second generation in leading their way into taking the promised land as their inheritance.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Numbers and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
