So Balak…sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me.” [Numbers 22:4b-6a (ESV)]
When reading the narratives of the Old Testament, it’s tempting to think that some of the stories are more legend than history. Take the story of Balaam, the pagan prophet hired by King Balak to curse the Israelites, who ended up blessing the Israel and pronouncing disaster on its enemies. Since this took place around 1407 BC, it’s easy to question the story’s accuracy. Balaam’s existence, however, has extra-biblical non-Israelite confirmation.
Over 2,800 years ago, the story of Balaam, “a divine seer,” who pronounced doom to his own people, was written in red and black ink on the plaster wall of a building in the ancient city of Deir ‘Alla in present day Jordan (about 25 miles from where the incident recorded in Numbers 21 took place). The building collapsed as the result of an earthquake around 760 BC (an event referenced in the books of Amos and Zechariah). In 1967, 119 fragments of Balaam’s story were found in the building’s rubble. Probably written about 800 BC, the text begins with the title, “Warnings from the Book of Balaam the son of Beor. He was a seer of the gods.” It continues with, “The misfortunes of the book of Balaam son of Beor. A divine seer was he.” Two more times in the first four lines, the prophet is referred to as “the son of Beor” just as he is in the Hebrew Bible. Referencing “the Book of Balaam” indicates that the wall’s words were copied from an earlier text and that the original material was older than the writing on the wall. While the Deir ‘Alla story mentions pagan gods, the God whose visit caused the prophet to weep bitterly is referred to as “El Shaddai,” which is how the God of Israel was referenced during this time.
The wall’s text tells us that Balaam was well known as a “cursing prophet” and much of the Deir ‘Alla text is given to the prophet’s many curses. These ancient wall fragments help explain why King Balak’s representatives traveled 400 miles to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites. Although the story on the wall, with its mention of other gods and goddesses, doesn’t exactly match the version in Numbers, one would expect a pagan people to put their slant on it and, with only a portion of the wall existing, we have only part of the story. Nevertheless, we know Balaam did exist.
When archeologists wondered why Balaam’s book would be written on the wall of a building in Deir ‘Alla, their answer was found in eleven clay tablets found in the same area. Dating from 1200 BC or earlier (the time of Balaam), they identify Deir ‘Alla as Pethor (Balaam’s home in the Hebrew Scriptures) and speak of the “smiters of Pethor.” If this “divine seer” lived in what is now Deir ‘Alla, it is not surprising that his story would be preserved in his hometown. While these fragments of wall and tablets don’t prove Balaam’s story in Numbers, they certainly back it up. However, there is no doubt that Balaam existed; he was a real prophet, well-known for casting curses, who lived on the east side of the Jordan, and was revered for centuries after his death.
While more ancient artifacts are being discovered every year, archeology is based on what’s been left behind, discovered, and deciphered. Many pieces are missing in the puzzle and the fragmentary nature of archeological evidence makes it impossible to recreate the Middle East’s complete history. Fortunately, we don’t need every biblical event to be confirmed by archeology because we accept the Bible as the Word of God. Scripture doesn’t need proof because it comes with the authority of God; saying archeology proves the Bible gives it more authority than that given to Scripture. Let us remember that, long before there were archeologists, Jesus accepted Scripture’s authority, cited it frequently, and attributed its words directly to God. If it was good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us!
Nevertheless, as time goes on and bits and pieces of ancient history are discovered and analyzed, we find that archeology continues to support the Bible. Extra-biblical evidence for Scripture’s people, places, and events continue to be found and verified. Archeological findings like those at Deir ‘Alla pose a problem for skeptics who’d prefer to think of the exodus, Israel’s wilderness wanderings, and the conquest of Canaan as things of legend. Since there is extra-biblical verification that Balaam was real, they should be cautious of dismissing other people like Balak, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and the Israelites! Who knows what archeological treasures are hidden under the feet of those who walk in the Holy Land today?
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. [Exodus 20:8-10 (ESV)]
Every year a friend sends me a bayberry candle to burn on New Year’s Eve. Legend has it that lighting a bayberry candle when the first star appears, burning it past midnight into the new year, and letting it burn all the way down will bring good luck, wealth, and prosperity to a home. We can’t stay awake past midnight and allowing an unattended candle to burn down to its socket seems more a guarantee of fire and disaster than good luck. Nevertheless, in honor of our friend, we light our candle every New Year’s Eve and extinguish it shortly after the new year begins in Greenland (three time zones east).
Angels taking on bodily form and appearing to people certainly wasn’t an everyday occurrence. Although they are God’s messengers, the message angels bring can be good news or bad. While they may help God’s people as they did for Elijah and Daniel, angels also execute God’s judgment as they did when striking down the firstborn males in Egypt. I suspect Gabriel looked fiercer and more powerful than the elegant sweet angels hanging on our Christmas trees. When he arrived unannounced in the empty Temple sanctuary, Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear and, when he suddenly appeared in an empty room in Nazareth, Mary was troubled and perplexed. Not knowing whether he was on a mission of judgment or mercy, it’s no wonder both Zechariah and Mary were fearful. Gabriel began his visits by telling them both not to be afraid.
Back in the days before coronary artery bypass surgery and angioplasty, my father had heart disease and often suffered from the burning chest pain of angina. When that occurred, he would stop briefly, place a nitroglycerin tablet under his tongue, and his pain would ease. Medical nitroglycerin acts as a vasodilator by dilating or expanding the blood vessels so the heart doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood through those vessels.
Proof of the truth is no substitute for our faith; nevertheless, it is important to know the truth of what we believe. At some point, we will ask ourselves how we can believe the validity of what we’re reading in our Bibles. Fortunately, we have Christian apologists to help us see its truth. Rather than offering apologies for the wrongs committed by evil people in the name of Jesus, apologists share the objective reasons and evidence that Christianity is true and should be believed. The Apostle Paul was probably the first apologist when he showed that Jesus’ fulfillment of Scripture’s prophecies proved He was the Messiah. Paul knew that the truth could stand up to scrutiny and it still does today. As for those prophecies: by conservative estimate, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies while on earth.
Devotions of the Heart 