Heavenly Battles Part One - By: Rabbi Simcha Weinberg

A great battle was being waged in the highest heavens unbeknownst to the Children of Israel. Balak, the king of Moab, was convinced that he could neither wage battle against Israel, nor negotiate a peace. He was vulnerable to a power he did not understand. Israel’s military might could not possibly explain their devastating defeat of Og and Sichon, kings of Bashan and the Emorites. Balak could not understand Israel’s power. He recalled how God crushed the Egyptians thirty-eight years earlier. He heard the rumors of magical food and water, clouds of protection and a projection of the awesome power of a very real God. This was to be a confrontation between other worldly powers; not of realpolitik or military machines.

Balak assumed that we cannot merge the “real” world and the spiritual. He evaluated his situation, and after consultation with Midian, people familiar with Moshe, decided to use his “Moshe,” and hire Balaam to wage war against Moshe and Israel.

Balaam immediately made it clear that he would not fight the Jewish God, but would use Him to mortally wound Israel. He would battle Israel for God’s favor.

The Midianites knew Balaam well enough to figure out that he could not succeed against Moshe before God. They pulled out of this heavenly confrontation and left Balak to do as he would. Balaam understood Midian’s point that he, focused on money and power and other sick predilections, could not stand before God next to Moshe. He waits for a sign from God that he could stand before Him as a holy prophet. Never letting go of the money and honor promised by Balak, he keeps his eye on the status of his relationship with God. He, unlike Moshe, was not focused only on God. Without focus, he can’t even see what his donkey can, and loses himself in an angry battle of wills with a stubborn animal. It is not an auspicious beginning to the spiritual battle to which he was heading.

Balaam was wise enough to pay attention to his vulnerabilities and began to focus. He speaks to Balak of God’s will, and focuses the king on the spiritual battle by ordering Offerings to God.

The two men stand on a mountaintop looking down on Israel searching for a chink in their spiritual armor that will allow this Heavenly battle to begin. The Jews are unaware that they are under attack. The verse does not directly inform us whether even Moshe knew what was happening. Balaam fires his first salvo, acknowledging Israel’s greatness, believing that all he needed was to find the one area in which God’s people were not living up to the standard demanded of the title, and they would be vulnerable to spiritual attack in the Heavenly world where such things matter.

Once, twice, three times, and a fourth, Balaam enters the ring ready to attack. He sees in Israel what they do not see in themselves. He sees their destiny and promise. He sees their potential and future challenges. He sees them going shopping, playing in their playgrounds, living as normal people unaware of the storms gathering in heaven and history. He, their enemy, sees in them what they do not. He found their vulnerability.

“Israel settled in the Shittim and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab (Numbers 25:).” The holy nation is going to the wine store while their greatest spiritual enemy is attacking in heaven! That, argues Balaam, is harlotry!

Even worse, the sinners went for women of royal families; no commoners for them! They lived with a sense of their greatness; a sense without focus or commitment. Balaam may have lost the war, but he certainly wounded Israel. Moshe would be buried facing “Baal-Peor,” the god of the Moabites, to protect Israel on heaven’s battlefield. The battle was far from over.

About the Author

Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Rabbi-Simcha-Weinberg/78434

Additional Articles From - Home | Self improvement | Motivation