Jewish Feasts, Jewish Calendar
For many of us, the description of the Jewish feast days may not mean a lot. Here are two charts which hopefully help us to get a bird’s eye’s view of how the Jewish calendar works and the place of the big Jewish feasts in it…
(From: Holman Charts, 1993)
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One Response to “Jewish Feasts, Jewish Calendar”If you found the story of Balak and Balaam confusing, here’s how Alaster McGrath explains it in his helpful commentary:
Numbers 22:1-24:25. BALAK SUMMONS BALAAM: The Moabites have no idea that Israel only intends to peacefully pass through their land. Having seen what Israel had done to the Amorites, they are terrified. This fear leads Balak, the king of Moab, to summon Balaam the assistance of a well-known pagan expert in divination. Balak wishes to persuade Balaam to place a curse on the Israelites, and so invites him to Moab.. On his way to Moab, an angel of the Lord blocks Balaam’s path. Despite his international reputation as a spiritual expert, Balaam cannot see the angel. The donkey, however, refuses to go any further, recognising the presence of the angel. Finally the Lord opens Balaam’s eyes, and allows him to see the angel, who commands him to tell Balak only what he is told to do.
Meanwhile, Balak journeys to meet Balaam, firmly believing that he will place a curse on Israel, and stop Israel. Balaam then delivers four oracles in which he blesses Israel, to the fury of Balak. The 4th oracle is the most powerful of all, speaking in strongly messianic terms of a coming victory of Israel over the Moabites. The authority and sovereignty of the Lord is thus demonstrated in his abiity to take and use a pagan diviner in declaring his ultimate victory over paganism.
Yet Balaam must not be thought of as a friend of Israel or the Lord. He may have reused to curse Israel, yet he is able to exercise influence over her in other matters. As becomes clear later (31:16), Balaam advises that the best way of destroying Israel is through allowing her men to have sexual relationships with female worshippers of local Canaanite gods. This is exactly what happens next.