April 26, 2025

Scripture Study Series–Stories from Numbers and Deuteronomy

Numbers 22-24, part 6

—As children we first hear about Balaam as the guy who rode a talking donkey. Through the years we meet him again in the pages of the New Testament where Peter, Jude and John refer to him as an insane, money-loving, idol-worshipping, sexually immoral, false prophet (2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). I sure wish they hadn’t held back in their description of him. In any event in all three letters they charge Christians to guard against men like this who infiltrate our churches, dripping with charm, yet cloaked in well-crafted half-truths.

—But back to our story in Numbers where we find the Israelites camped on the plains of Moab, waiting for Moses to die and for Joshua to lead them across the muddy waters of the Jordan River to their new home, the Promised Land. High above in the bluffs to their east, however, they’re being watched. Not realizing that the Israelites have no plan to attack Moab (Deut. 2:9), King Balak has hatched a desperate and diabolical plan. “Sick with dread” (Num. 22:3) and with no defense against so many Israelites, Balak turns to the power of demons (Eph. 6:12) and to a prophet with an evil reputation for rallying evil spirits to any paying cause. When the prophet Balaam arrives in Moab, he notifies the king that he’s only able to speak “the word that God puts in my mouth” (Num. 22:38). Indeed, Balaam’s four subsequent oracles don’t go at all as King Balak or perhaps as even Balaam himself had planned.

—In his first oracle Balaam declares that he couldn’t possibly curse Israel, for God has made them unique from all other nations, and Balaam even wishes he could be like righteous Israel (23:7-10). Wait, what? King Balak had pretty much the same reaction as mine! Still, the king and prophet agree to try again.

—In his second oracle Balaam states the he cannot possibly reverse the blessing of God on Israel, for Israel possesses the God-given strength of an ox and the determination of a lion to conquer every enemy (23:18-24). Confused and frustrated by these words that God has put into Balaam’s mouth, Balak nevertheless holds out hope that the third time’s a charm.

—It isn’t, for in his third oracle Balaam sees a vision of Israel living peacefully in their new land after defeating and rising above every neighboring nation (24:3-9). Then comes the cherry, “Blessed is he who blesses you [Israel], and cursed is he who curses you” (v. 9). The understandably enraged king sends the prophet packing, but not before one final, spontaneous oracle from Balaam that predicts Israel’s future Messiah and a string of pending judgments against Israel’s neighbors (24:15-24).

—All the while the Israelites are going about their daily routine in the plains below, clearly unaware of the spiritual warfare swirling above them and perhaps with scarcely a thought of God’s faithfulness, blessing, love and future plans for them. How easy it is to get bogged down in the mundane and forget all that God has done for us! Yet, a spiritual battle is raging around you. Around me. Perhaps now is the right time to bow our heads and thank God for his unseen supernatural protection.

–Daniel McCabe

—Trivia

—Which US President reportedly wrote these words just weeks before his death, “The Bible is true. I have tried to conform to its spirit as near as possible. Upon that Sacred Volume I rest my hope for eternal salvation through the merits and blood of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

—A. George Washington

—B. Andrew Jackson

—C. Abraham Lincoln

—D. John F. Kennedy

On Location:, The Church of St. Anne

—There are many famous mothers mentioned in the Bible. Eve comes quickly to mind, the mother of us all. There’s also Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, Elizabeth and Mary. But do you know the name of Mary’s mother, Jesus’ maternal grandmother? Although the Bible doesn’t mention her by name, extra-biblical writings as well as both Christian and Islamic tradition have named her—Anne. They even give us her husband’s name—Joaichim in the Christian tradition and Imran in Islam.

—Anne’s story bears similarities to both that of biblical Hannah and Elizabeth. Being childless into old age, Anne prayed for a child, and believing that God would bless her with a son, she vowed to dedicate him to the Lord for temple service, but when God gave her a baby girl instead, Anne nevertheless welcomed Mary as a gift from God. Through the centuries some have adopted the view that Anne conceived Mary without original sin, known to Catholics and some Orthodox theologians as the Immaculate Conception. Many Christians even honor Anne as a saint who protects fishermen and sailors from storms. After calling out to St. Anne for protection during a terrifying lightning storm and being subsequently spared, a young Martin Luther entered monastic life in gratitude, prompting even Lutheranism to celebrate an annual feast to Anne and Joaichim on July 26.

—In the twelfth-century the Crusaders built the beautiful, Romanesque-style Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem, located just off the Via Dolorosa in what’s now the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. They chose this site near today’s Lion’s Gate, believing that it marked the childhood home and birthplace of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Fortunately the Muslims under Saladin didn’t destroy the church subsequent to their conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, instead promptly turning it into a school, but now an order of French Catholics serve as custodians of the church, widely known for its fabulous acoustics and for its proximity just steps away from the biblical site of the pool of Bethesda, mentioned in John 5.

—Daniel McCabe

On Location:, The Cenacle

—You’re probably pretty familiar with the stories of Jesus sharing a final meal in the “upper room” with his disciples on the night before his crucifixion (Luke 22:12) and of the twelve pouring out into the streets of Jerusalem (evidently from “the upper room where they were staying”) and supernaturally speaking in various dialects to people from all over the world who had gathered in Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:13: 2:1-2). Two rival locations mark this spot—one inside the Armenian Quarter at the rarely visited Syrian Orthodox Church on Ararat St., and the other here at the Cenacle, a Latin word for “dining room,” located a short walk outside the Zion gate of the Old City.

—For me the archaeological evidence strongly supports this latter site for the “upper room” even though the second-floor room of the building into which present-day tourists crowd to remember Jesus’ last meal and the Spirit’s big reveal dates only to the twelfth century. Still there are some interesting features inside the modern Cenacle, including the capital of a column that’s decorated with pelicans (a fitting symbol for Jesus since pelicans have long been associated with self-sacrificial behavior), two beautiful stained glass windows with inscriptions in Arabic, a prayer niche carved into one wall of the room that faces Mecca (evidence of the room’s occupation by the Muslims, following the time of the Crusaders), and a three-trunked, olive tree sculpture, gifted by Pope John Paul II, a representation of his hope for peace between the three major religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

—Daniel McCabe

Scripture Study:, Jesus in Psalm 2

—Let’s look at something that can cause a lot of confusion unless you understand its appropriate context. It is important to know that Psalm 2 is associated historically with the coronation of the kings of Judah, and thus it applies to every king who descended from the line of King David.

—Verse 7, which refers to God making someone His begotten son, is fittingly applied to Jesus in the New Testament (see Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5), for He too descended from the line of David (Matthew 1:1). In the Acts passage Paul quotes Psalm 2 in relation to Jesus’ resurrection, and the author of Hebrews quotes the psalm while arguing for Jesus’ supremacy over the angels (1:5) and regarding His role as the unique High Priest after the order of Melchizedek (5:5).

—Psalm 2:7 should not be taken to teach that Jesus became God’s Son at the incarnation or anything like that. Jesus was and is always the unique Son of God, but the New Testament, by quoting Psalm 2, aims instead to highlight Jesus’ special roles as king and priest.

—The clearest takeaway is to understand these New Testament references in light of the original context of the psalm. Jesus holds the right of royal kingship over Israel, and He will have his greatest impact on the entire world during the future millennial kingdom. So the warning in Psalm 2:12 applies to everyone and to his or her view of Jesus Christ, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

—Adam Keim

From the Archives:

Archaeology

Series: Our Top 10 Countdown of the Greatest Old Testament Archaeological Discoveries

#2, The Tel Dan Stele

July 31, 2022

—How long will men continue to doubt the stories they read in the Bible? One professor reportedly quipped, “I’m not the only scholar who suspects that the figure of King David is about as historical as King Arthur!” But after a major discovery in 1993 all those who’d ever questioned the existence of King David were suddenly quieted.

—The word “tel” refers to a small hill or mound that has built up over centuries and that when excavated will reveal layer upon layer of past civilizations at that location. The word “stele” is a slab, generally taller than it is wide, that typically commemorate someone’s life or some great event.

—Found in northern Israel at the biblical location of Dan, the Tel Dan Stele consists of three stone fragments of what was once a much larger monument. Even so there is enough historical information legible on the fragments to date the stele to around 841 B.C. during the reign of Hazael, the king of Aram and Damascus, two powerful city-states on Israel’s northern border. For hundreds of years Aram and Israel antagonized one another, and this stele, written in Aramaic, celebrates one of Hazael’s military victories over Israel, Judah, and their respective kings, Joram and Ahaziah. The inscription confirms the authenticity of 2 Kings 8:28-29 which speaks about this very event.

—But the stele also makes mention of the “house of David,” meaning his dynasty. In the attached picture you can see the highlighted letters that are translated as “house of David.” There are still doubters who attempt an awkward, alternative translation or explanation, but for the most part this mention of the “house of David” has laid to rest the thought that David lived only in legend. God’s Word does not and cannot lie.

—Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

B. Andrew Jackson

May 29, 1845 in his newly-written will

He knew he was going to die after being in poor health for some time.

Likely died of congestive heart failure.

Who We Are

—Shalom Y’all Ministries is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all gifts to our ministry are tax-deductible. SYM was formed in 2021 to teach the Bible and lead tours to Israel. Our teaching and presentations feature the acronym S-H-A-L-O-M, which means “peace” in Hebrew.

——S – Scripture Study

——H – History and Geography

——A – Archaeology

——L – Life in the Land

——O – On-the-Ground Tours

——M – Media and Resources

Our Mission

—To teach and encourage those who love the Bible, the land of the Bible and the people of the land and to lead educational tours to Israel that forever change the way you read your Bible and worship the Lord

Our Prayer

—“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).