Seder 120: Numbers 23:27-24:2---Turning Curse into Blessing

 After two unsuccessful attempts to influence God to curse the Israelites, King Balak of Moab and Balaam the diviner/sorcerer were not yet ready to give up.  Balak decided to try one more location---"the top of Peor, which overlooks the desert" (Nu 23:28).  Rashi proposed that Balak might have chosen this location because he sensed that the Israelites would run into trouble related to it (see Numbers 25)  

Again, they set up seven altars for the sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams (verse 29).  No expense would be spared in their efforts to persuade God to change his mind, despite what God had said already about that (verses 19-20).  

Balaam decided to try a different approach this time.  Instead of seeking to interpret omens, he "set his face toward the wilderness" (24:1).  Commentator Michael Morales speculates that this time Balaam wanted to avoid contact with God and hoped to just curse Israel.  In support of his proposal, he points to the wording of verse 1, observing that in the book of Ezekiel, one "sets one's face" before giving a prophecy of doom about some nation (Eze 6:2; 13:17; 20:46; 21:2; 25:2; 28:21; 29:2; 35:2; 38:2).  This phrase in Numbers 24:1 may signal that Balaam intended to prophecy against Israel.  

In any case, God did not allow Balaam to utter curses.  Instead, he overpowered Balaam with his Spirit and forced Balaam to pronounce more blessings upon Israel.  As we read elsewhere, God turned Balaam's curses into blessings (Dt 23:5; Josh 24:10; Neh 13:1-3).  

Seder 49: Exodus 7:10-12---Symbolism of Aaron's Sign

 Exodus 7 describes a confrontation between Moses and Aaron, on the one hand, and the magicians of Pharaoh on the other.  When Aaron threw down his staff, it turned into a tannin, literally a monstrous serpent, dragon, or crocodile.  Somehow Pharaoh's magicians apparently were able to duplicate this feat, whether through some spiritual power or through sleight of hand.  But then Aaron's staff swallowed up the magicians' staffs (Ex 7:12).  

Later readers have seen symbolic meaning in these events.  The tannin is used as a symbol for Pharaoh and Egypt in Ezekiel 29:1-6, and matteh, the word for "staff", also means "tribe."  So the swallowing of the magicians' staffs by Aaron's staff could be making the statement that Egypt was going to be defeated by the tribes of Israel, who were thought to be a "dry stick" but would be raised up by God. 

Sharon Rimon proposes this symbolism.  She also points out that there are other times when God's servants show themselves superior to an emperor's court magicians, implying the superiority of God over the emperors and their deities.  Other examples are in Genesis 41 and Daniel 1-2.