The strange story of Balaam continues. Balaam was a practitioner of divination (Joshua 13:22) and set up, with King Balak, 7 altars with 7 bulls and 7 rams for sacrifices as was the traditional method of oriental diviners. Then, having sacrificed a bull and a ram with Balak, Balaam went alone to consult God which led to his first oracle (a message in poetic form) concerning Balak's request to curse Israel. God however led Balaam to bless Israel, rather than curse it, which Balak didn't like, but Balaam told him that he could not go beyond the words God puts into his mouth. (The sovereignty of God was clear here even above an oriental diviner)
So Balak insisted with Balaam on the curse and took him to another place where they set up the same diviners' method of 7 altars, bulls and rams. So Balaam again consulted God who confirmed, in his poetic second oracle, his anti curse stance as he was not someone to change his mind, insisting on blessing "lioness" Israel much to Balak's displeasure.
Therefore Balak took Balaam to a third site to try and get him to curse Israel, and they again set up the 7 altars, bulls and rams ritual as was the diviners' practice.
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