John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord , etc.] These are not the words of the people of Israel God had a controversy with, and now made sensible of their sin, and humbled for it; and willing to appease the Lord, and make it up with him at any rate; for there are such things proposed by them as do by no means suit with persons of such a character, nay, even suppose them to be hypocritical; and much less are they what were put into their mouths by the prophet to say, as some suggest; but they are the words of Balak king of Moab, which, and what follow, are questions he put to Balaam, who had told him that he could do nothing without the Lord, nor anything contrary to his word: now he asks what he must do to get the good will of this Lord; in what manner, and with what he must appear before him, serve and worship him, as the Targum; that so he might have an interest in him, and get him to speak a word to Balaam in his favour, and against Israel; (see Numbers 22:8,18,38 23:12,15,26); [and] bow myself before the high God ? the most high God, the God of gods, whose Shechinah or Majesty is in the high heavens, as the Targum: his meaning is, with what he should come, or bring with him, when he paid his homage and obeisance to him, by bowing his body or his knee before him; being willing to do it in the most acceptable manner he could: shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old ? such as he had been used to offer on the high places of Baal to that deity.
Sacrifices of this kind prevailed among the Heathens, which they had received by tradition from the times of Adam and Noah; (see Numbers 22:41).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 6-8 - These verses seem to contain the substance of Balak's consultation with Balaam how to obtain the favour of Israel's God. Deep conviction of guilt and wrath will put men upon careful inquiries after peace an pardon, and then there begins to be some ground for hope of them. I order to God's being pleased with us, our care must be for an interes in the atonement of Christ, and that the sin by which we displease his may be taken away. What will be a satisfaction to God's justice? I whose name must we come, as we have nothing to plead as our own? I what righteousness shall we appear before him? The proposals betra ignorance, though they show zeal. They offer that which is very ric and costly. Those who are fully convinced of sin, and of their miser and danger by reason of it, would give all the world, if they had it for peace and pardon. Yet they do not offer aright. The sacrifices ha value from their reference to Christ; it was impossible that the bloo of bulls and goats should take away sin. And all proposals of peace except those according to the gospel, are absurd. They could not answe the demands of Divine justice, nor satisfy the wrong done to the honou of God by sin, nor would they serve at all in place of holiness of the heart and reformation of the life. Men will part with any thing rathe than their sins; but they part with nothing so as to be accepted of God, unless they do part with their sins. Moral duties are commande because they are good for man. In keeping God's commandments there is great reward, as well as after keeping them. God has not only made it known, but made it plain. The good which God requires of us is, not the paying a price for the pardon of sin and acceptance with God, but love to himself; and what is there unreasonable, or hard, in this? Ever thought within us must be brought down, to be brought into obedience to God, if we would walk comfortably with him. We must do this as peniten sinners, in dependence on the Redeemer and his atonement. Blessed by the Lord that he is ever ready to give his grace to the humble, waitin penitent.
Original Hebrew במה4100 אקדם6923 יהוה3068 אכף3721 לאלהי430 מרום4791 האקדמנו6923 בעולות5930 בעגלים5695 בני1121 שׁנה׃8141
