John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. He hath showed me, O man, what [is] good , etc.] This is not the answer of the prophet to the body of the people, or to any and every one of the people of Israel; but of Balaam to Balak, a single man, that consulted with him, and put questions to him; particularly what he should do to please the Lord, and what righteousness he required of him, that would be acceptable to him; and though he was a king, he was but a man, and he would have him know it that he was no more, and as such addresses him; and especially when he is informing him of his duty to God; which lay not in such things as he had proposed, but in doing that which was good, and avoiding that which was evil, in a moral sense: and this the Lord had shown him by the light of nature; which is no other than the work of the law of God written in the hearts of the Heathens, by which they are directed to do the good commanded in the law, and to shun the evil forbidden by it; (see Romans 2:14,15); and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly ; or “judgment” f198 ; to exercise public judgment and justice, as a king, among his subjects; to do private and personal justice between man and man; to hurt no man’s person, property, and character; to give to everyone their due, and do as he would desire to be done by; which as it is agreeable to the law of God, so to the light of nature, and what is shown, required, and taught by it: and to love mercy ; not only to show mercy to miserable objects, to persons in distress; to relieve the poor and indigent; to clothe the naked, and feed the hungry; but to delight in such exercises; and which a king especially should do, whose throne is established by mercy, and who is able, and should be munificent; and some Heathen princes, by their liberality, have gained the name of benefactors, “Euergetes”, as one of the Ptolemies did; (see Luke 22:25); such advice Daniel gave to Nebuchadnezzar, a Heathen prince, as agreeable to the light of nature; (see Daniel 4:27); and to walk humbly with thy God ? his Creator and Benefactor, from whom he had his being, and all the blessings of life, and was dependent upon him; and therefore, as a creature, should behave with humility towards his Creator, acknowledging his distance from him, and the obligations he lay under to him; and even though a king, yet his God and Creator was above him, King of kings, and Lord of lords, to whom he owed his crown, sceptre, and kingdom, and was accountable to him for all his administrations: and this “walking humbly” is opposed to “walking in pride”, which kings are apt to do; but God can humble them, and bring them low, as Heathen kings have been obliged to own; (see Daniel 2:21 4:37).
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 הגיד5046 לך אדם120 מה4100 טוב2896 ומה4100 יהוה3068 דורשׁ1875 ממך4480 כי3588 אם518 עשׂות6213 משׁפט4941 ואהבת160 חסד2617 והצנע6800 לכת1980 עם5973 אלהיך׃430
