Numbers 23
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
Once there was a king named Balak. He was worried. So worried.
A whole big people was camping near his land. Balak wanted them gone. He called a man named Balaam. "Come," said Balak. "Say bad words over them. Curse them for me."
Balaam went up a high hill. Balak stood by seven altars. He waited. And waited.
But God came to Balaam on the hill. God gave Balaam special words to say. Not bad words. Good words.
Balaam opened his mouth. Out came words about the people God loved. "How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?" he said.
Balak's face went red. "What have you done?" he cried. "I brought you to curse them. You blessed them instead!"
Balaam said, "I can only say what God puts in my mouth."
What Does This Mean?
Balak did not like that answer. He tried again. New hill. Seven new altars. Same waiting.
But God gave Balaam the same kind of words. Good words. True words.
"God is not a man, that he should lie," Balaam said. Slowly. Clearly. "Has he said, and will he not do it?"
Balak tried a third time. A third hill. Seven more altars.
It did not matter how many times Balak asked. It did not matter how many altars he built. God's words did not change.
The Common Thread
God had promised long ago to bless this people, to be their God, to keep them close. Balak wanted to break that promise with bad words. He could not.
Nobody can break what God has promised. Not a king. Not anybody. Later, God kept His biggest promise of all. He sent Jesus, just like He said He would.
For You
Sometimes you might feel small, like Balaam standing on that big, windy hill. But God can use even small words to say true things.
You can trust God's words too. When He says He loves you, that is true. It stays true, every single day, even the cloudy ones.
Talk About It
Why could Balaam not say the bad words Balak wanted?
Can you think of one promise God makes in the Bible that makes you feel safe?
Praying Together
Dear God, thank You that Your words are always true. Thank You that nobody can change what You promise. Help me trust You, today and tomorrow. Amen.
Questions about Numbers 23
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Numbers 23 about?
What does Numbers 23 say?
What does Numbers 23 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Numbers 23?
Why is Numbers 23 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
Balaam said it on a hilltop while Israel slept in the valley below, unaware that a king had hired a man to curse them. "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent." Balak kept moving to a new mountain, hoping for a different answer. God gave the same one every time. What He has spoken over you does not shift with the view.
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