1 When Balaam saw that it pleased YHVH to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe. And the spirit of Gods came upon him,
3 and he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Be'or, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:
5 how fair are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!
6 Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that YHVH has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters.
7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 God brings him out of Egypt; he has as it were the horns of the wild ox, he shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows.
9 He couched, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed be every one who blesses you, and cursed be every one who curses you."
Peor means yawning chasm or insatiable longings. The desert is the mind or world of intellectual thought, separate from the heart and love. Balak, the lower consciousness did not give up easily. His temptation now had to do with insatiable appetites. But, as before, Balaam resisted the temptation and followed the guidance of YHVH.
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.
11 Therefore now flee to your place; I said, 'I will certainly honor you,' but YHVH has held you back from honor."
12 And Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me,
13 'If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of YHVH, to do either good or bad of my own will; what YHVH speaks, that will I speak'?
14 And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days."
15 And he took up his discourse, and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Be'or, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the Vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes uncovered:
17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not nigh: a star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.
Jewish scholars feel that his reference was probably to King David who later defeated Moab. Christians see a reference to the Messiah. Moab means seed of the father and represents the body and external conditions. Sheth or Seth means settled. Here, they have to do with the relinquishment of the material conditions which are stuck in the past of the lower consciousness and unable to change to accompany the newly emerging Spiritual Consciousness.
18 Edom shall be dispossessed, Se'ir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed, while Israel does valiantly.
Edom means carnal and physical, while Seir means emotional sense consciousness.
19 By Jacob shall dominion be exercised, and the survivors of cities be destroyed!"
Both these forms of consciousness must be destroyed if we are to advance spiritually. In fact, this prophecy states that if the Great Work of this system is continued, these forms of consciousness will be destroyed.
20 Then he looked on Am'alek, and took up his discourse, and said, "Am'alek was the first of the nations, but in the end he shall come to destruction."
Amalek means warlike, and represent the base desires of the individual; the animal forces, appetites, and passions of the subconscious mind.