Josiah may have been the most righteous of Judah's kings, having fewer foibles than David, but having equivalent leadership skills and a love of God's law.

The land of Israel's position at the crossroads of three continents makes the Holy Land strategically valuable to the great powers around it.

Balaam illustrates the paradox of someone who knows God's will, but willfully and deliberately disobeys, presumptuously thinking he could manipulate or bribe God.