Self-inflicted Blindness

Balaam
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The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.—1 Timothy 6:10, NIV

Michael Nekora

After Israel’s demonstrated lack of faith in God, when they heard the report of .the twelve spies who searched out the promised land, the nation was forced to wander forty years in the wilderness. We know little about what happened during that time other than an attempt by Aaron and Miriam to get more power (Numbers 12), and a similar attempt by Korah and his associates (Numbers 16). Both events illustrate that having some power, fame, or authority carries with it the temptation to want still more, even when force or subterfuge may be needed to get it.

The longest and most dramatic experience in the wilderness occured at the end of this forty-year period. The details are in Numbers chapters 22 to 24. The main character is a prophet who was not a member of God’s chosen people, a man who used divination and yet had a communication channel with the God of Israel.

The drama begins with the king of Moab looking out upon the mass of people camped at his borders. These people had already fought and defeated the Amorites. If he did nothing, it was probable they would do the same to him and his people. But what could he do? They were clearly stronger and more numerous than he was, and they had a God who was more powerful than his gods. From his perspective it did not look good.

Magic appeared to be the only answer, and for that one needed the best magician money could buy. That person was Balaam who unfortunately lived far away in the upper Euphrates valley. Together with his ally the Midianites, the king sent a delegation to Balaam with one simple request: “Come and curse this nation for me, for they are too powerful for me. … For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed” (Numbers 22:6){FOOTNOTE: All quotations from Numbers 22 and 23 are from the Net Bible.}

We can easily imagine the surprise Balaam must have had when this delegation arrived at his home. After hearing their story he told them to stay the night and in the morning he would tell them what instruction he had received from God (the Hebrew word in Numbers 22:8 is YHWH—Jehovah). That night God did speak to him and told him two things: 1) He was not to go to Moab with this delegation; 2) he was not to curse this people because they were blessed. When Balaam spoke with the visitors in the morning, he simply said: “Go to your land, for the LORD has refused to permit me to go with you.” (Numbers 22:13). When this was told the king of Moab, it became simply, “Balaam refused to come with us” (vs. 14).

Naturally the king thought he had not been explicit enough about his willingness to pay handsomely for the prophet’s services, so a more distinguished delegation was sent to Balaam along with this promise: “I will honor you greatly, and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.” (Numbers 22:17).

The king’s ability to pay was never an issue with Balaam who, when he replied in the next verse, mentioned a “palace full of silver and gold.” However, he knew what the second delegation did not: God previously told him to not go because this was a blessed people and he cannot curse them. If he had told the second delegation what he knew, they would have returned home immediately. It is easy to establish the point where Balaam went wrong. It was when he said to this second delegation, “Please stay the night here also, that I may know what more the LORD might say to me” (Numbers 22:19, emphasis added).

Did Balaam really believe this time would be different than the last time? Perhaps not, but he thought he had nothing to lose by trying. “God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do” (vs. 20).

The Journey Began

Early the next morning Balaam saddled his donkey and with his two servants, began the journey to Moab. As they were going, an angel blocked his way on three occasions, something the donkey saw but Balaam did not. The first two times the donkey attempted to go around the angel, but with unfortunate consequences for Balaam, so he beat her. The third time, with no way around the angel, the donkey simply sat down. In his frustration Balaam beat her again. It was then that a remarkable thing happened: the donkey spoke{FOOTNOTE: Some suggest this was a trance or vision, not a real historical event. Such a conclusion is not shared by the apostle Peter who wrote, “[Balaam] was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet’s madness)” (2 Peter 2:16, Net Bible).} to Balaam: “Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times? And Balaam said to the donkey, You have made me look stupid; I wish there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now. The donkey said to Balaam, Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted to treat you this way? And he said, No.” (Numbers 22:28-30).

Clearly the apparent permission to go was a test upon Balaam, a test he did not pass. Leaving his home to do something he had been told he must not do cannot be justified on any level. By going to Moab he exposed himself to greater temptation than if he simply had stayed home. But he blinded himself to the risk he was taking, undoubtedly because the king was offering rewards far beyond anything he had ever received before. His trusty donkey, who had served him so well for years, seemed committed to making him miserable, and he swore if he had a sword, he would kill her. It is then that his eyes were opened and he saw an angel who did have a sword, and who was quite prepared to kill him for what he was doing.

The angel and Balaam talked. Notice that Balaam did not say, “I have sinned. I will return home immediately.” Instead he said: “I have sinned … So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back home” (vs. 34, emphasis added). He was almost trying to put the angel in the position of representing a double-minded Lord, one who first told him to go, then told him to return home. But this experience continued to be a test of his fidelity to do what was right, or not. He failed the test by continuing on when he was sure the angel would not stop him.

Arrival in Moab

When Balaam arrived in Moab and met the king, he made it clear he could “speak only the word that God puts in my mouth” (vs. 38). The king was not concerned. He had had experience with his own prophets who were able to deliver whatever message they knew he wanted to hear. When Balaam used the word “God,” the king undoubtedly thought of a “god” quite different than Jehovah. He had no reason to believe he might have a problem.

The next day the king and Balaam prepared for the cursing of Israel. In the past God spoke to Balaam directly without any special procedures. But just to be safe, Balaam asked the king to build seven altars and sacrifice a bull and a ram on each one. It did not seem to matter that God had told Israel that sacrifices were to be made on one single altar not seven, nor that the god to whom the king was offering these sacrifices was, at least in his mind, the local deity and not Jehovah. At the end of the sacrificing, Balaam withdrew himself, looking for something to say that might satisfy the king without necessarily being a curse. But it was no use. God did speak with Balaam who began by proudly declaring: “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram” (Numbers 23:4). Of course Balaam had done no such thing; it was a heathen king who did it. Balaam was trying to emphasize that because of his efforts, God just received a lot of animal sacrifices that he loved so much. Perhaps now God would grant Balaam a small favor, a quid pro quo as it were.

What Balaam did not realize was that God has no pleasure in the blood of bulls and goats (Hebrews 10:6). God sent Balaam back to the king with what was called the first oracle. It was roughly a statement that he could not curse Israel. The king was angry, claiming that Balaam just blessed them. Then because he had no backup plan to deal with the military threat camped at his borders, the king convinced himself that Balaam had been awe struck because he had seen so many enemy people.

Desperate to have Israel cursed, the king suggested they move to the top of Mount Pisgah where they could see only a part of the nation (Numbers 23:14). There they repeated the altar building and animal sacrifices. Again Balaam withdrew from the group and this time God did all the talking. Balaam returned to the king and it was worse. Among other things, Balaam said, “For there is no spell against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israel” (vs. 23){FOOTNOTE: Near the end of this oracle Balaam said, “What hath God wrought!” (Numbers 23:23, KJV) referring to the nation of Israel. These words were the first message Samuel F. B. Morse sent over a 38-mile telegraph line between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., on May 24, 1844. The words had been suggested to Morse by Annie Ellsworth, the young daughter of a financial backer, and have become justly famous ever since.} This seemed like bad news indeed, since the only weapon the king thought he had was magic spells and incantations. It had gone from bad to worse.

The group went to a third place, and again the altar building and animal sacrifices were repeated. This time Balaam did not withdraw himself. The spirit came upon him and he uttered a magnificent blessing upon the nation (Numbers 24:3-9). With that the king dismissed him, but with no fanfare, no sacrifices of any kind, Balaam uttered one last oracle (Numbers 24:15-24) that articulated God’s plan to bless Israel. It included these ominous words: “A star will march forth out of Jacob, and a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab” (vs. 17).

Israel Brings Down God’s Curse

A casual reading implies that the king and Balaam part company forever because we are told Balaam returned home (Numbers 24:25). But in fact he only started for home. Keenly disappointed with having come so far for nothing, Balaam must have pondered what he could do to curse Israel and be paid for his trouble. He knew he could not do it directly; that had been made abundantly clear. But perhaps there was a way to do it indirectly, to cause Israel to sin in such a way that God himself would curse them. It had happened before. Just before they got to the border of Moab, the people rebelled against God and he “sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died” (Numbers 21:6). Perhaps the propensity of the people to do whatever they wanted to do might be used against them.

As the narrative progresses in Numbers 25 the Israelites were led into idolatry by Moabite and Midianite women. This so angered the Lord that he sent a plague and twenty-four thousand died. It was Balaam who devised this strategy: “Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD” (Numbers 31:15,16). This event is mentioned in the New Testament: “Thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication” (Revelation 2:14).

Balaam successfully taught the king what to do to get Israel’s God to curse them. Although the strategy appeared successful, it was to cost Balaam his life. The battle the king of Moab anticipated occurred, and there was a great slaughter: “They warred against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses; and they slew all the males. And they slew the kings of Midian … Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword” (Numbers 31:7, 8). If Balaam had really gone home, he would not have been killed on that battlefield.

Balaam stands as an example of those who put money first: They “have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15, see also Jude 11).

Because of what Moab had done, God uttered a special prohibition against them: “[A]  … Moabite [male] shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever … because they hired against thee Balaam … to curse thee” (Deuteronomy 23:3,4). But that command did not apply to women. Ruth was a Moabitess and as the wife of Boaz she became an ancestor of David, and of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5,6).

James defined sin in terms of what one does not do: “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). Balaam knew what was right, yet he refused to do it. Thus we see that God will not stop us from committing sin, although we will eventually reap the consequences of our actions. The lesson throughout the Scriptures is that we cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24; the Greek word translated “mammon” is better rendered “money” in many translations). The world, the flesh, and the adversary all attempt to seduce us into unrighteousness. If our allegiance is not with God, we will die. Somehow those heathen women managed to convince the Jewish males that they could serve their God and still go right on sinning. It was all a lie.

One does not resist temptation by giving in to it. One resists by taking a firm stand on the side of righteousness. If Balaam had said that his God told him the Israelites were blessed and were going to stay that way, and if he had never ventured forth from his home in the first place, he might have become one of the great prophets of that time, even though he was outside the circle of the chosen people. But instead he thought he could have it both ways: he thought he could have God’s favor and also the favor and riches which an earthly king could give him.

There is no substitute for obeying God. Perfect heart obedience is the only way to please the heavenly Father and that will eventually result in our exaltation. Those who follow their own counsel, even though superficially appearing to serve God, will be bitterly disappointed. As it is written, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23).