“Was Balaam a true servant of God?”

September 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: Is Balaam a true servant of God? When the servants of Balak came to ask him to curse the children of Israel, and he told them that they should wait for him to hear from God, did God come to him at night to speak to him?

ANSWER: This history of Balaam is a wonderful account, demonstrating how God loves and protects His people even when they are completely unaware of what is happening. It shows God’s loving care for His own even when they are not doing what pleases Him, indeed, even when they are rebellious. His people do not even have to call on Him for help at such times. We will probably be greatly surprised when we are with the Lord and learn how graciously He has protected us from the many dangers, pitfalls and other attempts of the adversary, Satan, to harm us while we were here. This account also shows us God’s sovereignty, omniscience and omnipotence.

Not only does the detailed account of Balaam in Numbers show us that he was not a true servant of God, he is mentioned, always negatively, in four more Old Testament books.* Three New Testament passages warn us against following Balaam in any way.

The world as a whole fell into idolatry and immorality within a short time after the flood – Romans 1:18-32 tells us how and why this happened. Yet, there were people hundreds of years later who were still acquainted with the true God. Many knew Him in a positive way like Job, his friends, Moses’ father-in-law, the Magi, and others; but there, too, were those who were wicked, such as Balaam.

Balaam had a reputation as a prophet that whomever he blessed was blessed, and whomever he cursed was cursed (Num. 22:6). Balak, the king of Moab, sent men “with the diviner’s fee in hand” (v.7 NKJV) to hire Balaam. The king wanted Israel, who had defeated the two Amorite kings and their armies east of the Jordan River, now camped on the border of his territory, to be cursed. Balaam lodged the men that night. We don’t read that he prayed for direction, but God, ever watchful over His people, came and questioned him about the men (v.9). Balaam explained their request, and God told him plainly that he was not to go with them nor curse the people, for they were blessed (v.12). Balaam declined the offer of the messengers, saying God had refused to give him permission to go with them.

Balak then sent higher-ranking messengers with a better offer. It is obvious that Balaam’s acquaintance with God was merely superficial, for God is not to be persuaded to curse His people.

God put this wicked prophet to open shame. He permitted him to go if the men would call him but told him he must only express what God wanted him to say (22:20). Balaam got up early and went with them. God was angry because he went, and put hindrances in his way (v.22). He also caused Balaam to bless Israel each time he tried to curse them. Balaam had to say among other things, “There is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel” (23:23).

Balak was upset and angry with the prophet who against his own will had pronounced great blessings on Israel. He sent him away without honor (24:11). Shortly thereafter Balaam was killed with the sword by the Israelites because, before leaving Balak, he told him how he could get God to deal in judgment with Israel: Moabite and Midianite women, their allies, should fraternize with Israelite men, inviting them to their idolatrous sacrifices and the immorality that went with the worship of their idols. God had responded to this by sending a plague which killed 24,000 Israelites (25:1-9,14-15). God also told Israel to harass and go to war against the Midianites (25:16-18, 31:1-3,8,16).

We see in all this that Balaam, although described as a prophet, was anything but a servant of the Lord. In 2 Peter 2:15 God warned against “the way of Balaam … who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” Jude 11 mentions “the error of Balaam”: thinking that for his own gain he could curse the people whom God had blessed. Revelation 2:14 defines “the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”

A prophet should speak and act for God, but this wicked man had no respect for the will of God and would callously seek the hurt of God’s people for his own selfish gain. Sad to say, he has had many followers throughout the course of history.

ENDNOTE
* Dt. 23:4-5; Josh. 13:22, 24:9-10; Neh. 13:2; Mic. 6:5

Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.