Who was Balaam in the Bible?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Balaam was a renowned diviner hired by the Moabite king Balak to curse the Israelites. However, God instructed Balaam not to curse the Israelites, and even when Balaam tried, God only allowed him to bless them. During his journey to Moab, Balaam's donkey saw an angel blocking their path and spoke to Balaam, leading to Balaam's realization and obedience to God's command. Despite Balak's insistence, Balaam prophesied blessings for Israel and predicted the future defeat of Israel's enemies. Though Balaam did not curse Israel, he advised the Moabites to seduce the Israelites, causing them to sin and leading to a deadly plague, for which Balaam was ultimately killed in battle.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Balaam was a diviner. He was known as being very effective and described by saying, "he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed" (Numbers 22:6).
• When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and defeated the Amorites, the neighboring nation of Moab "was overcome with fear of the people of Israel" (Numbers 22:3). Their king Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites and bring victory to the Moabite army.
• Balaam inquired of God about whether or not he should curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:8). God forbade Balaam from cursing the Israelites, explaining, "You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed" (Numbers 22:12). The Moabite king persisted, however, so when Balaam asked God a second time, God replied, "If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you" (Numbers 22:20).
• On his way to Moab, Balaam's donkey turned off the road into a field because she saw the angel of the LORD blocking their path. Balaam struck his donkey to return her to the road. When the angel blocked the path where it was narrow with a vineyard wall on either side, the donkey pushed against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot, so he struck her again. Finally, the angel blocked the way where it was so narrow, the donkey simply lay down on the road, which angered Balaam even more. As Balaam struck his animal, "the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?'" (Numbers 22:28).
• Balaam did not seem disturbed by the fact that his animal now spoke in human language. Instead, he responded angrily that she had made a fool of him and wished he could kill her. "Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face" (Numbers 22:31). The angel explained that the donkey had seen him and that had she not turned aside, the angel "would have killed you and let her live" (Numbers 22:33). Balaam immediately recognized his sin and offered to turn back (Numbers 22:34). However, the angel said, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you" (Numbers 22:35).
• When Balaam arrived in Moab, "Balaam said to Balak, 'Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak'" (Numbers 22:38). Twice Balaam used divination to try to curse the Israelites, but God put blessing in his mouth to speak over the people of God. He said, "How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?" (Numbers 23:8). In his second blessing he pronounced, "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it" (Numbers 23:19–20). Finally, "When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens" (Numbers 24:1). In other words, he stopped his practice of divination and when he did, "the Spirit of God came upon him" (Numbers 24:2). With this anointing, Balaam spoke a blessing over Israel.
• The Moabite king was furious that Balaam would not curse Israel, saying, "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times" (Numbers 24:10). Since Balaam could not curse the Israelites, he did offer to prophesy the future of those nations surrounding Israel. "Come, I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days" (Numbers 24:14). He then enumerated how the Israelites would defeat the surrounding kingdoms. Included in this oracle was a messianic prophecy: "I see him, but not now; / I behold him, but not near: / a star shall come 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" (Numbers 24:17). Numbers 24:25 records, "Then Balaam rose and went back to his place."
• Although Balaam did not curse the Israelites, he advised the Moabites of another way to try to defeat Israel. Balaam suggested that the Moabite women seduce the Israelite men and convince them to turn away from worshiping the one, true God. For this act of rebellion, God sent a plague that killed 24,000 Israelites (Numbers 25:1–9). Moses declared about the Moabite women, "these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the LORD" (Numbers 31:16).
• The nation of Israel waged war against the Moabites and won. As part of that victory, "they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword" (Numbers 31:8). Balaam and the Moabites ceased to be a threat to Israel's success in the Promised Land.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Peter compares false teachers to Balaam. Second Peter 2:15 explains that Balaam was motivated by greed because he "loved gain from wrongdoing."
• Jude also negatively associates Balaam with the selling of one’s soul for financial gain (Jude 1:11).
• Jesus refers to Balaam when He warns the church at Pergamum of their sin. Revelation 2:14 says, "But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality."

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Balaam will forever be remembered as a wicked prophet whose "speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness" (2 Peter 2:16). Although Balaam heard from God, Balaam’s donkey followed and obeyed God more than Balaam did. Balaam understood God's sovereignty (Numbers 22:18), sought God's counsel, and spoke God's messages, yet his heart was not fully dedicated to God's purposes. He "loved gain from wrongdoing" (2 Peter 2:15) and was therefore willing to engage in sorcery and divination for hire (Numbers 22:7). He was willing to compromise and do what was wrong for his own gain. He was also willing to make compromises when it came to obeying God. When he learned of God's plan for Israel's success, Balaam found a compromise. He thought of a way to work against God’s plan despite being told not to curse the Israelites. Balaam technically obeyed God by not cursing Israel, but he also sought to please the Moabites by causing harm to Israel instead of serving God wholeheartedly. Balaam’s story warns us of compromise. We cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). Serving our own selfish gains and serving God cannot coexist; our devotion to one or the other will always win. One of those devotions ends in destruction. Compromise is a slippery slope that begins with tolerating evil, leads to practicing it, and eventually leads to facing the destruction that it brings (James 1:13–15).

UNDERSTAND

• Balaam was a prophet who heard from God but who also practiced divination.
• Balaam’s donkey saw an angel and protected Balaam. She spoke to Balaam revealing that the angel would have killed him had the donkey not moved as it did.
• Balaam was hired to curse the Israelites. God forbade him from doing that and turned his curses into blessings. However, Balaam found a different way to bring destruction to the Israelites: seducing them with the Moabite women.

REFLECT

• How do I respond when faced with a conflict between following God's guidance and pursuing personal gain?
• In what ways might I be compromising my values or faith for the sake of convenience or self-interest?
• How can I ensure that my actions and decisions align more closely with God's will rather than my own desires?

ENGAGE

• What lessons can we learn from Balaam's story about the dangers of compromising our faith and values for personal gain?
• How does Balaam’s encounter with his donkey and the angel illustrate the importance of being open to God's guidance, even when it comes in unexpected ways?
• In what ways can we support each other in staying true to our faith and avoiding the pitfalls of compromise and self-interest?