And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass,
upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was
thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so
unto thee? And he said, Nay. then the
LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw
the angel of the LORD standing in the way,
and his sword drawn in his hand: and he
bowed down his head, and fell flat
on his face. And the angel of the LORD
said unto him, Wherefore have thou smitten
thine ass these three times? Behold,
I went out to withstand thee, because
thy way is perverse before me:
Numbers 22:30-32
On the surface it seems as though Balaam was doing good by not going to curse Israel, and even spoke with God about this request by Balak: but was he? NO! For he was doing what he wanted and that want was to have profit, in the of gifts from Balak and to do this he was using Jehovah in his plot to fill his pockets and his pride. Was Balaam not a seer of the gods of the Mesopotamian people? Yes! Did not Balaam know about the gods of Mesopotamia and how they were perceived to operate? Yes! It seems as though Balaam was of the belief that the God of the Hebrews was not all that different from the gods of his country: he believed that in some way he could get the answer from God that he wanted. Those three meetings by Balaam witht the dignitaries from Balak reveals Balaam real reason to even consider to go and curse Israel. God said: "do not go" and Balaam was intent on going so God said: "Go." Did God relent on His earlier words to Balaam? NO! Do you want to do wrong? Ok! Go, do it, God will not stop you albeit He may or will put roadblocks, reasons, why you should not but did He not already give His will for our lives? YES!
Balaam now in the presence of Balak did what again may seem godly but was it? NO! Balaam had seven altars built to offer burnt sacrifice and again God thwarted the plans of Balaam to get from God what would benefit him: but once again why continue to seek out God when God had already spoken? There must be another reason to do so and that reason is apparent: Balaam wanted profit, fame, power, position. God then opened Balaam eyes in such a way as to convince him that God had blessed Israel and not cursed them: "How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? Or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied" (Numbers 23:8)? Furthermore: "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it" Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good" (Numbers 23:19)? Balaam finally learns his lesson: "And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as it other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness" (Numbers 24:1). What does it mean: enchantments? This word means to be under magical influence, to place a spell, to bewitch, to delight utterly. In this case to cause Balak to be pleased with him so that he might gain from Balak's pleasure and pleasing. Balaam now understood that Jehovah the God of Israel was not to be used as he used the gods of Mesopotamia. God now used Balaam to give a prophecy, not only against the Moabites and Ammonites, but to the future event whereby God would send a redeemer.
This vision from God to Balaam was once again God using a bad thing for the good. Did this mean that Balaam became converted and now Jehovah was his God? NO! History tells of what Balaam taught and believe would continue would be for him to follow after pagan gods. God does not need a person to be a believer to be used by God to implement His will. Balaam wanted then and after to fulfill his greed. Balaam wanted to use God in a wrong way, God used Balaam in a right way.
Here is the vision God gave to Balaam: "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth" (Numbers 24:17). Balaam in this vision spoke of the destruction of many nations: (Numbers 24:18-24). Then Balaam returned to his homeland. There is no evidence that Balaam brought back to his homeland a new belief in the God of Israel. Yet, what Balaam had done was to give to Balak a way to destroy Israel by the use of women (Read Numbers 25).
I spent a lot of time over this doctrine of Balaam but I did so because too often when studying this narrative in Revelation it is lightly spoken about without actually teaching about the Doctrine of Balaam and that doctrine was now infecting the Church. It is and has infected our current day Churches, the people of the Church. Greed, fame, power, the need to be seen as something special above all those who attend their meetings. God has allowed this and taking away our sin by doing so, but God will bring out of all this chaotic sin the good. The good that only Authentic Christians will be given, that is eternal life when all sin and sinners are destroyed as God promised through Balaam what would happen to those nations who opposed God.
Conclusion: Motive is what God sees, not just action. What is your motive to be a Christian? What do you expect God will do for you other than eternal life? Are you using Christianity as did Balaam, to get, to get, to get, and are your prayers like Balaam who approached God those three times and seven altars to attempt for God to give you what you think you should have. God opposes the doctrine of Balaam and all who follow after that doctrine. Examine all things, hold fast to that which is good" (1Thessalonnians 5:21).
Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place,
and forgive, and render unto every man
according to all his ways, whose heart
thou knowest: (for thou only knowest the
hearts of the children of men:) that they
may fear thee, to walk in thy ways,
so long as they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers.
2Chronicles 7:30-31
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
Richard L. Crumb
Here is the vision God gave to Balaam: "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth" (Numbers 24:17). Balaam in this vision spoke of the destruction of many nations: (Numbers 24:18-24). Then Balaam returned to his homeland. There is no evidence that Balaam brought back to his homeland a new belief in the God of Israel. Yet, what Balaam had done was to give to Balak a way to destroy Israel by the use of women (Read Numbers 25).
I spent a lot of time over this doctrine of Balaam but I did so because too often when studying this narrative in Revelation it is lightly spoken about without actually teaching about the Doctrine of Balaam and that doctrine was now infecting the Church. It is and has infected our current day Churches, the people of the Church. Greed, fame, power, the need to be seen as something special above all those who attend their meetings. God has allowed this and taking away our sin by doing so, but God will bring out of all this chaotic sin the good. The good that only Authentic Christians will be given, that is eternal life when all sin and sinners are destroyed as God promised through Balaam what would happen to those nations who opposed God.
Conclusion: Motive is what God sees, not just action. What is your motive to be a Christian? What do you expect God will do for you other than eternal life? Are you using Christianity as did Balaam, to get, to get, to get, and are your prayers like Balaam who approached God those three times and seven altars to attempt for God to give you what you think you should have. God opposes the doctrine of Balaam and all who follow after that doctrine. Examine all things, hold fast to that which is good" (1Thessalonnians 5:21).
Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place,
and forgive, and render unto every man
according to all his ways, whose heart
thou knowest: (for thou only knowest the
hearts of the children of men:) that they
may fear thee, to walk in thy ways,
so long as they live in the land which
thou gavest unto our fathers.
2Chronicles 7:30-31
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
Richard L. Crumb
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