Balaam - Good Prophet, Bad Prophet - Numbers 22-24

A Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick


It is interesting that this week our New Testament readings included accounts of both ends of the life of Jesus. The final chapters of the book of Mark record the events surrounding His crucifixion, and the opening chapters of Luke relate the birth narratives. That both of these readings are scheduled for the same week is obviously coincidence, but there is truth in saying that the church has always been of the opinion that the priority is with the death and resurrection of Jesus, certainly more significant than His birth. In contrast to that, in our day the emphasis has been reversed - a great deal is made of Christmas, but Easter is little noticed - even the name lacks a Christian identity.

However, today, instead of focusing on the New Testament readings, we want to refer to a portion of the Old Testament which was part of our assigned readings for this week. Three chapters in the book of Numbers are given over to tell the story of a colorful but non-Israelite prophet, Balaam. It is also coincidental that as we celebrate Palm Sunday, we note that while a donkey figures into that story, a donkey is also part of Balaam's story.

The account of Balaam is a very interesting story about a man from the same part of the world as Abraham and the Magi as reported by Matthew in the story of Jesus' birth. Balaam was a Mesopotamian prophet whose name literally means, "not (of the) people, i.e. foreigner."

The first question we might want to ask is this, how in the world did the story of a foreign prophet make it into the Bible? Was it by pure revelation, that is, did God whisper it into the ear of Moses, or did it come to him by some other means? We do know that when at the end of the story, Numbers tells us that "Balaam got up and returned home," that he probably never arrived there. In Numbers 31:8 we learn that he was killed when Israel defeated the five kings of Midian. No doubt what happened was that Balaam was seduced by the promise of great financial reward, and remained at the outskirts of the Median area and there continued to counsel Israel's enemies as to how they could ultimately succeed in destroying the emerging nation through intermarriage and the introduction of local gods. (Numbers 31:16) It is very possible that Moses, who we believe wrote the book of Numbers, had access to memoirs left behind and discovered after the death of Balaam.

However it came to us, the story of Balaam's prophecies is intriguing. It could well be a dramatic presentation going something like this:

Act I - A King's Request

    A terror stricken king, Balak, sends ambassadors from his and a neighboring country to the Macedonian prophet, Balaam. The king articulates his fears and asks this well known "seer" to come and pronounce a curse on Israel, believing that with the help of such a curse, he may be able to defeat and drive out the threatening Israelites.

    After talking with God, the prophet sends the messengers home saying that God will not allow him to pronounce the curse as requested because the people of Israel are blessed.

    Balak the king is not satisfied with "no" for an answer, and so sends another larger, and higher-ranking group of ambassadors, promising a high reward for the prophet's services. Again Balaam refuses, saying that no amount of silver and gold could persuade him to go against what God had said. However, he does agree to spend another night in prayer, and this time gets God to agree to let him go, although with the stipulation that the prophet will only speak what God directs him to say.

Act II - A Talking Donkey

    Balaam gets up early the next morning to begin his long journey, but is interrupted by the episode of a talking donkey and an angel with a flaming sword. It is the dumb donkey that first sees the "angel of the Lord," and refuses to continue on the path. After three beatings, due to first going off the path, crushing Balaam's foot against a wall and then plopping itself down in the path, the donkey speaks up, complaining about such rough treatment at the hands of the prophet he has faithfully served for many years.

    Then, at last, Balaam sees the angel, and prostrates himself on the ground. First, the angel scolds Balaam for ill-treating his donkey, indicating that if it had not been for the donkey, Balaam would certainly have become road-kill. Balaam apologizes, and offers to go back home, but the angel instructs him to proceed, but reinforces the necessity to speak only what God tells him to say. When Balaam reaches the king, he makes it very clear that he can only "speak what God puts in my mouth."

Act III - Blessings Pronounced

    The prophet delivers a series of pronouncements, following the Lord's directives, but very contrary to what was asked for by Balak the king of Moab.

    The day following his arrival, when the king and the prophet arrives at a high place where at least part of the Israelite camp can be viewed, seven altars are constructed and animal sacrifices are offered on them. Distancing himself from the others, the prophet meets with God and gets his first message, not a curse but a blessing, ending with the prophet praying this interesting prayer, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my end be like theirs!" (23:10)

    Obviously, the king is not satisfied and takes the prophet to another vantage point where he again builds seven altars. After Balaam again talks with God, he returns to the king with the second pronouncement, including this familiar affirmation about the nature of God, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (23:19) He goes on to declare that God is with Israel, having brought them out of Egypt, and no sorcery or divination against them can succeed.

    Horrified, the king pleads with the prophet that if he is unable to pronounce a curse, at least, then, do not pronounce a blessing either. Again Balaam reminds the king that he can only do what the Lord tells him to do.

    The king tries once more time, taking Balaam to yet another mountain peak from where he could view the entire nation of Israel. After the seven-fold offering ritual was completed, the prophet utters yet another "oracle," a greater blessing than previously given: "How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces; with their arrows they pierce them. Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness -- who dares to rouse them? May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!"(24:5-9)

    Now the king is really mad, and sends the prophet packing, but not before he utters two more "oracles," which even contain clear Messianic prophesies.

For some readers, it may come as a surprise that Balaam knew God, calling him by the very same name (YHWH) that was revealed to Moses. Perhaps we have too readily accepted the idea that God only revealed Himself to Abraham, his descendants, Moses and the prophets who wrote our Bible.

The truth is, God is bigger than that; He cannot to be limited to one particular group of people.

Think about men of the Bible such as Nahor, Laban, Job, Melchizedek, Jethro, and the Magi.

    Nahor was the brother of Abraham, and his son's name was Laban. While we're not sure about Nahor's awareness of God, it is not unreasonable to believe that he, like his brother Abraham, knew God. His son, Laban, who was a brother to Rebecca who became Isaac's wife, certainly knew God. When Laban first met Abraham's servant by the well, he invited him into the family's home saying, "Come, you who are blessed by the LORD." (Genesis 24:31) As we learn later, Laban's religion was not purely monotheistic, but he did know God.

    As for the next name on our list, Job, we are quite certain that he lived during or even before the time of Abraham, possibly in an area just west of the lower part of the Euphrates, the land of the Chaldeans, in the same area where Abraham came from. Is there any question that Job knew God? Not only God himself, but even Satan acknowledged that Job feared God. (Job 1:9)

    There was also Melchizedek who was said to be the king of Salem (later, Jerusalem). He also was a contemporary of Abraham, and was called a "priest of God Most High" (Genesis 14:18). Abraham respected Melchizedek as such and paid tithes to him. In the New Testament book of Hebrews, this ancient man is given a place of high honor when it is written that Jesus was a priest "after the order of Melchizedek." (Hebrews 5:10)

    The other man whose name we mentioned is that of Jethro, who became Moses' father-in-law. In Exodus 3:1 we learn that he was the "priest of Midian," and later (Exodus 18) he joined with Moses in worship at the Tabernacle after he had heard "about all the good things the LORD had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians." (Exodus 18:8) It's of special interest that the elders from Midian were in the party of ambassadors who appealed to Balaam to curse Israel. They were later decisively defeated under the leadership of the famous Judge, Gideon (Judges 6-8).

    Finally, there were the unnamed Magi, the "wise men" from the East (Babylon), who had a God given awareness of the birth of Messiah. Obviously they knew God - He spoke to them in a dream, warning them not to return to Herod as requested.

All this to say that we should not be surprised to learn that there were people outside of the Biblical religion who had a knowledge of God, and evidently Balaam was among that group.

What does all this mean for us?

Simply that God is available to anyone and everyone, for as Paul wrote, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 8:13) God has placed in the hearts of men everywhere a desire to seek Him, and the call goes out to, "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isaiah 55:6,7)

However, to only point to Balaam's apparent knowledge of God, and his startling and accurate prophecies concerning Israel and even Messiah, is to tell only half the story. When we look further in to Scripture, we find that in the end, Balaam does not get a very good report.

We have already mentioned that it was due to Balaam's counsel that many in Israel had turned away from the Lord. (Numbers 31:16) He evidently provided the advice for the women of Midian to seduce the men of Israel to worship their many gods - it's as if Balaam said, "I'm not allowed to bring down a curse on these Israelites, but you can ruin them yourselves through the seductions of your women." This is supported by a line in the book of Revelation (2:14). When addressing the sins of the church of Pergamum, John wrote down God's warning message, "I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."

Several more times in the Old Testament mention of Balaam's blessing is repeated, by Moses (Deuteronomy 23:4, 5), Joshua (24:9, 10), Nehemiah (13:2), and Micah (6:5). In most of these references, it becomes clear that Balaam wanted very badly to comply with the request of Balak to curse God's people. While on the outside he submitted and said what God told him to say, on the inside he really wanted to do the very opposite. Balaam was very much like the child who sat down in the chair when told to do so by his parent, but then said under his breath, "I may be sitting down on the outside, but on the inside I'm still standing up!"

New Testament references to Balaam carry an even harsher condemnation of his activists. Both Peter and Jude give grave warnings to the Christians of their day who apparently were coming under the influence of false teachings. In describing these false teachers, the apostles liken them to "Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey -- a beast without speech -- who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness." (II Peter 2:15, 16)

Peter then continues with a scathing expose of these false teachers:

    "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

    They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity -- for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.

    It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: 'A dog returns to its vomit,' and, 'A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.'" (II Peter 2:17-22)

The sad truth is that Balaam knew God, but his heart was unchanged. He was in it for himself, ready to compromise for the sake of personal gain. Lured by the promise of financial prosperity, Balaam foreshadows Judas, of whom fellow disciple Peter said, "He was one of our number and shared in this ministry. With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." (Acts 1:17, 18) His tragic end was not unlike that of Balaam.

Very likely, the prophet Balaam will be among those spoken about by Jesus near the end of His Sermon on the Mount, "Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:22, 23)

Immediately after that Jesus gives the parable about the builders, one building his house on the rock, the other on sand. "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand."

A similar teaching of Jesus is found in Luke's Gospel:

    "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, `I don't know you or where you come from.'

    "Then you will say, `We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

    "But he will reply, `I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

    "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." (Luke 13:24-30)

The man we've learned about today, Balaam, was a Good Prophet, Bad Prophet. Yes, he knew God; he talked with God; and at least gave the appearance of obeying God. But in the end, Balaam was the man who built his house on sand, and certainly he will be among those to whom will be spoken the terrible words, "Away from me, you evildoers!"

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be in that group! Friends, please listen carefully to what I say. It may not come with a loud, trembling voice, foaming at the mouth, or fiery eyes, but the truth is sure - there is a judgment coming.

    The time has now come to restore the fear of God in our hearts, in our church, and in our land.

    The time has now come to stop mouthing the words while we continue to live in sin and rebellion.

    The time has now come to stop presuming upon the grace of God, thinking that forgiveness is guaranteed regardless of willful wrongs.

    The time has now come to truly repent from our self-centered ways, especially our self-centered religion, and lay it all on the altar.

    The time has now come for us to be Holy Spirit energized doers of righteousness, rather than workers of iniquity.

And do not think that this call is only for the godless population living around us. It was Peter who said, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God." (I Peter 4:17)

Discussion Questions
Balaam - Good Prophet, Bad Prophet - Numbers 22-24

1. What are some reasons we tend to place more emphasis on the Christmas holiday rather than Easter?

2. What part of the Middle East did Balaam come from, and what other Biblical persons came from the same region?

3. Who (and what countries did he represent) was it that sent ambassadors requesting Balaam to come and curse Israel?

4. After God first told Balaam not to go, why did He apparently change His mind?

5. How did God use a dumb donkey in this story?

6. In what way can we say that Balaam was faithful to God?

7. Who were some other men mentioned in the Bible who, like Balaam, knew God even though they were not part of Abraham's descendants?

8. While we do not believe in "universal salvation," we do believe in the "universal _ _ _ _".

9. If Balaam is to be commended for saying what God told him to say, why does Scripture speak of him negatively?

10. What advice did Balaam give which, when followed, resulted in harm for the people of Israel?

11. How did New Testament writers employ the lesson of Balaam?

12. Speaking of the false prophets of his own day, Peter says that those who once knew the truth and turn from it "are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning." If this applies to Balaam in the Old Testament, who might it apply to in the New Testament?

13. According to Jesus' parable about the wise and foolish builders, what is required in addition to the knowledge of God?

  • - - Return to Top of this Page
  • - Email a link to this page
  • - Go To Next Sermon by Dr. Neil Chadwick
  • - Back To Sermons Page or to the Sermons Alphabetical List
  • - - Download This Sermon
  • - - Download a Power Point Presentation for This Sermon
  • - - If you have enjoyed joyfulministry.com, you may send a referral letter - Click Here, and enter email addresses of your friends. 
    This Page's Title Is:

                       
    Your Name Is:

                       
    Your Email Address Is:

                        
    Your State and Country:

    Please identify your vocation:

         Senior Pastor.     Associate Pastor.
            Youth Pastor.    Lay Minister.
                  Church Member.

    Which section of this site would you most likely return to?

         Sermons     Articles     Stories   
             Poems     Hymns    Articles for Leaders
               Marriage Articles         A Bit of Humor

    Would you like to receive the free weekly E-mail Circular?

      YES

    If you have a web page, would you like to establish a reciprocal link?

      YES

    Feel free to add a comment or prayer request: