Balaam [BÔöÇ├╝’laam]

a pilgrim, consumer or lord of the people. diviner, son of Beor and resident of the town of Pethor…Num. 22; Num. 23; Num. 24; …Deut. 23:4…These nations did not welcome you with food and water when you came out of Egypt. Instead, they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in distant Aram-naharaim to curse you.…The Man Who Heard an Ass Speak

Peter, Jude and John deal with Balaam as a historical presence…2 Pet. 2:15…They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, (Some manuscripts read Bosor ) who loved to earn money by doing wrong.…Jude 1:11… What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.…Rev. 2:14… "But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.

In Balaam we have a fitting yet tragic illustration of our Lord's teaching about the light in us being darkness. Balaam had a headfull of light but a heart that was dark-and great was the darkness! This man of Mesopotamia, counted a prophet, yet followed the unholy practice of Eastern soothsayers.

Balak the king, greatly alarmed because of the Israelites swarming the Plains of Moab, sent for Balaam to pronounce a curse upon the people of God so that he would have nothing more to fear. Balaam refused and declared that all who blessed Israel would be blessed. Balak sent for Balaam again and again, tempting him with bribes but Balaam remained firm. In a further approach of Balak, Balaam was more cautious in his refusal. Instead of saying with Daniel, "Thy gifts be to thyself and give thy rewards to another," Balaam caught the bait held out and proved that he loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Balak's messengers were not immediately dismissed. Balaam asked for time to consult God as to what he should do. The line of duty, however, was perfectly clear. There was no need to pray. God allowed Balaam to go, but he did not carry divine approval with him. Sometimes God punishes us by allowing us to have our own way. Thus Balaam started to Balak but did not reach him. Suddenly the ass he was riding stopped and could not be induced to proceed. God's angel was before him although Balaam could not see him standing in the way with his drawn sword. Then the ass, the most stupid of all beasts, was made to speak and reprove one of the wisest of men. Awestruck at what had happened and trembling with fear, Balaam confessed, "I have sinned." Balaam must have known that his whole conduct was displeasing to God and that he had been wilfully blind.

Back Balaam went and with a great parade built seven altars and offered bullocks and rams on every altar. But God was not pleased with such offerings. Yet God employed Balaam for His own purposes, for He put into his mouth some of the most blessed and glorious words spoken concerning His people Israel. With his heart turned towards the eternal world Balaam wanted to die the death of a righteous man, but his end was far from righteous. He died in a general massacre and we have no record of his repentance. He died in his sins.

Clearly evident are the lessons to be learned from this renowned man who was self-willed …Num. 22:5-22…5So Balak, king of Moab,sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor(Or who was at Pethor in the land of the Amavites.)near the Euphrates River.(Hebrew the river)His message said:

"Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. 6Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse."…7Balak's messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.(Hebrew set out with the money of divination in their hand.)They went to Balaam and delivered Balak's message to him. 8"Stay here overnight," Balaam said. "In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say." So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.

9That night God came to Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men visiting you?" 10Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message:…11'Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.'" 12But God told Balaam, "Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!"…13The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak's officials, "Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you."… 14So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak and reported, "Balaam refused to come with us."…15Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time.16They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him:…"This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don't let anything stop you from coming to help me.I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!"… 18But Balaam responded to Balak's messengers, "Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God.…19But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything else to say to me."… 20That night God came to Balaam and told him, "Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do."…Balaam and His Donkey… 21So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,

Balaam was saved from death by a beast…Num. 22:33…Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey."…Double-minded in that he was powerful in prophecy but arrogant in seeking to alter the divine plan …Num. 23; 24…a Failure in his mission …Num. 24:10…King Balak flew into a rage against Balaam. He angrily clapped his hands and shouted, "I called you to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times.…An evil counsellor…Num. 31:16… "These are the very ones who followed Balaam's advice and caused the people of Israel to rebel against the Lord at Mount Peor. They are the ones who caused the plague to strike the Lord's people.…Overcome by the besetting sin of covetousnessand greed…2 Pet. 2:13…Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception(Some manuscripts read in fellowship meals.) even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.

The clearest knowledge without grace is worthless.

The presence of any sin is harmful and damaging, especially covetousness.

The most religious wishes are sometimes vain.

The road to hell can be paved with good resolutions.

To die well one must live well.

“Did Balaam’s donkey really talk to him?”……The story of Balaam and his talking donkey is found inNumbers 22. Balaam was a pagan prophet who practiced divination and other magic arts, led Israel into apostasy, and was identified as a false prophet by Peter and Jude

2 Pet. 2:15-16…15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, (Some manuscripts read Bosor ) who loved to earn money by doing wrong.…16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.

Jude 1:11… What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

Fearing the encroaching Israelites, King Balak of Moab sent for Balaam and enlisted his aid in repelling the Israelites by cursing them.

The Lord spoke to Balaam and told him to refuse to go to Balak, although the Lord relented under the condition that Balaam would speak only His words. So Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab back to Balak.……But knowing Balaam's heart, the Lord's anger burned against Balaam for what He knew was Balaam's rebelliousness, and He sent an angel with a drawn sword to bar his way. Although Balaam couldn't see the angel, his donkey could, and she tried to discontinue the journey by going off the path, crushing Balaam's foot against the wall and lying down on the path. Angered by her behavior, Balaam used his staff to beat the donkey three times.

Numbers 22:28

28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?" it asked Balaam. 'What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?'"

Then Balaam and the donkey proceeded to have a conversation about the situation, with Balaam angrily berating the donkey, after which the Lord opened Balaam's eyes to see the angel and understand why his journey was stopped.……There is no doubt that Balaam's donkey spoke to him. The question that arises is whether the donkey was suddenly given the power of speech, which would also mean she was given the power to reason because she answered Balaam's questions, asked some of her own, and carried on a rational conversation. While it is certainly possible that God granted human powers to the donkey, it's more likely that He opened her mouth and spoke through her. The angel that barred his way is identified as the angel of the Lord, likely a manifestation of the presence of God Himself

Genesis 16:9-16When the angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar…9 The angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority." 10 Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count."

11 And the angel also said, "You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means 'God hears'), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives."

13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me."(Hebrew El-roi.) She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?" 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai–roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.

Exodus 3:1-6

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,(Moses' father-in-law went by two names, Jethro and Reuel.) the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai,(Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai) the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn't burn up. 3 "This is amazing," Moses said to himself. "Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it."…4 When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!""Here I am!" Moses replied.…5 "Do not come any closer," the Lord warned. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father(Greek version reads your fathers)–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.

After the donkey "spoke" to Balaam, and Balaam's eyes were opened, the angel proceeded to ask the identical questions that came from the mouth of the donkey, further evidence that God, not the donkey, was actually speaking both times. This is reiterated by Peter, who identifies the donkey as ("a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice NKJV) …2 Pet. 2:16…16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.

Whatever the method, the donkey was able to speak by a miraculous working of God's power.……Why was Balaam not shocked into silence by the donkey speaking to him? Surely, it must have come as a surprise to him, and under normal circumstances, the obvious reaction would be for him to at least ask how she came to be speaking.

The Bible doesn't tell us why he didn't find it odd to be addressed by a donkey, but we do know something about his state of mind.

First, he was in rebellion against the Lord, going to Balak for his own purposes and not those of the Lord.

Second, the donkey's refusal to continue down the path enraged him so that he beat her out of anger because she had mocked him and made a fool of him.

Anger has a way of curtailing rational thought, and perhaps he was so intent on exerting his dominance over the animal that he lost the ability to think clearly.

It wasn't until the angel opened Balaam's eyes to see reality that he relented in his anger against the donkey, listened to the angel, and repented.

Verse 38 tells us that Balaam went to Balak and told the king, "I must speak only what God puts in my mouth,” which just goes to show that God can use anyone, even a donkey and a rebellious prophet, to do His will and speak His truth.