A son of Beor and a prophet of Pethor in Mesopotamia. The
narrative relating to Balaam is found in Num. 22 thru 25. According to this
narrative, Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to the soothsayer, requesting him to come and pronounce a curse against
Israel, with whom the Moabites were at war, and of whom they stood in dread.
Balak hoped, with the aid of the soothsayer's powerful curse, to overcome his
foe. His confidence in Balaam is illustrated by the declaration he makes to him: "I know that he whom thou blesses is
blessed, and he whom thou curses is cursed" (verse. xxii. 6).
Balaam, after consulting God, is forbidden to go back with the Moabites, and he
accordingly refuses, despite the gifts that the messengers of Balak had brought
with them for him. Balak, being determined to secure the prophet's services,
sends other and more distinguished messengers, who, as the narrative puts it,
are empowered to promise still greater rewards and honor to the soothsayer if
he will accede to Balak's wishes. Balaam, although anxious to go, again
refuses; declaring that even if Balak were to give him his house full of silver
and gold, he cannot do contrary to God's command. However, he begs the
embassy to await a second consultation with the Lord. This time God permits the
soothsayer to go to Balak, but enjoins upon him to do only "the word which I shall say" (xxii. 20). Balaam then
arises and departs with the Moabites, riding upon his ass. But notwithstanding
the previous permission, God's anger is kindled at Balaam as he goes; and the
angel of the Lord with a drawn sword in his hand shows himself accordingly to
the ass, which refuses to proceed along the road despite Balaam's efforts to
urge it. Three times the angel, invisible as yet to Balaam, puts himself in the
path of the ass, which is beaten by its master for its refusal to proceed.
Now that we have a brief narrative to the story of Balaam,
let’s study what is written in the Bible.
Numbers 22: 1-20
1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and
camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,
3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled
with dread because of the Israelites. 4
The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up
everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." So Balak
son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor,
near the River, in his native land. Balak said: "A people has come out of
Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people,
because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat
them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are
blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.
When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. 8 "Spend the night here," Balaam
said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives
me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him. 9 God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?" 10 Balaam said to God, "Balak son
of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:
11 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now
come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them
and drive them away.' 12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because
they are blessed."
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go
back to your own country, for the LORD has refused to let me go with
you." 14 So the Moabite princes
returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us." 15 Then Balak sent other princes, more
numerous and more distinguished than the first.
16 They came to Balaam and said: "This is what Balak son of Zippor
says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward
you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people
for me." 18 But Balaam answered
them, "Even if Balak
gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great
or small to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. 19 Now stay here tonight as the others did,
and I will find out what else the LORD will tell me." 20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these
men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."
Balaam seems to be a
sincere man of God until he responds to the second set of messengers. The
response of “even if Balak gave me his palace filled
with silver and gold”, insinuates
his true desire. Now the misunderstanding here is God allowing Balaam to leave
and then becoming angry when he leaves. In verse 12 God told Balaam that he
could not go with the messengers and the curse could not be laid upon the
blessed people. When Balaam relayed the message of God to the messengers he
only said “the Lord has refused to let me go with you”, He didn’t tell them what God had said in context. It is
important we completely relay Gods Message in full context because it can
enlighten the entire situation to allow for understanding to the reason. Now
the messengers relayed a misunderstood message back to Balak by just saying “he refused to come”. The continuation of reading implies that
Balak wants a curse to be put on Israel, if Balaam had told him that God does
not want a curse placed upon blessed people maybe Balak would have had a better
understanding of why he could not come; or he may have wanted to know why
Balaam would not do this deed. This may have also given him better
understanding of what is going on with the people of Israel. But when the new
set of messengers arrive, Balaam addresses God again, to which God tells he to
go with them but to “do only what God tells him to do”. Now Balaam already heard the first time that God did not want
him to go yet Balaam goes a second time to see if God would change his mind.
Sometimes we do this same thing, when what God tells us in the first place,
doesn’t fall into what we want, we seek God again to try and find an answer
from God that fits into what we desire. And just as God did with Balaam, The
Almighty does this for us and allows us to do of our will but only under the
Direction of God.
This part of the
story is interesting in the sense of giving someone an opportunity to know more
about the Almighty. In this passage Balaam could have sat down with the first
set of messengers and them offered some counseling of our True God. He had the
chance to give a message to the messengers to take back and enlighten Balak.
Balaam's Donkey
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went
with the princes of Moab. 22 But God was
very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose
him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When
the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in
his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her
back on the road. 24 Then the angel of
the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both
sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the
wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead
and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the
right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD,
she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then
the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I
done to you to make you beat me these three times?" 29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have
made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." 30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not
your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the
habit of doing this to you?" "No," he said. 31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he
saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he
bowed low and fell facedown. 32 The
angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three
times? I have come here to oppose you because your
path is a reckless one before me. 33
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these
three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by
now, but I would have spared her."
34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not
realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased,
I will go back." 35 The angel of
the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming,
he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of
his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam,
"Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn't you come to me? Am I
really not able to reward you?" 38
"Well, I have come to you now," Balaam replied. "But can I say
just anything? I must speak only what
God puts in my mouth." 39 Then
Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.
40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the
princes who were with him. 41 The next
morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he saw part of the
people.
Refusing in the first embassy to yield himself
willingly to God, he would now be made the unwilling instrument of exalting
God. And thus God gave him leave to do that on which he had set his heart.
However because of his blinded self-satisfaction, in which the next morning he
accompanied the ambassadors of Balak, 'God’s anger was kindled because he
went'. In other words the idea is God gave Balaam over to his lusts in such a
way that God would manipulate him, while he thought he was manipulating God. Yet due to the insane contradiction of reality
as he should be going in obedience but his actual going was in deluded belief
that he was controlling the situation, God lets him know that he was 'dumber than
an ass', before sending him fully on his way. 'Yes I send you,
but realize you are a dumb ass who knows not what you are doing when you go'.
Balaam also
demonstrates his true nature here by beating the donkey because she steers off
the road. He also demonstrates the reflection of man in his anger by his
reaction as well.
Balaam and the Ass.(From a "Teutsch Chumesh.") or The favourite volume of the orthodox Jewess
of Eastern Europe is a Yiddish paraphrase of the Penta-teuch, called
Teutsch-Chumesh or Ze'enah Ure'enah
The ass is then given the power of addressing its rider in
human speech, and asks him reproachfully why it has been smitten. The
soothsayer, apparently not astonished by the miraculous speech, replies angrily
that, were a sword in his hand, he would willingly kill the ass. The angel then
becomes visible to Balaam, and the soothsayer falls on his face before the
vision. Balaam confesses his sin to the angel and offers to return to his own
land, but the divine messenger permits him to go on with the Moabites,
enjoining him to say "only the word that I shall speak unto thee"
(xxii. 35).
At this point it is
not known what God and the angel have said to Balaam. The Both may have already
given Balaam instructions and yet he already has his own agenda. Balaam is the
example of most churches and Christians today who focus on dollar signs instead
of Signs of God. Balaam was blind to the messenger God had sent until God opened
his eyes. We all have this issue as well, God Instructs us to do The Will Of
and we have our own agenda and become blind to God’s Will. We become the dumb
ass that God has to speak to again to set us on the right track.
Chapters xxiii.-xxiv. contain the detailed account of four
oracles that Balaam uttered to Balak concerning Israel. The soothsayer directs
Balak to offer sacrifices to God of seven oxen and seven rams on seven altars
built on a high place, Bamoth-baal, where he could see "the utmost part"
of Israel (xxii. 41). Balaam then utters the first inspired oracle in favor of
Israel, a people that "shall not be reckoned among the nations"
(xxiii. 9). Impressively he concludes:
(xxiii. 10, R. V.).
"Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth
part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my last end be
like his"
Numbers 23
Oracle 1
1 Balaam said, "Build me seven
altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of
them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while
I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to
me I will tell you." Then he went off to a barren height. 4 God met with him, and Balaam said, "I
have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a
ram. 5 The LORD put a message in
Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message." 6 So he went back to him and found him
standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle: "Balak
brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come,' he
said, 'curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.' 8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not
denounced? 9 From the rocky peaks
I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a
people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number
the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my
end be like theirs!" 11 Balak said
to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,
but you have done nothing but bless them!"
12 He answered, "Must I not speak what
the LORD puts in my mouth?"
When we confronted
with oppositions in our life, it is our duty to follow what God tells us to do.
In this particular study Balak was simply scared of the house of Jacob and
needed someone to put a curse on them to remove them from his land. This is a
procedure most people produce when they believe a more powerful person, or
people, are coming to confront them. Isn’t it funny how we become frightened by
something and would rather destroy than understand it?
Now when we began
this study, Balaam sacrificed a bull and a ram on each alter. To just look at
the symbolic nature of both animals would represent “stubborn natured”
So, in a symbolic way, the stubborn nature is being sacrificed in order to see
clearly what God has planned. And by it being performed “seven” times would imply “perfection”
Key
Notes: Highest place of Baal, Baal was considered a high diety in Canaanite
worship. So to begin this at the highest plain of the deity of a god that man
worship is the start of extinguishing our view points of earthly worship. Here,
as all the examples of these two chapters, is how we must first change the
highest places of our own self to understand the view that is displayed in our
sight.
Oracle 2
13 Then Balak said to him,
"Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a
part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me." 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on
the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram
on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak,
"Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over
there." 16 The LORD met with Balaam
and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him
this message." 17 So he went to him
and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak
asked him, "What did the LORD say?"
18 Then he uttered his oracle: "Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me,
son of Zippor. 19 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 20 I have
received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it. 21 "No misfortune is seen in
Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout
of the King is among them 22 God brought
them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox. 23 There is no sorcery against Jacob, no
divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'See what God
has done!' 24 The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey
and drinks the blood of his victims."
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless
them at all!" 26 Balaam answered,
"Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?"
Key
Notes: The top of Pisgah is the original place where Moses stood to view the
promised land of Israel. From Hitchcock’s Bible Dictionary, the term means hill;
eminence; fortress. The word “eminence” means a condition of being well-known
and successful, a person of high rank or achievements, an area of high ground.
With this second sacrificial journey, it demonstrates the personal status of
one’s self, releasing the selfishness we all have in order to see what God is
trying to tell us.
Oracle 3
27 Then Balak said to Balaam,
"Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let
you curse them for me from there."
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the
wasteland. 29 Balaam said, "Build
me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered
a bull and a ram on each altar.
Key
Notes: The top of Peor is the last resort for Balak to get Balaam to curse
Israel. Interesting that the definition of “Peor” is hole or opening. At this
point, if Balak and Balaam had of been paying attention, God is opening the
understanding to The Promised Word. This point would allow them to see clearly
how God’s Blessings can liberate a person or people.
Balak
understood who God was which can be seen in verse 27 when he said, “let me take you to another place, perhaps it will please God to
let you curse them for me”. My personal opinion is that Balaam is not
enlightening the situation for Balak. Balak is misunderstanding what God’s plan
is, as Gods messengers we are to enlighten people to God’s Plan. We are also
supposed to draw people nearer to God.
Numbers 24
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel
encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him 3 and he uttered his oracle: "The oracle
of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly, 4 the oracle of one who hears the words of
God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes
are opened: 5
"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O
Israel! 6 "Like valleys they spread
out, like gardens beside a river, like aloes planted by the LORD, like cedars
beside the waters. 7 Water will flow
from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water. "Their king will
be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. 8 "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. 9 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!"
10 Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands
together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you
have blessed them these three times. 11
Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the
LORD has kept you from being rewarded."
12 Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not tell the messengers you sent
me, 13 'Even if Balak gave me his palace
filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or
bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD --and I must say only what the LORD
says'? 14 Now I am going back to my
people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in
days to come."
Key
Notes: He set his eyes to the wilderness, this was the place of wandering and
sin for Israel. God had forgiven them of their sins. Perfect example of how one
can change and follow God and our sins will be forgiven. This also gives
reference to how no one can curse God’s elect, not even Satan. (Romans
8:31,33-34). It is wonderful to know that when we lay down our sins and follow
the path of Righteousness, there is no one that bring a charge against us. ‘’’if God is be for us, who can be against
us...
Possibly Balaam’s next
step was to give Balak an inspirational message to give him a better
understanding of God’s glory upon his people. What if Balaam had talked with
Balak and had him draw nearer to God. An example of how we can assist with
people rejecting God because we don’t utilize empathetic mannerism to help
people. Balak could have been enlightened upon God’s glory if Balaam had of
used this time to minister to him.
Oracle
4
15 Then
he uttered his oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of
one whose eye sees clearly, 16 the
oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are
opened: 17
"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out
of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of
Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will be conquered, but
Israel will grow strong. 19 A ruler will
come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city."
Final
Oracles
20 Then
Balaam saw Amalek and uttered his oracle: "Amalek was first among the
nations, but he will come to ruin at last." 21 Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his
oracle: "Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock; 22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed when
Asshur takes you captive." 23 Then
he uttered his oracle: "Ah, who can live when God does this? 24 Ships will come from the shores of Kittim;
they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to ruin." 25 Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak
went his own way.
Balak moves the seer to another point of outlook, the top of
Mt. Pisgah, where the entire Israelitish camp is visible. Here again Balaam
receives an oracle even more strongly commendatory of Israel than the first:
"The Lord his God is with him; . . . he hath, as it were, the strength of
the wild ox" (xxiii. 21, R. V.). What Israel accomplishes is not by
enchantment, but by God's own might. Comparing Israel to a lion, he says:
(xxiii. 24, R. V.).
"Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a
lion doth he lift himself up; He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
And drink the blood of the slain"
Balak then begs Balaam neither to curse nor to bless, but to
remain silent as to Israel's future. Balaam replies that he must do as directed
by God. The king then takes the soothsayer to Mt. Peor, but is once more
disappointed. The prophet in his third utteranceis impressed by the magnificent
sight of Israel's encampment (xxiv. 5b-6, R. V.):
"As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the
river-side, As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, As cedar-trees beside
the waters."
Balak is
not satisfied with Balaam doing the opposite of what he asked of him. Balam
took Balak to seven different sacrifices that symbolized the release of stubbornness,
aggression, and the god-like mentality. The ram and the bull represented
various gods in Egyptian time that they worshipped. Osiris is often depicted
with a pair of ram horns attached to the base of his atef (specific feathered
white) crown also from this earliest species of ram. Khnum, an important god
throughout Egypt, but especially at Elephantine, who created mankind and even
gods on his potters will, was apparently depicted as this species, with its
long wavy horns and heavy build, as was Banebdjedet (Ba-neb-Tetet), an early
ram headed god at Mendes. The ram, like the bull, was perhaps even more
venerated by the ancient Egyptians for its fertility, as well as for its
warlike attributes. Throughout history, rams have been important to
mythological and religious concepts, associated with ancient gods from all over
the world. The ram even became a symbol of Christ in ancient times. They also
sometimes suffered from religion, being the objects of sacrifice to various
gods. In fact, perhaps one of the most famous ancient accounts of a ram
involves one in the Old Testament that Abraham found trapped by its horns in a
thicket on Mount Moriah where he had gone to sacrifice his only son Isaac. [Gen
22:1-14] An angel stopped the hand of Abraham just as he was about to kill his
boy and the ram was sacrificed in his stead. This
is just to get an understanding towards the significance of ram and bull
sacrifice.
Balak is at last infuriated and would dismiss Balaam at
once, but the latter pours forth his fourth and last prophecy of the rise of a
tribe in Israel that will secure for the Hebrews decisive victories over Moab
and Edom; to which are added short denunciations of Amalek and the Kenites. The
king then permits the prophet to return to his home. The four oracles are in
poetic form and belong to the best specimens of a certain species of ancient
Hebrew poetry. They are all characterized by a rich imagery, and the diction is
at once impressive and stately. The third, xxiv. 5, beginning,
"How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! Thy Tabernacles, O
Israel," is particularly fine.
Balaam is represented as one of seven heathen prophets; the
other six being Balaam's father, Job, and his four friends (B. B. 15b). He
gradually acquired a position among the heathen as exalted as that of Moses
among the chosen people (Num. R. xx. 1). At first a mere interpreter of dreams,
Balaam later became a magician, until finally the spirit of prophecy descended
upon him (ib. 7). He possessed the special gift of being able to ascertain the
exact moment during which God is wroth—a gift bestowed upon no other creature. Balaam's
intention was to curse the Israelites at this moment of wrath; but God
purposely restrained His anger in order to baffle the wicked prophet and to
save the nation from extermination (Ber. 7a). When the law was given to Israel,
a mighty voice shook the foundations of the earth; so that all kings trembled,
and in their consternation gathered about Balaam, inquiring whether this
upheaval of nature portended a second deluge; but the prophet assured them that
what they heard was the voice of the Almighty giving the sacred Law to His
children of Israel (Zeb. 116a).
Now Balak was really angry after the blessings Balaam poured on Israel, and he ordered Balaam to return home. Before he left, however, Balaam told Balak that the only way to harm the people of Israel was to seduce them into sin. For only then would G-d punish His people.
The kings of Moab and Midian acted upon this shrewd advice of Balaam. They arranged a big feast in honor of their idols and invited the children of Israel to participate in the ceremonies. Many of the Jewish people fell for this ruse and participated in these heathen celebrations. Amongst them was Zimri, a prince of the family of Simeon, who was not ashamed to let the entire Jewish community witness his evil conduct.
As always, man sees himself losing ground and instead of following The Almighty, we follow the desires of self.
Nevertheless, it is significant that in rabbinical
literature the epithet "rasha" (the wicked one) is often attached to
the name of Balaam (Ber. l.c.; Ta'anit 20a; Num. R. xx. 14). He is pictured as
blind of one eye and lame in one foot (San. 105a); and his disciples
(followers) are distinguished by three morally corrupt qualities, viz., an evil eye, a haughty bearing,
and an avaricious spirit—qualities the very opposite of those
characterizing the disciples of Abraham (Ab. v. 19; compare Tan., Balak, 6).
Balaam received the divine communication at night only—a limitation that
applies also to the other heathen prophets (Num. R. xx. 12). The Rabbis hold
Balaam responsible for the unchastity which led to the apostasy in Shittim, and
in chastisement of which 24,000 persons fell victims to a pestilence (Num. xxv.
1-9). When Balaam, "the wicked," saw that he could not curse the
children of Israel, he advised Balak (intimated in Num. xxiv. 14) as a last
resort to tempt the Hebrew nation to immoral acts and, through these, to the
worship of Baal-peor. "The God of the Hebrews," adds Balaam,
"hates lewdness; and severe chastisement must follow" (San. 106a;
Yer. ib. x. 28d; Num. R. l.c.).
The Rabbis, playing on the name Balaam, call him "Belo
'Am" (without people; that is, without a share with the people in the
world to come), or "Billa' 'Am" (one that ruined a people); and this
hostility against his memory finds its climax in the dictum that whenever one discovers a feature
of wickedness or disgrace in his life, one should preach about it (Sanh.
106b). In the process of killing Balaam (Num. xxxi. 8), all four legal methods
of execution—stoning, burning, decapitating, and strangling—were employed
(Sanh. l.c.). He met his death at the age of thirty-three (ib.); and it is
stated that he had no portion in the world to come (Sanh. x. 2; 90a). The Bible
devotes a special section to the remarkable history of the prophet, in order to
answer the question, why God has taken away the power of prophecy from the Gentiles
(Tan., Balak, 1). Moses is expressly mentioned as the author of this episode in
the Pentateuch (B. B. 14b).
Balaam in Priestly Code and in Deuteronomy.
A different tradition about Balaam exists in the Priestly
Code (P), where Balaam is represented as a Midianite, who attempted to seduce
Israel by immoral rites (Num. xxxi. 16). According to this account, which
probably depends upon Num. xxv. 6-15, Balaam was afterward slain with the
Midianitish princes (Num. xxxi. 8; Josh. xiii. 22).
The allusion to Balaam in Deut. xxiii. 4, 5 (compare Neh.
xiii. 2) states that the prophet was hired to curse Israel and that Yhwh turned
the curse into a blessing, thus implying that the prophet was anxious to accede
to Balak's desire (compare also Josh. xxiv. 9). Such an idea might have been
obtained from Num. xxiii. 4, where Balaam tells Elohim explicitly that he has
offered a bullock and a ram on seven altars, thereby implying a hope that God
will inspire Balaam to curse Israel.
Opinions vary greatly as to the derivation and meaning of
the name Balaam. It is generally considered to be a compound of "Bel"
and "'Am," and since both "Bel" and "'Am" are
names of deities among Semites, the name may either represent a combination of two
deities ("'Am" is "Bel") or "Bel" may be used in
the general sense which it acquired of "lord": the name would then be
interpreted "'Am is Lord."
Balaam and Moses.
When Pharaoh's daughter threatened to take the life of
Balaam, he fled with his two sons, Jannes and Jambres, the renowned wizards, to
Ethiopia; there, during the absence of the king, who had gone to war against
the people of Syria, he instigated a rebellion, making himself king, and his
sons captains of the host. He raised high walls on two sides of the capital,
dug pits on the third side, filling them with water, and on the fourth side, by
means of witchcraft, placed serpents to render the city unapproachable. For
nine years the king's army besieged the capital, unable to enter; then Moses on
his flight from Egypt came there and became the king's counselor and, as the
king's death soon followed, his successor. He required each warrior to fetch
young storks (or ibises) from the forest, and soon the serpents disappeared and
the city was captured. Balaam and his sons fled to Egypt, where they became the
master-magicians who opposed Moses and Aaron at the court of Pharaoh (Targ.
Yer. to Ex. vii. 11; "Chronicles of Jerahmeel," xlvii. 6, 7; Yalḳ.,
Ex. 168).
The Strategy of Balaam.
When Balaam went forth later to curse the Israelites in the wilderness,
he again had with him his sons Jannes and Jambres (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxii.
22). His witchcraft had no effect on Israel, because the merits of their
ancestors shielded them and angels protected them (Tan., ed. Buber, Balak,
xvii., xxiii.; Targ. Yer. to Num. xxiii. 9, 10, 23; Samaritan Book of Joshua,
ch. iii.). He then resorted to the strategem of seduction. After having, by
divine inspiration, predicted the destiny of the people of Israel, and having
spoken even of the Messianic future (Josephus, "Ant." iv. 6, §§ 4, 5;
Philo, l.c. 52), he advised Balak to select the handsomest daughters of the
Midianites, who should lead the Israelites to idolatry (Josephus, l.c., §§ 6-9;
Philo, l.c. 54-56; Samaritan Book of Joshua, iv.). This plan was executed, and
24,000 Midianite women caused as many Hebrew men to fall (Targ. Yer. to Num.
xxiv. 25; Samaritan Book of Joshua, iv.). Phinehas decided to avenge the wrong
upon Balaam. Seeing his pursuer, the latter resorted to witchcraft and flew up
into the air; but Phinehas made use of the Holy Name, seized him by the head,
and unsheathed his sword to slay him. In vain did Balaam entreat his conqueror,
saying: "Spare me and I will no longer curse thy people." Phinehas
answered, "Thou Laban the Aramean, didst intend to kill Jacob our father,
and thou didst invite Amalek to make war against us; and now, when thy wiles
and sorceries were of no avail, thou didst lay pitfalls for 24,000 Hebrews by
thy wicked counsel. Thy life is forfeited." Whereupon Balaam fell, pierced
by the sword (Targ. Yer. to Num. xxxi. 8; Sanh. 106b).
Henceforth he became the type of false prophets seducing men
to lewdness and obscene idolatrous practises (Rev. ii. 14; II Peter ii. 15;
Jude 11; Abot v.19). The name "Nicolaitanes," given to the Christian
heretics "holding the doctrine of Balaam" (Rev. ii. 6, 15), is
probably derived from the Grecized form of Balaam, = Nικο-γάος, and hence also the pseudonym
"Balaam," given to Jesus in Sanh. 106b and Giṭ. 57a. See Geiger,
"Bileam and Jesus," in "Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für
Jüdische Theologie," vi. 31-37).
The life of this sorcerer was further detailed in the
"Sefer ha-Yashar" legends and by the later cabalists (Yalḳ., Reubeni
to Balak). Balaam's ass formed an especial object of haggadic interpretation
and embellishment. "The speaking mouth of the ass" was declared to be
one of the ten miraculous things that God had created in the twilight of the
sixth day (Abot v. 6). Targ. Yer. to Num. xxii. 30 gives a long monition which
the ass offers to her foolish master.
Numbers 31:1 The LORD
said to Moses, 2 "Take vengeance on
the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your
people." 3 So Moses said to the
people, "Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry
out the LORD's vengeance on them. 4 Send
into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel." 5 So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a
thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. 6 Moses sent them into battle, a thousand
from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with
him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling. 7 They fought against Midian, as the LORD
commanded Moses, and killed every man. 8
Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba--the five kings of
Midian. They also killed Balaam son of
Beor with the sword. 9 The
Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite
herds, flocks and goods as plunder. 10
They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all
their camps. 11 They took all the
plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, 12 and brought the captives, spoils and
plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their
camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho. 13 Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the
leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. 14 Moses was angry with the officers of the
army--the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds--who returned from
the battle. 15 "Have you allowed
all the women to live?" he asked them.
16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the
means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so
that a plague struck the LORD's people.
17 Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a
man, 18 but save for yourselves every
girl who has never slept with a man. 19
"All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must
stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify
yourselves and your captives. 20 Purify
every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood." 21 Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers
who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the
LORD gave Moses: 22 Gold, silver,
bronze, iron, tin, lead 23 and anything
else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be
clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever
cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. 24 On the seventh day wash your clothes and
you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."
In Balaam is the
example of a person that is fully aware of God’s Power and Presence, yet
allowed his own personal agenda to take precedence. He suffered the ultimate
punishment for his mishap.
As early as Deuteronomy 23:4-5, he is shown as an enemy of
God and Israel and degraded as a hired mercenary. Joshua positively notes his
death at the hand of Israelites (Joshua 13:22), and he also repeats Balaam's
overthrow by God in a list of His victories for Israel (Joshua 24:9-10).
Nehemiah and Micah recall him to the people of their days as an evil man whom
God defeated (Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:5).
Yet we cannot disregard the anointment he had in scripture. In other words,
remember the character of this type of individual.
The New Testament mentions Balaam three times, all
negatively. Both Peter and Jude describe him as the personification of greed in using religion for
personal gain (II Peter 2:15; Jude 11). Revelation 2:14 credits him with
"the doctrine of Balaam," which is inducing others to sin,
specifically to idolatry and sexual immorality.
·
2 Peter the ways of Balaam are unrighteous
·
Jude error of Balaam
·
Revelation the doctrine of Balaam
Certainly, Balaam was no paragon of virtue. Yet, as
unrighteous as he was, his prophecies remain in God's Word—and they are true!
Why?
Just like Balaam, there are people who know God
and know Gods Word but yet demise methods to undermine them. It is a
strategy that began with Satan in the garden. Today it is apparent that our
society is thriving off the past actions of this type of mentality. It is so
powerful that confusion is in the midst of the churches that represent The
Almighty. The example of Balaam is a warning to all of us that if we take Gods
Word and use it out of context, we can cause traumatic destruction. To
understand Gods Word is to live it in its full glory. To inspire others and no
to use as an instruction tool of foolish words.
They have left the straight way and wandered off
to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. (2
Peter 2:15, NIV)
Balaam is a character of the Bible that holds a
dark yet mysterious characteristic. Although most scholars interpret him as
evil, questions still add to why he was able to communicate with God. This
story of Balaam is an example of how important it is to have a personal relationship
with God. People may come in the form of representing God but have ulterior
motives which will only benefit their own personal desires.
References:
King James Version, Holy Bible
Jewish Encyclopedia
Vernon McGee, “Through The Bible” Vol. 1
