“These false teachers have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Balaam, son of Beor. Balaam loved what his wrongdoing earned him. But he was convicted for his evil. A donkey, which normally can’t talk, spoke with a human voice and wouldn’t allow the prophet to continue his insanity” (2 Peter 2:15-16 GW).
After failing to place a curse upon the people of Israel, here is what took place immediately after the prophet Balaam left the Moabite king Balak….
“While Israel was staying in the Acacia Grove, the people began to prostitute themselves with the women of Moab. The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger burned against Israel” (Numbers 25:1-3 CSB).
So Balaam could not collect on Balak’s promise of a payment to curse the people of Israel, at least not initially. However, it appears Balaam devised a trap that involved seducing the people of Israel into acts of idolatry and sexual immorality. Balaam’s strategy was apparently this: “If I can’t get God to harm the people, perhaps I can get the people to harm themselves.” Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened according to the opening verses of Numbers chapter twenty-five.
So what do we have in Balaam? Well, a few potential applications come to mind…
- Balaam serves as an example of a spiritual leader who is “only in it for the money.”
- He was someone who appeared religious, but actually had a hidden agenda.
- In Balaam, we have someone who was willing to sell others out for the right price.
- Finally, Balaam merchandised a God-given gift for personal gain. In the words of 2 Peter 2:15, Balaam was someone “…who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
Now, before we conclude our look at Balaam’s life, we should take note of one final detail. That detail involves Balaam’s demise, as recorded for us in Numbers 31:8. During a battle against the people of Midian, that portion of Scripture tells us that the people of Israel defeated five Midianite kings. And then, almost as an aside, we read this: “They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.”
Balaam’s death reminds us that judgment eventually comes to all. Like Balaam, we may disguise our true intentions from others, but we can never hide them from our Creator. Thus, we should remember Balaam’s example along with the words of Romans 2:6: “[God] will render to each one according to his deeds.”