[Numbers 22] The Error of Balaam. In this chapter, one of the descendants of Lot hires Balaam the prophet to prophesy against the Israelites. Who was Balaam? What does the New Testament refer to when speaking of the “Error of Balaam”? We hear of such things and blithely distance ourselves thinking we would never do any such thing. Still, a closer examination will help us see how close we come to making the mistakes – Balaam’s costly mistakes in this situation.
[Num 22:1-41 KJV] 1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan [by] Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they [were] many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all [that are] round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor [was] king of the Moabites at that time. 5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which [is] by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: 6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they [are] too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, [that] we may smite them, and [that] I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest [is] blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. 8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men [are] these with thee? 10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, [saying], 11 Behold, [there is] a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. 12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they [are] blessed. 13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. 14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: 17 For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. 20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. 21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants [were] with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall [being] on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where [was] no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. 30 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. 31 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. 32 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because [thy] way is perverse before me: 33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. 34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which [is] in the border of Arnon, which [is] in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour? 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that [were] with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost [part] of the people.
In this chapter Balak, the king of Moab, calls for Balaam the prophet to curse God’s people on his behalf. The Moabites are ancestors of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his daughters. Here we see Abram’s long-term consequences, allowing Lot to accompany him out of Ur of the Chaldees. Lot was Abram’s nephew. Lot’s father died, and Abram was childless, so the relationship between them was quite natural. However, when God called Abram out of his homeland, the mandate did not include Lot. Gen. 12:4 tells us that God SPOKE to Abram and Lot WENT with him. Ultimately there was strife between them, and Lot went his way – choosing to settle in the plain of Sodom. As a result, he loses his wife and falls into an incestuous, drunken affair with his daughters. The Ammonites and the Moabites arise out of this union, and they come to be bitter enemies of the descendants of Abraham. The critical thing to note is the consequences of being influenced by familial ties and soulish relationships. Abraham loved Lot, but if he cared for him, he would have left him behind. Lot’s destiny became an abortion because Abraham was not strong enough to sever the relationship when necessary.
Balak of the Moabites is afraid of the Israelites and calls upon a soothsayer to curse them away from him. Interesting because when Abraham separated from Lot – Abraham BLESSED Lot away from him. The New Testament speaks of the “error of Balaam.” We would do well also to identify the error of Balak. Are you willing for God to BLESS your enemies away from you? It is a powerful prayer to pray that God would “occupy your enemies elsewhere.” When they are focused on you and motivated to control or harm you in some way – ask the Father to occupy them elsewhere but be willing for Him even to BLESS them out of your life.
Who was Balaam? Baalim’s name implies that he was a king of the Edomites (of descendants of Esau). This is interesting because both were close in kinship to Israel’s bitter enemies. Balaam, an Edomite, is inciting and encouraging Balaak (a Moabite) in his hatred of his own enemy Israel. The Edomites and Moabites were also enemies, but they conspired in league together against their common foe Isreal. I remember two ladies in a church I pastored who worked tirelessly to see me removed from the church because they lost confidence in my ministry. Eventually, the time came for me to deal with this, and they loudly defended themselves and accused one another with much finger-pointing. Then there was an electrical fire in my home that leveled the structure, and amid the smoke and confusion, I saw the two ladies out in the driving embracing one another, weeping amid the smoke and haze. They came together over the misfortune I experienced – not out of compassion for what had happened but the fact that they saw the house fire I experienced as playing into the scheme to get rid of me.
In Rabbinical history, Balaam is particularly reviled and is given as the example as to why (purportedly) the power of prophecy was taken from the Gentiles. In Rabbinical tradition, it is said that Balaam is eventually executed for his crimes with all four acceptable forms of legal death – stoning, burning, strangling, and beheading.
In our chapter, Balaam hopes to satisfy Balak by cursing Israel, but God intervenes. You will notice that God talks to Balaam and instructs Balaam, so the man had a relationship with God and communication with God. He is being prevailed upon by Balak and succumbs to the pressure. Prophets are under continual pressure to tell people what they want to know or promise outcomes that God has not necessarily endorsed. Prophets are not psychics or clairvoyants. Many people come to the prophets to find out what God is going to do on their behalf. They don’t understand that you don’t tell Him what to do; you find out what He requires of you. Then you align yourself with that requirement and the blessings promised are the result.
In this light, the prophet is a living example of what the scriptures are to us. They are the walking, talking instrument of encouragement to align you with God’s plan and purpose for your life. Balaam’s error is to allow the pressure placed upon you by the people to turn to manipulation toward God and attempting to find a way to appease the people. The error of Balaam is to have more affinity with the people than with God Himself.
In vs. 22-33, we see Balaam determined to follow through with his plan, and ultimately, the pack animal he rides on speaks to him with a human voice. Most scholars do not take this passage literally. They teach it as a metaphor and something manufactured to prove a point. I believe when it says Balaam’s ass spoke, that is precisely what she did. Sometimes this happens today, both literally and figuratively. God will use any instrument necessary to get your attention, even if it is an obnoxious ass sent to turn you from an unfortunate end.
In vs. 34, through the end of the chapter, we see that Balaam is anything if not determined. Here in this story, you can see the problem of being so invested in an outcome that you fail to see the obvious indications that God is not with you. Balaam needed to learn not to have an opinion. There is great danger in bringing your personal viewpoints and agenda into your relationship with God. If you continue to push and demand and not submit to God’s evident leading – He will let you go on your way but not to a good outcome in the long view.
