The book of Numbers gives noticeable attention to an unusual man named Balaam. He is the main character of Numbers 22-24 and receives additional mention in Numbers 31:8 and 16. References to him reappear throughout the Old Testament (cf. Deut 23:4; Josh 13:22; 24:9-10; Neh 13:2; Mic 6:5) and the New Testament mentions him as well (cf. 2 Pet 2:15; Jude 11; Rev 2:14). So who is this man and why is he important to know about?

An Overview ofBalaam’s Story

A pagan king named Balak feared that the Israelites would defeat his people, the Moabites, in battle (Num 22:2-3). To prevent this outcome from happening, he attempted to hire Balaam to invoke curses on Israel that would enable the Moabites to defeat them (Num 22:4-6).

If Balaam coulddo this successfully, then Balak would give him a financial reward (Num 22:7).When Balaam turned down this opportunity, Balak sent for him a second time witha more prestigious entourage and a more lucrative offer (Num 22:15-17).

Though Godinstructed Balaam to reject this opportunity at first (Num 22:12), he permittedhim to take it the second time, but with one condition – Balaam could only saywhat God would tell him to say (Num 22:20). Even then, however, though God hadallowed Balaam to pursue the offer, he still did not want him to go (22:22).

At this point,Balaam’s famous encounter with the Angel of the LORD occurred, an encounter whichfeatured a talking donkey and a broken foot (Num 22:22-34). Despite these surprisingand bizarre hindrances, Balaam displayed a personal desire to accept the offerand God permitted him to go forward (Num 22:35).

What follows isa series of three prophecies from Balaam about Israel. In each case, Balaaminstructed Balak to build seven altars and offer seven bull and seven ramsacrifices (Num 23:1-2, 14, 29-30). Though these would have been a costlyexpense for Balak, they did not achieve the desired result for God would notpermit Balaam to curse the people of Israel.

Most important of all is that Balaam not only failed to curse Israel, but he ended up blessing them emphatically instead (Num 23:7-10, 18-24; 24:3-9). Beyond this, Balaam issued a fourth and final prophecy (a *bonus* prophecy, if you will) that detailed how Israel would triumph over her enemies in the future, including Moab (Num 24:15-24).

The TheologicalSignificance of this Story

This history of Balaam portrays him neither as a hero nor a good prophet. Instead, it shows God’s determination and faithfulness to protect and bless his people.

The story of Balaam shows God's determination and faithfulness to protect and bless his people.

Central Thought

If anything,the people deserved to be defeated by Balak’s armies. In fact, they had onlyrecently “spoke against God and against Moses” and ad complained about theirfood and water supply yet again (Num 21:4-9).

Despite this unfaithfulnessto him, God remained faithful to his people. This is the lesson that later OT referencesto Balaam emphasize (Deut 23:4; Josh 24:9-10; Neh 13:2; Mic 6:5).

A reference inJoshua adds that Balaam eventually died fighting in a battle against Israel andmentions that he engaged in the forbidden practice of sorcery (Josh 13:22).

Additional Insightsfrom Balaam’s Bad Example

Beyond these insights,two more important observations about Balaam remain.

First, itappears that he encouraged Balak to take an alternate course of action toundermine the Israelites. Numbers 31:16 indicates that Balaam advised Balak toentice the Israelites into sexual immorality and idolatrous behavior at a placecalled Peor, an incident recorded immediately after Balaam’s failed attempts atcursing Israel (Num 25:1-2).

Many centurieslater, the apostle John warned a church in Pergamum about false teachers whoencouraged similar immoral behavior (Rev 2:14). Furthermore, both Peter andJude portrayed Balaam as the prototype of any person who attempts to gainpersonal wealth by teaching and encouraging wrong behavior (2 Pet 2:15; Jude 11).

Lessons for BelieversToday

• Balaam’s blessings on Israel emphasize God’s unswerving faithfulness to his people, even when they least deserve his favor. He even protects them from unknown dangers.
• Beware of temptations to commit sexual sins or to coalesce and intermix with false religions. Such temptations can do far more to weaken your spiritual life than an outside curse can ever do.
• Don’t ever be willing to alter biblical teaching or lifestyle principles to gain income or wealth. Similarly, give no attention to popular or charismatic teachers who do so.