Thoughts on Balaam

by Josh Welch

Been thinking a lot about Balaam lately. The New Testament warns about him three times (II Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). Yet, when I read Numbers 22-24 in the Old Testament account, he's just a real conundrum to me.

He doesn't seem all that bad on the surface. Actually seems like a really friendly guy who just wants to get along with everybody. I'm really tempted to like the guy. Several details stand out to give me that impression.

• He prays and pleads with God multiple times (Numbers 22:8, 19; 23:3).
• The things he says, on the surface, sound good. "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more" (Numbers 22:18; cp. Numbers 24:13). Sounds like a solid guy right there.
• He even offers generous, extravagant sacrifices in worship to God and prophesies (Numbers 23:1, 4).

So, what's so bad about him? Why does God warn us about him?

Then, I read the text a couple more times, and questions begin to pop into my mind as we dig a bit deeper.

• Why was Balaam, a prophet of God, even negotiating or considering the request of the king of Moab in the first place (a nation that was an enemy to God's people)?
• Why, when God already answered his first request, did he go back and try to speak with him again (cp. Numbers 22:12, 19)? Wasn't God clear the first time? Why did he seek a second opinion from God on the matter?
• Why would he flirt with danger and disaster and get so cozy and comfortable with known enemies of God and truth? What kind of impression was this giving to the people he was leading by constant interactions with the Moabites and the Midianites?
• Why wouldn't Balaam tell Israel they should move out of the area and away from this enemy to avoid their influence (Numbers 25:1)? Why stay nearby? Why not separate and flee?

Of course, all along, the New Testament provides us with the answer as to why Balaam does what he does: "for profit" (Jude 11) and "the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). Just follow the money.

The Old Testament tells us Balaam saw the "diviner's fee" in the "hand" of the "elders of Midian" (Numbers 22:7) and the "honorable princes" of this powerful nation consulting him (Numbers 22:15). He suddenly delays, dodges, and doubtfully gives answers when God was clear about His will all along. He may have said the right things about money, but clearly, money was a major influence in why he would not take a hard stand and put an end to flirting with the enemy. He should have cut things off quickly, but instead kept stalling, waffling, and wavering, prolonging a dead-end relationship. He was a prophet-for-profit.

Then, I think about how God wanted us to learn from Balaam. He wanted preachers like me and preachers like many of my friends to realize that false teachers today get swayed by the same things. We are susceptible to the temptations of money and pride. We see "the diviner's fee" and an opportunity to increase our bottom line, and we can start to become shifty and shady, like Balaam.

So, for example, because some guys want to get "monetized" on social media, they share the platform on their broadcasts and podcasts with false teachers to open up their viewership to a broader audience. A broader audience equals more viewers, and more viewers equals more money on social media platforms. Sometimes they say highly controversial clickbait things to generate a larger audience. Truth gets boring. A narrow view of truth leads to a narrow audience, and that doesn't pay as well for the aspiring content creators.

Here's another example: some guys may be in the book or publishing business so they get cozy with people, institutions, and businesses at various lectureships and venues that open the door to a broader network of business while seemingly turning a blind eye to the false teachings and doctrines that need to be boldly addressed, not ignored and dismissed. We avoid the "issues" because it may just be what's better for business.

Consider another example: some colleges rely heavily on their donors and must strive to keep the door as open as possible to potential speakers and lecturers, so as not to alienate their alumni, potential donors, and future students. Year after year, the net gets cast wider and wider until it becomes unrecognizable as God's people due to consistent compromise. (Where have we seen this recently?) As broader and broader views are tolerated truth is whittled down and diminished in its wake.

Let's not just think that business owners are the only ones susceptible to this temptation. Some Christians want to stay on "the good side" of their popular friends from colleges, camps, and childhood friendships. They would not dare disagree with a popular professor, board member, or preacher. So, they are cautious not to take hard stands that could cause their popularity within the "camp" to be at risk. Rather than stand, we quietly compromise, like peer-pressured children, insecure and afraid of what others may think if we speak out.

Likewise, some preachers may want to preach out of both sides of their mouths. The problem is that "truth" doesn't have two equal sides. This type of two-facedness is unbecoming of truth-proclaimers following in the heritage of men and women who died for the sake of truth and the proclamation of the unadulterated gospel. Yet, some say enough to appease the "conservatives" among them, but equivocate sufficiently to please the "progressives" filling the pews. They avoid hard subjects or making overt applications (like this post) because they fear it may not be received well if they get too pointed (Jesus didn't seem to mind — Matthew 21:45). Some are preaching to keep a job rather than calling people to repentance.

From a business standpoint, I get it. I understand the temptation to compromise, to avoid hard stands, to ride the fence so we can keep a foot in both camps. I'd be lying to you if I told you I had never stood at the intersection of this temptation. But Balaam was called to be a prophet, not a businessman. Preachers are called to preach the Word, not just be concerned with filling pews by any means. We are simply servants of the Lord's church, not our own church. So, when tempted to pull a Balaam, it is vital we remember who we are, who we serve, and what it is we are called to proclaim.

I also understand it can be very hard to detect. We want to give people the benefit of the doubt. But, at some point, we have to admit that Balaam is just hanging out with both camps because of the monetization, the money, and the overall prestige. Some can't see or stand for the truth clearly because dollar signs and a desire for popularity are blurring it. There comes a time when we need to heed the warnings of Balaam in the New Testament church — and avoid being one and avoid coddling them. The apostles of Jesus would not have warned us three times if God didn't want us to see it.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a Balaam. I don't want to preach just for the money. There's a fine line and vast difference between a preacher who gets paid to preach and one who preaches to get paid. I don't want to preach sermons that sound more like those of a life coach, just to be liked and invited back. I don't want to compromise my convictions and connections by cursing the very people I'm called to protect, just because it might be good for nickels and numbers. Balaam got blinded by these things and lost his way. We're warned not to follow his path and speak truth in love clearly, unequivocally, and unashamedly, regardless of the earthly outcomes.

So, yes, I've been thinking about Balaam lately...