Don’t Mess with Israel – The Tragic Way of Balaam: Loving Reward More Than Righteousness

The story of Balaam is very strange and tragic. To think that a prophet of God would desire to place a curse upon God’s own people is unfathomable. Yet, that is what we have in this story. In this passage, the prophet Balaam who is living in the land of the Moabites. Why he lived there and not with the people of God is a mystery. The king of the Moabites is watching the nation of Israel very closely as they are sojourning near to his border. He wants them out, so he goes to this prophet of God, Balaam, and asks him to place a curse upon Israel. This king, Balak, doesn’t go himself, however; he sends some of his princes to do his bidding. After hearing their request, Balaam inquires of the Lord and the Lord tells Balaam not to go with these men and not to speak anything against Israel because they are a nation blessed by God. The prophet Balaam then goes to the men and gives them God’s answer. Problem solved!

God’s Firm “No” – Balaam’s Reluctance

“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.” (Num 22:12–13)

Unfortunately, for Balaam, that is not the end of the story. The men return to Balaam a short while later and press him to reconsider. Now this is where Balaam begins to err. He already asked God and God had already said no, but the princes promise him if he would go with him, their king would give him great honor and a lot of money. Now, he should have just repeated what God had already told him but instead he tells them that he will go back and ask God again. I guess he didn’t take “no” for an answer.

“19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.” (Num 22:19)

He wanted God to give him what he had already been told that he wasn’t going to get. Balaam’s problem is that he really wants God to curse the Israelites because it would mean that he would receive great riches from this Moabite king. God is not at all pleased with Balaam, but he allows him to go with these men. He permits him to do what is in his heart. He was not permitted to curse Israel but he was permitted to cozy up with the enemies of Israel and receive the rewards that came with it.

The Donkey, The Angel, and a Perverse Way

This is where the story of Balaam’s Ass comes in. The Angel of the Lord speaks through Balaam’s donkey severely rebuking him because his “way was perverse before [God]” (Num 22:32).  The Angel once again permits Balaam to go, but will only allow him to say the words that God puts in his mouth.

It’s a long story, but this prophet of God is repeatedly denied to curse Israel, and instead reluctantly only pronounces blessings upon them:

Blessings Instead of Curses

“7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!” (Num 23:7–10)

Balaam wanted to curse, but God forced prophetic blessings that actually prophesied Israel’s future glory. Balak is furious because his plan backfires, and finally sends Balaam away without the reward that he promised him. Yet his story doesn’t end there—his love for reward led him to suggest a subtler way to curse Israel indirectly.

The Deadly Counsel of Balaam

Later in the story (Numbers 25 and 31:16), we see Balaam’s true harm: he counseled the Moabites and Midianites to entice Israel into idolatry and immorality with their women. This led to a devastating plague that killed 24,000 Israelites. Numbers 31:16 explicitly blames Balaam for this: Moses states that the Midianite women “counsel of Balaam” enticed the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the affair of Peor, causing the plague. Balaam’s “counsel” wasn’t a direct curse but a sly suggestion: entice Israel into idolatry and immorality with Moabite/Midianite women (Numbers 25:1–3; 31:16). Greed led him to harm God’s people indirectly.

The New Testament also speaks about this “way of Balaam,” “error of Balaam,” or “doctrine of Balaam.” He loved reward more than the will of God. Three New Testament mentions are significant, providing important warnings for us today:

“Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.” – (2 Peter 2:15 – 16)