ABOUT BALAAM

0. About Balaam

a) Balaam was one of those noteworthy Old Testament characters who, though not one of God's chosen people, was willing to acknowledge that Yahweh (the Lord) was indeed a powerful God. But he did not believe in the Lord as the only true God. His story exposes the deception of maintaining an outward facade of spirituality over a corrupt inward life. Balaam was a man ready to obey God's command as long as he could profit from doing so. This mixture of motives - obedience and profit - eventually led to Balaam's death. Although he realized the awesome power of Israel's God, his heart was occupied with the wealth he could gain in Moab. There he returned to die when the armies of Israel invaded.

b) Eventually, each of us lives through the same process. Who and what we are will somehow come to the surface, destroying any masks we may have put on to cover up our real selves. Efforts spent on keeping up appearances would be much better spent on finding the answer to sin in our lives. We can avoid Balaam's mistake by facing ourselves and realizing that God is willing to accept us, forgive us, and literally make us over from within. Don't miss this great discovery that eluded Balaam.

1. What were his strengths and accomplishments?

a) Widely known for his effective curses and blessings.

b) Obeyed God and blessed Israel, in spite of Balak's bribe.

2. What were his weaknesses and mistakes?

a) Encouraged the Israelites to worship idols (Numbers 31:16)

@1. ¹⁶ “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. (Numbers 31:16 NIV)

b) Returned to Moab and was killed in war.

3. What can we learn from his life?

a) Motives are just as important as actions.

b) Your treasure is where your heart is.

4. What are the key verses?

a)  ¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. (2 Peter 2:15-16 NIV)

b) Balaam's story is told in Numbers 22:1-24:25. He is also mentioned in Numbers 31:7-8, 16; Deuteronomy 23:4-5; Joshua 24:9-10; Nehemiah 13:2; Micah 6:5; 2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; and Revelation 2:14.