1But false prophets also arose among the people, as false teachers will also be among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. 2Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned. 3In covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words: whose sentence now from of old doesn’t linger, and their destruction will not slumber.
4For if God didn’t spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness to be reserved for judgment; 5and didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood on the world of the ungodly, 6and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, having made them an example to those who would live in an ungodly way, 7and delivered righteous Lot, who was very distressed by the lustful life of the wicked 8(for that righteous man dwelling among them was tormented in his righteous soul from day to day with seeing and hearing lawless deeds), 9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, don’t bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12But these, as unreasoning creatures, born natural animals to be taken and destroyed, speaking evil in matters about which they are ignorant, will in their destroying surely be destroyed, 13receiving the wages of unrighteousness; people who count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and defects, reveling in their deceit while they feast with you; 14having eyes full of adultery, and who can’t cease from sin, enticing unsettled souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children! 15Forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing; 16but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A speechless donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.
17These are wells without water, clouds driven by a storm, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. 18For, uttering great swelling words of emptiness, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by licentiousness, those who are indeed escaping from those who live in error; 19promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.
20For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”
The story of Balaam in the Book of Numbers (chs. 22-24) is breathtaking. Who was this individual and what are we to make of his unusual account in Torah?
Here are some particulars:
- Numbers 22-24 describe the only narrative in Torah (excluding Genesis, of course) in which Moses is neither a participant nor even an observer.
- Names are so very important in narratives in Hebrew Scripture, Balaam’s name is one of a handful that does not have a positive meaning; “Balaam” (בִּלְעָם bil‘am) means “devourer of the people.” It is likely that his original name meant “The divine uncle brought forth” (W.F. Albright).
- Balaam is also one of a few Bible characters whose name is found in texts outside of the Bible; An inscription dated 880-770 b.c was discovered in 1967 at Deir ‘Alla, Jordan, that is attributed to “Balaam, son of Beor”—showing that he still had followers many hundreds of years following his death. Balaam was the true counter to Moses; God used this famous pagan to attest to His wonder and to validate Moses.
- One wonders if Balaam is a good prophet who went bad, or a bad prophet who went good. His seven oracles, each beginning with the words, “And he took up his oracle and said, . . .” (Num 23, 24), present some of the most beautiful poetry in praise of Yahweh and Israel in all of Torah; yet actually he did all he could to destroy Israel (Num 25; 31:16); observe his evaluation in the New Testament (2 Pet 2:15; Jude 1:11; Rev 2:14).
- In point of fact, Balaam should not be thought of in these terms. He was not a true prophet nor a false prophet in Israel; Balaam was a pagan mantic, completely outside the concepts of prophets in Israel. He was a baru prophet who used the liver of a newly slaughtered sheep to discover the will of the gods. Liver divination (hepatoscopy) was a practice of some diviners in the ancient Near East.
- Balaam was a pagan mantic whom Yahweh used to present His blessings on Israel. Balak the King of Moab hired this famous person to bring a curse on Israel. In a riveting account, this poser was given God’s words of blessing, to the chagrin of Balak and to his own shame. At one point he even expresses a bit of regret, “Oh that my latter end might be his” (Num 23:10).
- Thus the story of Balaam presents the height of divine inspiration. When one speaks truly for God, we would expect he speaks from deep, personal faith. But God can cause even an enemy to give voice to His praise!
See Ronald B. Allen, “The Theology of the Balaam Oracles,” in John S. and Paul D. Feinberg, Tradition and Testament: Essays in Honor of Charles Lee Feinberg (Chicago: Moody Press, 1981), 79-119.
Dr. Ronald Allen is Senior Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. Dr. Allen wrote his massive study on Numbers 22-24 on the Balaam Oracles under Dr. Bruce Waltke at Dallas Seminary.