Christian

Who Was Balaam?

Cindy Dawson

Note: Writing this post has been difficult because I know some readers may be offended. It is never my intention to offend anyone, but only to remind us all (myself included) what God has said in His Holy Word.

Who Was Balaam? You will probably think of Balaam’s donkey who talked. (Numbers 22:21-39) Instead, when you think about Balaam, think MONEY!

Balak, the king of Moab, hired the prophet Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam tried several times but was unsuccessful. Balaam wanted his financial reward so he came up with another idea. He taught King Balak to use women to entice the Israelite men to commit sexual immorality. That way, the Israelites would curse themselves and he would still get paid. Pretty clever!

Jesus warned the church at Pergamum:

“There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” Revelation 2:14

Translated as entice, the word literally means stumbling-block.  It refers to the part of a trap where the bait is laid. Taking the bait caused the trap to close upon its prey.   Generally, this was a loop or noose, which should entangle the foot of the unwary prey causing it to stumble and fall – a vivid image of what happened to the Israelites. They took the bait, they became entangled, and they fell.

Satan is crafty. He is called the Deceiver, after all. So what kind of traps do you think Satan sets in today’s world?

“According to 2 Peter 2:15, Balaam’s “way” is a choice to promote falsehood for financial reasons. … The doctrine of Balaam teaches compromise, wanting Christians to forget they are called to be separate and holy.” (GotQuestions.org)

In other words, money is the motivation for Balaam’s actions.

“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.” 2 Peter 2:15

Balaam’s “way” then, is a choice to promote falsehood for financial reasons. I suggest there is a lot of that going on today. Make the connections. Deception, false teaching, making money.

The church today relies too much on what I call “Easy Christianity”. Instead of studying the Bible for themselves, they buy entertaining books and videos about the Bible. This can be especially true of women’s Bible Studies.

When researching female Christian speakers, fees ranged from $10,000 to $200,000! That’s only the beginning. The profits from book sales are even better.

At her peak, Beth Moore generated more than $30 million a year in revenue for Lifeway Publishers. (Publishers Weekly)

We’re talking big bucks! So before you study someone’s book just because it’s the current best seller, think again. Maybe we should study the Bible instead!

I am not accusing any particular person of anything. I am just asking you to be realistic. Remember what Jesus told the twelve when He sent them out.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” Matthew 10:16 NIV

Christians can be very naive sometimes. The Bible warns us of this very thing.

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” Romans 16:17-18 NIV

In the Bible, we learn of God’s faithfulness, His promises, His mercy, His love, and so much more that brings encouragement and strength. But God’s Word also includes important warnings, and there are many.

May we embrace the whole counsel of God’s Word and not just the “feel-good” parts. May God bless you richly as you study His Word each day.

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Pray for Israel

RealChristianWomen.blog  

43 thoughts on “Who Was Balaam?”

  1. You are so right about this, Cindy! Christianity is big business today. The irony is that big business Christianity isn’t producing formed and disciplined Christian’s, rather Christians that are biblically illiterate, undiscerning, and unaware. God will deal with fleecers of the flock. May we be good stewards of the resources that the Lord has given to us and may we not cheat, deceive, envy, and lie to acquire more. Thank you for this post, Cindy. It needs to be said!

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  2. Wow, I didn’t know that Baalam enticed Balak and others to be sexually immoral. Great post! Definitely not offended. There ARE “Christians” and false prophets who are greedy and only focused on money instead of truly living for God. I like how you made the connection with Baalam and what’s currently going on in the world.

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    1. Thank you for your comments, Evette. When I was studying Revelation and read “hold to the teaching of Balaam” (2:14), I got curious to know more about him and began to dig in. God bless you today, my friend!

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  3. And of course, there are the expensive courses you can take, or even more expensive schools you can attend so that you can prophesy and be a prophet, or be a healer, or cast out demons, available to anyone who pays. No false teachings there! See Acts 8:19-20 Excellent post, Cindy! Blessings!

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    1. Thanks, Bruce. Paying for spiritual gifts should be an obvious ploy of Satan, but sadly many buy in to it (no pun intended). I’m reminded of the words of Peter to Simon the Sorcerer: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” (Acts 8:9-25) It doesn’t get much clearer than that! Blessings, Brother!

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  4. Great post, Cindy! We have to be good stewards of our money and that includes wisdom on how or to whom we spend it. Do you have any insight on what Lifeway did with the money Beth Moore brought in? I think that would be the telling part. There are many large congregations who bring in huge sums of money in their tithes every week too- I don’t think acquiring the money is sinful, but the part where we need to be savvy would be in what is done with it afterwards. Good speakers, good Christian bands, and good authors should be paid, I believe. Good ministries need good people to run them. They should be able to live off their wages and focus on their ministry. And “best sellers” should produce more of a windfall, I have no issue with that. But there is definitely a point where greed and excess can take center stage and hurt the message they preach! I don’t expect to ever be in high demand, but this is relevant to me for my aspirations as well. Do I want to be well-known (and paid for such) and have the problems that come with it? Sometimes! Haha! But really, staying out of the limelight, and not getting famous, is easier on the temptation front- and likely a blessing when God allows me to stay there.

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    1. ML, I agree with what you have said. I have no problem when ministers get paid. The issue I see is that Christians sometimes assume that everything done in the name of Christianity should be embraced without discernment. When we take a look at the Scripture, we see that there are some whose motivation is money, not serving God. Therefore we must always test everything against the Word of God, no matter how popular or famous they are.
      I pray for you and your daughter daily. May the Lord use your ministry to encourage and give hope to many! Blessings, my friend!

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  5. Wow, you sure did your homework. I am shocked by those speaking fees! It is sad and makes me wonder how we got here as a church. You are so right about sticking to scripture, staying close to the Lord and listening for His voice. The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19) We can fool everyone else, even ourselves, but Jesus knows the truth. Let’s keep our hearts open, teachable and tender towards Him.

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      1. Your message is a diversion from our invitation and demonstration to agape love. Called to teach the word for 41 years, many Womens studies have been utilized as guides, among some of them Moore’s. The study guides were explicitly chosen based on their focus on scripture. The Word within the guides was transformational in that these women better understand the Truth of the Christ follower and redirected their mind and actions accordingly. I chose gratitude for the Bible study authors and presenters who discovered to be collaborators with God and His Word.

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        1. The church in Pergamum was commended because even though they were persecuted, they would not renounce their faith! However, Satan was able to trick them by corrupting them! Read Revelation 2:12-17 again. If that warning applied to Pergamum, it applies to us today. My post is not a judgement on any particular ministry. It is a warning from the Bible. We would do well to listen to it.

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  8. “Maybe we should just study the Bible instead.” Amen. God has appointed preachers and teachers and Bible scholars to help us understand the scriptures, we have to be very careful about the latest and greatest gurus. We are commanded to “test the spirits” of those who would teach. We should study the Bible both in private, and in groups, checking on each other, and sharing true faith. Thanks for this insightful post.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Robert. It’s also true that even Bible teachers can be led into error. Sometimes they just don’t know it! That’s why we must be Bereans and check everything by the Word of God. Blessings, my friend!

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    1. I just read it! It was very good. Isn’t it amazing when God lays something on your heart and at the same time He is speaking the same to someone else! God bless you today, Donna! (I’m praying for little Eli daily.)

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  11. I am so surprised at the speaking fees, I do believe that they should be paid decently. I also agree that books and Bible studies are not always written with the right intention. May we use wisdom and discernment in how we choose studies.

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  12. Good post of awareness..makes me nervous that people are trying to ‘sell Jesus’ just to make theirselves a buck or several thousands/millions..I don’t want to be quick to judge but something doesn’t line up right. Sad day in age we live in but it’s not anything new either.

    May we truly be good stewards of all God’s sweet blessings. ❤️

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    1. Thank you for adding your comments, Alicia. We must examine everything by the Word of God like the Bereans did. Just because it’s popular and entertaining doesn’t mean it’s Biblical. God bless you today, my friend!

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  13. Cindy, your intent to open readers eyes in a forthright manner was clear and unoffensive. Well done approaching a topic no one talks about. What struck me most was your statement, “The church today relies too much on what I call “Easy Christianity”. Instead of studying the Bible for themselves, they buy entertaining books and videos about the Bible. This can be especially true of women’s Bible Studies.” I’ve sadly been part of these exact types of “Bible Studies” in my church. I’m still perplexed how something can be termed a Bible Study when it has very little Bible. As my mother would say, “It’s like dragging a chicken breast through water and calling it chicken soup.” These days when I’m invited to join a Bible study I ask, “What book of the Bible is being studied?” If it’s the title yet another bible study book, I decline. I want sustaining meat not fluff and stuff.

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    1. Beth, Thank you so much for commenting. Your words are most encouraging for me because it is difficult to write about something you know will make some people angry. I love your mom’s saying, “It’s like dragging a chicken breast through water and calling it chicken soup.” That definitely nails it! God bless you today, my friend!

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  15. I think this is true, but I use a different Bible version. It’s the KJV Bible. But yes too many Christians are comfortable with their lives and they don’t want to face the facts and the facts are that the teachings of the world are what they are reading. I remember that I one time asked my pastor, “what’s a good study booklet that I could read to study the Bible?” You know what he said to me? He said, “if you want to know more about God, then read the Bible. Why would you go to a man to teach you about God when God left doctrine to teach us? Yes we go to church, but learn more about God through his word instead of other peoples.” Of course he did have some books from other people who were like theologians that he read. But e recommended that I read the Bible on my own.

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    1. You have a wise pastor! Thank you for sharing your story. By the way, I started out using the KJV, then I got a parallel Bible. One side of each page was KJV and the other side was NIV. I found the NIV easier to understand so eventually I started using the NIV. God bless you today!

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