BALAAM...Part V

Alright!

So we left off with King Balak of Moab telling Balaam to "go home immediately."

Is that what he did?

No...He died away from home.

Hold up you say? ... He died!

Did you really think that he would live in his continued fight against the Creator?

Okay... I am sorry. Many people are not familiar with the rest of the account.

When Numbers 24:25 said:

"Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place," Cook's Commentary observed:

“Returned to his own place . . . Not to his own land, for he remained amongst the Midianites to plot by new means against the people of God, and to perish in his sin. . . . The phrase, which is of frequent recurrence (cf. e.g. Gen. xviii. 33,xxxi. 55; I S. xxvi. 25; 2 S. xix. 39), is idiomatic, meaning merely that Balaam went away whither he would.”

He went "whither he would" that is, he went away to keep plotting how to get his hands on the money and gain more glory.

Tricky. Tricky.

He figured, if he couldn't get God to curse them, perhaps God himself would curse his own people, if only they could be seduced to engage in sex worship of the Baal of Peor.

Guess he thought..."give them enough rope they will hang themselves."

He knew the God of Israel, and then again ... he didn't.

To confirm, Revelation 2:14 says about Balaam:

"Nevertheless, I have a few things against you, that you have there those adhering to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,  .... to commit sexual immorality."

Also, Numbers 31:16 says:

"By Balaam's word," the daughters of Moab and Midian "served to induce the sons of Israel to commit unfaithfulness toward Jehovah over the affair of Peor, so that the scourge  came upon the assembly of Jehovah."

Numbers 25:1-9 shows enough women of Midian had sexual relations with 24,000 men of Israel who died for their sin.

Jehovah was not playing!

Even Midian and Balaam did not escape divine punishment. Jehovah commanded that all the men, women, and boys of Midian be executed; only virgins were spared.

"And they killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword." Numbers 25:16-18; 31:1-18.

Well now...

Here we are today rehashing Balaam's story. Just thinking how different things could have turned out for him if he didn't think he could outsmart Jehovah.

Of what benefit was the money and how long was his glory? ... Half a sec!

Remember..."God is Love."  John 4:8,

But, he is also "The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; righteous and upright is he." Deuteronomy 32:4.

Is that not what you would expect of a fair God? He didn't knock off the whole nation of Israel... Just those not loyal.

So maybe now the question is raised: Then what should the Midianites have done? The Israelites were headed their way.

GOOD QUESTION...