In the Book of Revelation, Jesus not only mentioned the doctrine of the Nicolaitans and the works of the Nicolaitans, which Jesus hated, but Jesus also mentioned the doctrine of Balaam. In the church of Pergamos, there were some, who held on to the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication (Revelation 2:14). Let’s have a closer look at the story of Balaam in the Bible and the doctrine of Balaam in the Bible. What is the meaning of the doctrine of Balaam? Is the teaching of Balaam present in the church? Do people still hold on to the doctrine of Balaam and is the spirit of Balaam still active in the church?
What was Balak’s request to Balaam?
After the people of Israel defeated the Amorites, they camped in the plains of Moab, on the east side of the river Jordan across from Jericho. Balak, who was the son of Zippor and king of the Moabites, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was sore afraid of the people because they were many. Out of fear for the children of Israel, Moab said unto the elders of Midian, that the children of Israel would consume everyone that was about them, as the ox licked up the grass of the field.
In order to prevent that the children of Israel would defeat the Moabites, Balak, the king of Moab, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, who was a diviner and lived in Pethor. The elders of Moab and Midian went to Balaam with a diviner’s fee and the request of Balak to curse the children of Israel. Because if Balaam would curse the people, then maybe they were not too mighty for them and they could defeat them and drive them out of the country.
When the elders arrived at Balaam’s home they delivered the words of Balak. Balaam asked them to lodge at his place that night so that he could inquire the Lord about this matter and bring them the words of the Lord.
God came to Balaam and asked him, who these men were, and Balaam answered God and told them who they were and the purpose of their coming. Then God said to Balaam: “Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.”
The following morning Balaam informed the princes of Balak that God had refused to give him leave to go with them. And the princes of Moab returned to Balak and delivered to him the words of Balaam.
Balak made another request to Balaam
Balak didn’t give up and send again princes, who were more honorable than the first ones. When these princes of Moab arrived at Balaam’s house, they told Balaam that nothing should hinder him from coming to Balak. Because Balak would promote him to very great honor and would do whatever he would say unto him. The only thing Balaam had to do, was to curse the people of Israel.
But Balaam answered: “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.”
Now, you would think that since God spoke the first time to Balaam and prevented him to go to Balak to curse the people of Israel, because they were blessed, that Balaam would hold on to the word of the Lord and send the princes of Moab away. But Balaam didn’t send the princes of Moab away. Instead, Balaam asked the princes to lodge at his place, so that Balaam might know what the Lord would say more unto him.
Although Balaam said that he would never do something that would go against the will of God, which sounded pious, he was still attracted to the wealth and power that Balak offered him.
Because if the wealth and power that were offered to him really wouldn’t matter, as he said, then he would have sent the princes away. But again, Balaam but again, Balaam didn’t send the princes away but inquired God about the same matter.
God had already made His will known to Balaam, therefore Balaam knew the will of God. Since Balaam inquired God about the same matter, God tested him and answered him after his will. God said: “if the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.”
Why was the anger of God kindled against Balaam?
Balaam got up in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. But God’s anger was kindled because Balaam went.
Now you might wonder, why God’s anger was kindled because God had allowed Balaam to go with the princes. That’s right, but Balaam was tested in this matter. Because God had already made His will known to Balaam the first time.
But despite the fact that Balaam already knew the will of God and instead of submitting to the will of God and send the princes away, Balaam asked the same question again. Upon which God gave him, what he asked for. Because God knew the heart of Balaam.
God knew that Balaam was attracted to the wealth and power that Balak offered Balaam and that Balaam wanted to go with the princes.
God knew that Balaam was even willing to curse the people of Israel. If it would be the will of God that Balaam went with the princes, then God’s anger wouldn’t be kindled, but God’s anger was kindled because Balaam went.
Just like Balaam, there are many believers today, who keep asking God about the same matter over and over again, while they already know God’s answer. They want God’s permission for something that they want, but is not according to the will of God.
God’s will is made known to us through His Word. Therefore, many already know the will of God, but they still keep praying until they get the desired answer according to their will
But in the story of Balaam, we see that this is not God’s will and that God let the believer make his or her own choice, to see whether the believer will follow the Word of God or his or her unchanged heart.
God’s anger was kindled when Balaam went and the Angel of the Lord stood in the way as an adversary against him.
How many times did Balaam beat his donkey?
When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way and his sword drawn in his hand, the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. Balaam smote the donkey, to turn her into the way.
But the Angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall, and Balaam smote the donkey again.
The Angel of the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled and Balaam smote the donkey with a staff. And so Balaam beat his donkey three times.
The donkey spoke to Balaam
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and she said to Balaam: “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey: “Because thou hast mocked (abused) me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.” The donkey answered: “am not I thine donkey, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so unto thee?” And Balaam answered: “no.”
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
The Angel of the Lord said to Balaam: “Wherefore hast thou smitten thine donkey these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee (as an adversary), because thy way is perverse before me: and the donkey saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.”
Balaam answered: “I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.” But the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam: “Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Balaam blessed the people of Israel thrice
When Balaam arrived at a city of Moab, Balak went to Balaam. Balaam told Balak the same thing as he told the princess and that he would only speak the word, which God would put into his mouth. The next morning Balak took Balaam and brought Balaam up into the high places of Baal, from where he could see the utmost part of the people.
Balak built seven altars and prepared seven oxen and seven rams, and they burned an ox and a ram on every altar as a burnt offering. Balaam commanded Balak to stand at the burnt offering as he went to a high place to meet the Lord and what He would shew him, he would tell Balak. God met Balaam and put a word in his mouth, causing him to bless the people of Israel.
Balak was not pleased with the words of Balaam, because instead of cursing the people, he had blessed the people.
But Balak didn’t give up and he took Balaam to another place; the field of Ophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth, causing him to bless the people of Israel again.
When Balak heard Balaam blessing the people of Israel, he said unto Balaam, to neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered Balak and said, that he had told him, that he would only speak the word, which the Lord would put in his mouth.
Balak persevered and took Balaam for a third time to another place; the top of Peor, where he built seven altars and prepared seven rams and bullocks as a burnt offering.
When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him, causing him to bless the people of Israel for the third time.
When the people were blessed for the third time, Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together. Due to the fact that Balaam had not obeyed his demand and didn’t curse the people, he wasn’t promoted unto great honor. The Lord had kept him back from honor.
But Balaam said to Balak, that he told his messengers that if Balak would give him his house full of silver and gold, that he could not go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of his own mind, but that he would only speak what the Lord said he would speak. Before Balam left Balak, he announced what the people would do to his people in the latter days (Numbers 22, 23, 24)
Balaam received his wages
Balaam didn’t succeed in cursing the people of Israel. Although Balaam didn’t receive great honor, he was still drawn to the wealth and power that was offered to him. Balaam knew that God would never curse His people if there would not be a cause. The only way that God would turn away from His people and they would become powerless, would be when His people would turn away from Him. If they would disobey God and leave His commandments, then God would leave His people.
That’s why Bileam taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, that would cause them to go astray and commit fornication, bow down to idols and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Instead of keeping the commandments of God and walk on His way, the people of Israel left the commandments of God and went astray.
They took the daughters of Moab and committed whoredom (harlotry). Through the women of Moab, the people of Israel joined themselves unto Baal-Peor and bowed down to the gods of Moab and ate the sacrifices of the gods of Moab.
Because of their actions, the anger of the Lord was now kindled against Israel.
Although God had protected them and blessed them, they brought mischief upon themselves through their disobedience to the words of God and their deeds.
They left God by leaving the commandments of God and they became accursed because of the plague, which broke out among them (Psalms 106:28-29, Hosea 9:10, 1 Corinthians 10:8). Through their disobedience, 24000 were killed by the plague.
How did Balaam die?
Apparently, Balaam still got the honor and wealth of Balak for the advice Balaam gave to Balak. But although Balaam received the honor and wealth of Balak, Balaam also received the wages for his unrighteousness from God and Balaam died by the sword (Joshua 13:22).
Balaam was more drawn to the temporary riches of the world, which Balaam obtained through unrighteousness, than the eternal wages of God.
What is the spirit of Balaam and the doctrine of Balaam?
The spirit of Balaam is still present and active in our age, just like the spirit of the Nicolaitans that uses the freedom in Christ for the lusts and desires of the flesh. Many preachers are focused upon material wealth and carnal prosperity and bow for the riches, power, and fame of this world. Therefore they compromise with the world and adjust the words of God to their carnal will, lusts and desires.
Instead of being representatives and promoters of righteousness, they are representatives and promoters of unrighteousness.
They don’t submit to the will of God and don’t promote a holy life after the Spirit and don’t call to repentance and the removal of sin. But instead, they do what they want to do and preach the doctrine of Balaam, which promotes a lasciviousness life after the flesh and approve living in sin.
They operate under a spirit of divination instead of the Holy Spirit and prophecy falsely out of their soul instead of the Spirit.
They always come up with new doctrines, which derive from a carnal mind, that is world-like, to attract more people and please more people, so that they get more material riches, wealth, and fame.
They are not moved with compassion about lost souls and the preservations of the souls of the believers. Instead, they consider them as merchandise. They use their charismatic appearance and flattering words to affect the emotions and feelings of the believers, causing the believers to give what they ask for: money.
Because just like Balaam, they say that they don’t care about riches and that they don’t have a love for money, but their heart and actions, which derive from their heart, prove otherwise.
Since they are world-like, they are not satisfied and thankful for what they have, but they always want more. They are bound and are led by the worldly spirit of greed. By their greed for riches, wealth, power, and fame, they operate out of their flesh and pervert the gospel; the truth of God, leading many believers astray.
Peter warned for false teachers,
who entered the way of Balaam
Peter and Jude also had to deal with false teachers, who were among them and had forsaken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam and loved the wages of unrighteousness.
In the second letter of Peter chapter 2, Peter warned the believers of false teachers. Because just as during the Old Covenant there were false prophets among the people, there would also be false teachers among the believers, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies (false doctrines), even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of the believers: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not.
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.
Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.
Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 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 donkey speaking with a man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire (2 Peter 2).
Jude warned for ungodly men,
who ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward
Jude wrote about ungodly men, who crept in unawareness and turned the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jude reminded the believers about the fact that God had saved the people out of the land of Egypt but destroyed them that believed not. Even the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He had reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, gave themselves over to fornication (sexual immorality), and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
Just as these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignities (glorious ones).
Yet Michael the archangel when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
They have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
They are mockers, who walk after their own ungodly lusts. These are they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit (Jude 1:4-16)
The doctrine of Balaam lusts after wealth and power
Through the words of false teachers, who have run greedily after the error of Balam for reward and entered the way of unrighteousness to receive this reward, many believers are misled. Instead of being taught and trained in the Word and raise doers of the Word, so that they will mature as sons of God and grow up into the image of God, they are led astray.
Many believers think that they walk on the right path of life because they do what their pastor, who is also their teacher, is telling them to do. But the truth is that they have left the narrow way of the Word; Jesus Christ and gone on the broad way of the world, which leads to eternal destruction.
The words of these false teachers ensure that the believers leave God and His Word and become passive for the things of the Kingdom of God.
They don’t live holy lives, which means that they are separated from the world and live unto God, His will, and His Kingdom. But they live in lasciviousness after the lusts and desires of the flesh and do what they want to do.
But Jesus doesn’t approve of this doctrine. The Word is very clear about that. Jesus doesn’t approve that pastors, who are also teachers, prophets, apostles, and evangelists cast a stumbling-block before the believers, which causes believers to live like the world and get involved with idolatry, fornication (sexual immorality), and keep living a life in lasciviousness after the lust and desires of the flesh and therefore keep living in sin.
Due to the fact that they live a life of lasciviousness and keep doing the things that go against the will of God, they bring mischief upon themselves by their own works and walk. Just like the people of Israel, who became disobedient to the words of God and took women of Moab, bowed down to their idols and ate the sacrifices, which were made unto idols.
The words of God were clear to the people of Israel, just like the words of God are still clear for His people. Nothing is hidden, everything is revealed in His Word.
Jesus still calls the people to repentance and He still says to His church: “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth” (Revelation 2:16)
Read also: ‘The doctrine and works of the Nicolaitans‘ and ‘The doctrine of Jezebel‘
‘Be the salt of the earth’
