What was Balaam's mistake?
Balaam and the angel, painting from Gustav Jaeger, 1836. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Woe unto them! for they . . . ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward.” ( Jude 1:11 ) Balaam is a very complex character recorded in Numbers 22–24. He is cited for an ability to communicate with “the LORD” and had a reputation for accurate prophecy ( Numbers 22:6-8 ). As the new nation of Israel traveled northward into the Sinai Peninsula , Balak the king of Moab became worried that Israel would subjugate his nation and recruited Balaam to curse them. Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” ( 2 Peter 2:15 ) but was astute enough to know that he could not talk God into doing anything God did not want to do! But even though Balaam was aware of the dangers of getting involved on the wrong side of God’s work, he wormed and squirmed through several interchanges with God until he was finally allowed to go. “God’s anger was kindled” at the stubbornness of this man, and the famous in...