"Balaam's Surprising Ride"
Aug. 18/02 with Saddle Club Guests
Numbers 22; 2Pet.2:15f
Intro: Doing What It Takes to Get Ahead
There is intense pressure on people today to "do whatever it takes" in order to get ahead. But current events, as well as the Bible, warn us that it's foolish and reckless to take shortcuts around what we know is right. It's always misguided to try to "put one over" on God. When we heed and follow Jesus' Way as the Truth, we'll find real lasting life instead of defeat.
Yet in the business world, the unwritten wisdom is often "do what it takes to get ahead". This past Wednesday, CEO's and chief financial officers of hundreds of big companies were scrambling to sign financial statements in order to be "certified" by a securities commission. In the wake of recent financial scandals by large corporations, investor confidence might have been affected if a certain company wasn't certified before the deadline. CEOs were doing what it takes to meet the demands of the market, and preserve their company's reputation and status. Huge corporate frauds recently in companies like Enron, Arthur Andersen, and Worldcom have left many asking the question: "How could ordinary people do something so bad?"
Leaders in these companies published wrong and misleading financial information for the sake of promoting corporate image. They compromised on the truth for the sake of "getting ahead" - or so they thought. We are now learning that bosses in some companies told employees to lie and cheat. Enron practised what's called "rank and yank", where top producers were rewarded and those who failed to meet targets were dismissed. That puts a lot of pressure on an employee who has a family to support.
One of the troubling things about the recent frauds is that some of the leaders of these companies were active churchgoers. Enron chief executive Ken Lay was an active member of a Methodist church in Houston; disgraced Worldcom founder and CEO Bernie Ebbers taught Sunday School at his Baptist church each week. A pastor of a Houston church attended by some Enron executives described them as "very solid, churchgoing, community-minded people". Somehow, though, these leaders yielded to temptation and compromised the truth - ignored their conscience - and permitted or excused corrupt practices, which are now landing them in court. How can this be? Yet if we're honest, we'll acknowledge that each of us is faced daily with similar temptations. It's all too easy to resist God's guidance - what we know to be right and true - when there's obvious rewards for going along with evil, even if those rewards are short-term. In the big Trail Ride of Life, it's hard to keep the horse of our will on the straight-and-narrow path blazed by God's Word and our conscience: we suspect it might be more fun to go romp in the enticing meadows just off the path.
Balaam's Battle
Balaam son of Beor lived 34 centuries ago, but he's a man of our times. He knew a good deal when he saw one, and was always on the lookout for ways to get ahead. Balaam was a renowned sorcerer, schooled in the practices of divination and magic arts. His name means "devourer": people paid him to put curses on their enemies so they would be "swallowed up". For hundreds of miles around, there was no more powerful or feared sorcerer than Balaam: and his ambition was to do whatever it took to become the most powerful magician in the world. He would soon have an opportunity to strut his stuff.
In the southeast corner of the Mediterranean, a wandering mob of a couple of million Hebrews who'd escaped from slavery in Egypt was causing widespread chaos and panic. Nations that opposed them were destroyed. The kingdoms of the Amorites and Bashan tried to stop them, but were wiped out. No survivors. When the Israelites came next door to the kingdoms of Moab and Midian, the alarm was great. (They needn't have worried: God had told Moses to spare Moab on account of Lot, Abraham's nephew.-Deut.2:9) Balak, king of Moab, did a shrewd thing. He figured there was no way his army could beat the Hebrews: they were vastly outnumbered. So instead of fighting physically, he decided to try the spiritual route first. The elders of Moab and Midian agreed to summon the professional magic expert of the day, Balaam, to come and put a curse on the Jews. This was common practice amongst ancient peoples. For example, when the Romans captured Carthage, first the Roman general took a long oath inviting the supposed gods of Carthage to defect to his side. The Romans promised to consecrate in the gods' honour "both temples and games", and to let the gods "preside" over them if the spirits would desert the enemy the Romans were attacking. People in olden times were quicker to acknowledge the spiritual side of life compared to modern folk.
Well, when the elders of Moab travelled 400 miles north to appeal to Balaam, it must have seemed like a golden opportunity. But by his sorcery Balaam discovered God was telling him not to go. God told him, "You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed." Being a resident of Mesopotamia, and local spiritual expert, Balaam would have known all about Abraham leaving for Canaan in response to God's call. In fact, in one of his later oracles Balaam quotes God's promise to Abraham, "May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!" (Numbers 24:9 / Gen.12:3) So it was plain enough; it was pointless to try to curse them, and God didn't want him to go. That's what Balaam told the elders, and so they returned home and told Balak.
That should have been the end of the story. But Balak sent back more princes, more distinguished than before, and upped the ante significantly. Balak promised, "I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say." (22:17) Well...that appealed to Balaam. It's not just that he was covetous; a great magician like Balaam wouldn't have done something for money alone. He told them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God." (22:18) A sorcerer is more interested in power and prestige. So instead of sending the delegation back home right then and there with a flat refusal, Balaam waffled. He invited them to spend the night while he determined "what else" the Lord might tell him. (What part of "no" was it he didn't understand??)
As a concession, God consented to let Balaam go with the princes. The Lord added, "But do only what I tell you." This was consent, not approval. Despite Balaam's caving in to temptation, God must have figured He could bring glory to Himself and His people even through a heathen sorcerer.
The Heart of Heathenism
So began Balaam's long, tedious trail ride to the land of Moab, far south near the Dead Sea. This was no afternoon jaunt, but a 400-mile donkey ride that must have taken weeks. Donkeys were the "Model T Ford" of the ancient world, useful for all kinds of tasks - ploughing, hauling, riding, you name it. As Balaam jounced along atop his usual loyal and trusty beast, in his heart he may have sensed that in travelling along the path of his life, he had come to a crossroads. A fork revealed two ways before him: a narrow one leading to life; the other one broad and well-worn leading to pleasures and power now, but ultimately destruction in eternity. Steeped in superstition and dark spiritual arts, voices whispered to him that the narrow road was a mirage, it didn't really exist. But with each step the donkey took, Balaam was moving further away from obedience to Yahweh, bound to search for greater prominence and power among people - if only for a while.
Having grown up in a heathen culture, Balaam was a man for our times. Today, were we to meet him on the street, we'd call him a "pluralist" - someone who acknowledges the existence of many religions or "gods" yet resists acknowledging any one as superior or absolutely true. Commentator Edersheim notes that as a professional soothsayer, Balaam would have reviewed history and been quite ready to enter into a "professional relationship" with such a powerful Deity as Yahweh, God of the Hebrews. Though Balaam apparently acknowledged or owned God somewhat, yet he didn't advance a step beyond the heathen point of view. "Heathenism would never have thought of denying the existence of power of Jehovah as the national God of the Hebrews. What it controverted was, that Jehovah was the only God - all others being merely idols, the work of men's hands." Balaam was just being a smart businessman by pretending to serve Yahweh. If the sorcerer could succeed in making the God of Israel one of his "patron-deities" and gain such influence with Him as to turn Him from His purpose regarding Israel, then Balaam would have reached the goal of His ambition and become by far the most powerful magician in the world.
As Christians, do we have a tendency to turn to God just when we want or need Him, and ignore Him the rest of the time? That's really a "heathen" view of God - trying to "use" God or win His favour whenever it's to our advantage. Balaam's fundamental error is this: supposing I can manipulate God, or strike a compromise in order to get what I want; it's the temptation to relate to God and obligate myself only as I choose, on MY terms. I'll set the conditions, thank you very much, shrewd consumer that I am. But the minute God starts to make demands of me I can't understand, or call for unconditional surrender of everything...my wall goes up; that's asking too much.
The "heathen" or pluralist point of view is comfortable with people acknowledging the God of their choice; that absolves me from being confronted by the truth claim of any one God in particular as absolute, and having to make a commitment. Chuck Colson's "Breakpoint" newsletter says: "When Julie went away to college, she made a point of witnessing to her 3 roommates, who listened politely and seemed supportive. Julie was excited; they all seemed open to the Gospel. But to her surprise, they responded just as warmly when Sally said she was into the New Age and believed in 'the god within all of us', and when Amy said she believed that God is a 'force' - like in Star Wars, and when Ruth said she was a 'very spiritual' person but didn't believe in any god at all. But what baffled Ruth the most of all was when the others agreed that 'we're all saying the same thing in the end'...Julie had run into the powerful myth that 'truth is whatever you sincerely believe'. It holds that, if you believe it, then it's 'true for you' - and rules of logic and evidence don't apply."
Pluralism is a boon to the heathen or the nominal Christian: it means I can reserve the right to choose to relate to God on my terms, according to my discretion, in a way that results in the most advantage to ME. Even those of us who attend church may unwittingly have a "magical" view of religion, like Balaam: if I jump through the hoops, work hard enough or offer enough, then God will serve my purposes, like a genie at the beck and call of my incantation. This turns God into a vending machine - in a pluralist society, you can choose Islamic or New Age as easily as Coke or Pepsi - but the point is, God is at my disposal: you put in your coin, you get out your blessing (or absolution - especially if you're cooking your company's books!).
Donkey Discernment
As Balaam continued south along that long, dusty trail, God's messenger arranged a series of rendezvous to bring him face-to-face with the deceptiveness of his limited devotion. At first God's angel appeared on the road with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam's donkey saw the angel but Balaam didn't. The donkey veered off into a field; Balaam beat her to get her back on track.
The next time, the angel chose a narrower spot between two vineyards. Again the donkey gave the angel a wide berth, in the process crushing Balaam's foot against a stone wall. That hurt, so he beat her again, but couldn't figure out why she was acting so strangely. The third time, the angel completely blocked the path, sword glinting dangerously. Having no detour available, the donkey simply laid down under Balaam, refusing to go further. Again he beat her with his staff. Now at this point a miracle occurred: the Bible says, "the Lord opened the donkey's mouth," in such a way that she spoke to him with understandable words.
This is probably the most sensational part of the story, but not the most important. Animals communicate all the time, it's just we don't understand them. For instance, whales make very low noises inaudible to human ears but which can be heard at a distance 50 miles away! Imagine, if you're a whale, you could be carrying on a conversation with another whale in Kitchener and another in London at the same time. Humpbacks even sing "songs" lasting up to 20 minutes, before they start over again. It would be a challenge for us to sing for 20 minutes straight, then start all over and repeat every note by memory!
So the donkey's 2 or 3 very simple questions, though wonderful, are not unbelievable. God who made the mouth and the ear is very capable of operating them as He pleases for His sovereign purpose. When the donkey asks, "What have I done to make you beat me these three times?" Balaam's answer is most telling. "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." (22:29) Balaam's pride was hurt - he felt he was made to look like a fool. To the one who wanted so much to become the most powerful magician in the whole world, it was a slap in the face to have his own donkey not co-operate with him. His pride problem was deadly.
Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, so he could see the angel standing there with sharp sword in hand. Balaam quickly bowed low and fell facedown. The angel rebuked Balaam for beating his donkey, explaining, "I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me"; or, "your way is perverse", literally pushing headlong, driving recklessly. Heathenism - pluralism - trying to keep God like a hanky in your back pocket, to be pulled out only when needed, or like a genie in a bottle to be summoned by some magic words - is perverse, reckless. The Lord of the universe is not at our disposal; it ought to be the other way 'round.
Balaam seems repentant. He confesses, "I have sinned...Now if you are displeased, I will go back." He appears willing to order his life according to God's purposes, not his own. Instead of being obstinate, he'll obey. He's willing to follow the Lord's path for his life, not try to blaze his own. The angel allows Balaam to continue south, but to speak only what God tells him. This means not trying to use God to get what I want, but allowing God to use ME to get what HE wants, the message HE chooses to communicate.
Sadly, Balaam did not go on serving the Lord; we understand from Numbers 25(1-9) and 31(16) that he advised the Moabites to invite the Israelites to join in their idol-worship and associated immoral practices, resulting in the death of many thousands. Later, Balaam died when the Israelites took vengeance on the Midianites (31:8). Balaam is a prototype of Judas Iscariot: though they came close to serving God and had so much potential, their pride, ambition, and love of money got in the way and ultimately turned them away from God. Balaam is criticized several times in the New Testament. 2Peter 2(15f) says he "loved the wages of wickedness". Jude 1:11 says false teachers "have rushed for profit into Balaam's error". Revelation 2(14) also compares Balaam's immoral and idolatrous teaching with that of the Nicolaitans, a first-century group which convinced church members it was OK to mix in a little sexual sin with your Christian life. Balaam, like the heretics, loved to compromise on the non-negotiables.
Neil Wilson comments on Balaam in the Life Application Bible: "His story exposes the deception of maintaining an outward facade of spirituality over a corrupt inward life. Balaam was a man ready to obey God's command as long as he could profit from doing so. This mixture of motives - obedience and profit - eventually led to Balaam's death. Although he realized the awesome power of Israel's God, his heart was occupied with the wealth he could gain in Moab...Eventually, each of us lives through the same process. Who and what we are will somehow come to the surface, destroying any masks we may have put on to cover up our real selves. Efforts spent on keeping up appearances would be much better spent on finding the answer to sin in our lives. We can avoid Balaam's mistake by facing ourselves and realizing that God is willing to accept us, forgive us, and literally make us over from within. Don't miss this great discovery that eluded Balaam."
The True Rider
If Balaam foreshadows Judas, who in our story foreshadows Jesus? Who was beaten and suffered in place of another? The donkey! Three times the donkey tried to save Balaam from being slain by the angel. Three times she suffered, being beaten with his staff. Yet she did no wrong; she was innocent. Similarly, Jesus was beaten and suffered terribly in our place so we might not have to suffer eternal death for our sins. But many people are blind to that, as Balaam didn't realize what was going on until the Lord opened his eyes. Has God opened YOUR eyes to show you what devastation is close to you, how near you are to destruction because of your "reckless way"? The donkey was very patient with Balaam; Jesus is very patient with sinners. He came to save sinners the first time, peaceful, humble, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey; but some day He will return in judgment, and then it's too late.
Have you ever imagined Jesus as THE trail rider of all time? In Revelation 19(11-13) John tells who's leading the armies of heaven, all mounted on horses: "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.With justice he judges and makes war.His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God." You don't want to get in His way - out of his mouth comes "a sharp sword", he's trampling the winepress of the fury of the Almighty's wrath.
Judgment has come for the employees of Enron, Worldcom, and other financially corrupt corporations. But a much more dreaded judgment awaits those who are heading down the wrong path as far as God's eternal Truth is concerned. The Lord through this message may be opening your eyes to wrong directions you're headed, whether you're heading totally away from God or already saved by trusting in Jesus but are wandering into compromise with sin. Don't be bettered by a donkey! Wake up to the peril of rebelling against the Lord. Do whatever it takes to get right with, not some federal commission or a group of investors, but the CEO and Trail Boss of the Universe. Those who resist like Balaam and try to manipulate God to their own advantage are in for a very rough ride! Let's pray.