Balaam's Donkey

Moabites = Lot’s descendants

Israelites = Abraham’s descendants

God told Moses not to fight with Moab (2:9) because He had given it to Lot and his descendants. They were protected from the Israelites and didn’t even know it.

Just because God speaks through a person, that doesn’t always mean they are a person we should be like.

Balaam did not tell the first group of people what God had said, he only told them that he could not go back with them, he did not tell them that God had blessed Israel and no one could curse them. Anyone who curses Israel will be cursed because God has blessed them.

The came back with more money to try and get Balaam to curse Israel. The king of Moab tells Balaam that he will do whatever he says and give him anything he wants.

Balaam could have just told the Moabites what God said the first time, that they were a blessed people and no one could curse them. Maybe that would have kept him from being tempted to go to Moab. Balaam already knew God was not going to curse His own people for the Moabites, but he did not turn them away, it seems like he would be willing to go and take their money and pretend to curse the Israelites, why else would he even go to Moab?

Sometimes if we don’t say no to our temptations, God will give us over to it (Romans 1:26)

God sends an angel to stop Balaam, God knows his heart, and He is reminding him that He is all powerful and Balaam needs to be careful with what he says and does when he gets to Moab. This indicates that Balaam may have been willing to put a fake curse on Israel to get money. Balaam is mentioned a few times in the NT as being willing to do evil things for money (2 Peter 2:15) (Jude 11)

God has already told Balaam that He will not curse Israel, Balaam is either blinded by greed or doesn’t believe that God can stop him from going to Moab. It seems like Balaam is being obedient, but the fact that he is going to Moab tells us that he is likely to give into temptation.

The Moabites are not seeking an honorable man to do what God tells him, they are seeking someone to curse their enemies so they can kill them. The obedient thing for Balaam to do would have been to tell the first set of messengers that God would not curse His own people and anyone who tries it curse Israel would be cursed themselves. But he left the door open and they returned with even more money to temp him to curse Israel.

When we are tempted to sin, we need to close the door completely, any time we leave the door open the desire will come back even stronger. Balaam seems to be giving into his greed by going to Moab.

Balaam calls on God three times in Moab, each time he gets the same answer. Israel has already been blessed by God, God will not curse them for Moab’s sake.

Don’t wait for your donkey to tell you that going against God is a bad idea. Obey God the first time and you are less likely to give into your greed and desire to do what is wrong.