Joshua 13 begins the instruction given to Israel for the division of the land. But much of this chapter deals with the history of the two and a half the tribes. And then there is verse 22 which seems really out of place. This Balaam must be a truly wicked man to be included here. He must be a mass murderer or perhaps an Israelite serial killer. To be given a special obituary in the midst of these verses, this man must be a Jesse James or a Madeline Murray O’hare or a Hugh Heffner, or perhaps all three rolled into one. But he is nothing of the sort: Balaam was a preacher, a prophet and a purported purveyor of truth. And yet he died under God’s capital punishment – because he was a religious rebel and hypocrite. We have the fuller history of Balaam in Numbers 22 to 24. The nation of Israel was heading toward the country of Moab with plans to simply pass through. The king of that nation, a man named Balak, feared Israel and sought to keep them away. Together with his neighbors, the Midianites, he wanted the help of Balaam against the people of God. “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: Peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: For I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.” Balaam listened to Balak’s request, looking at the size of his bank account, and said that he’d check with the Lord about the possibility of a curse. But God forbade Balaam from cursing Israel. So the prophet sent the messengers and his potential profits back to Moab. But Balak wouldn’t give up and sent them back with a check with even more zeros on it. This time Balaam decided that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to take a little vacation in Moab. He didn’t actually plan on disobeying Jehovah – he was just checking out possible options. That was when the Lord sent an angel and a talking donkey to dissuade the prophet. After a troublesome journey, Balaam made his way to Moab and took a look at the tents of Israel. But God wouldn’t permit him to curse His chosen nation. Instead, Balaam did just the opposite and blessed Israel in the name of the Lord. His host and benefactor, of course, was furious. But Balaam’s lips were tied. It appeared that there was no way he could get rich just simply doing God’s will. But maybe there was a way around that problem. Just because God wouldn’t permit Balaam to curse Israel, that didn’t mean that Balaam couldn’t get God Himself to curse Israel. So he showed the wicked Moabite king a new method of attack. The plan was to get some of the beautiful Midianite women to lead Israel into immorality and idolatry. Eventually, the sins which Israel committed brought the punishment of God against them. The plan worked perfectly, and 24,000 Israelites died by the hand of the Lord. The infamous situation became known as “the Baal-peor affair.” But then – after God’s judgment – Israel repented. And in their return to the Lord, the blessings of God were renewed. The Moabites and Midianites were defeated in battle and eventually Balaam was slain. There is the life of Balaam in a nutshell, but there is more. For example, listen to the words of Numbers 23:8-10: “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!” How many people have said that they want to go to heaven when they die? Have there been perhaps a billion people down through the centuries? Balaam made that statement, but then he died under the wrath of God. I can’t tell you where he is at the moment, but he didn’t die in a righteous way. I don’t think that he died the death of the righteous. In history of Balaam we see the folly of mere religion. Just as it is with the demons of Hell, Balaam had a certain knowledge of God. Where and when he gone to Bible school, we are not told. But he knew that the covenant name of the Lord was “Jehovah.” God has never left his world without a witness, and Balaam somehow had heard. Balaam, like Melchizedek, Job, and Jethro, had a certain amount of spiritual knowledge. Perhaps, not even Israel had learned much more about God than this man. He understood the importance of prayer – in a day when the average Israelite didn’t. He knew that it was sin to disobey the will of the Lord. He understood the subject of prophecy. He was fully aware that there is life after death, and there is an eternity to come. And he was not surprised at the presence of an angel. When his donkey started talking, Balaam didn’t freak out. And when the donkey told him about the angel, the man didn’t start laughing. But what good did these things do for old Balaam? He knew God, but he didn’t serve God. He knew Godly morality, but he taught and spread Midianite immorality. He apparently knew the blessedness of the death of the righteous man, but how did he die? There is sometimes a great gulf fixed between knowledge and reality. What should our knowledge of God do? It should guide our hearts, subdue are wills, and mold our lives. But if our knowledge doesn’t accomplish these things, then it can have a very deleterious effect. Mere knowledge increases the judgment of the Lord upon us. Knowledge is like a kind of tax, the more we possess the more for which we are responsible. The Lord holds us accountable for the light which He has shown us. Our theology, our Bible studies, our religion, can be like a leaky tank of poison to the heart. Be not hearers only, but receivers and doers of the word. Make sure that you apply the word of God your life. The second thing that we learn from Balaam is that conviction and desire are not ends in themselves. I have heard hundreds of people say that they want to go to heaven when they die. When asked the question, 95 percent of all adults in 100 percent of all children respond positively. A presentation of the gospel on this basis alone is not only unscriptural, but very dangerous. When did Paul ever preach like this? “Do you want to go to Heaven, when you die?” When did Peter or any other Bible evangelist preach this kind of message? If the reality of sin and judgment are not fully understood, then don’t bring up the subject of Heaven. Hell might be an appropriate topic at that point, but not Heaven. “Except people repent they shall all perish.” Even after a sin-condemning sermon, the desire to get to heaven may be great. But it’s a sad thing that 24 hours later the desire may have vanished. How often are the stings of conviction mollified and forgotten? The seed falls on weedy or rocky soil and is soon choked out. How often have you experienced conviction yourself and been able to talk yourself out of it? “The sower goes forth to sow,” but the birds devour the seed before it can sprout. Balaam said he would like to die the death of the righteous and to be with Israel in the future. But he stifled that conviction by neglecting it. It wasn’t the response of angry rejection that so many people use to avoid the Lord. But how much did he use diversion? Did he get busy doing other things? One reason why Americans love their toys, is that they help us forget about our sin and our God. BThe Errors and End of Balaam – Joshua 13:22 Joshua 13 begins the instruction given to Israel for the division of the land. But much of this chapter deals with the history of the two and a half the tribes. And then there is verse 22 which seems really out of place. This Balaam must be a truly wicked man to be included here. He must be a mass murderer or perhaps an Israelite serial killer. To be given a special obituary in the midst of these verses, this man must be a Jesse James or a Madeline Murray O’hare or a Hugh Heffner, or perhaps all three rolled into one. But he is nothing of the sort: Balaam was a preacher, a prophet and a purported purveyor of truth. And yet he died under God’s capital punishment – because he was a religious rebel and hypocrite. We have the fuller history of Balaam in Numbers 22 to 24. The nation of Israel was heading toward the country of Moab with plans to simply pass through. The king of that nation, a man named Balak, feared Israel and sought to keep them away. Together with his neighbors, the Midianites, he wanted the help of Balaam against the people of God. “Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: Peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: For I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.” Balaam listened to Balak’s request, looking at the size of his bank account, and said that he’d check with the Lord about the possibility of a curse. But God forbade Balaam from cursing Israel. So the prophet sent the messengers and his potential profits back to Moab. But Balak wouldn’t give up and sent them back with a check with even more zeros on it. This time Balaam decided that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to take a little vacation in Moab. He didn’t actually plan on disobeying Jehovah – he was just checking out possible options. That was when the Lord sent an angel and a talking donkey to dissuade the prophet. After a troublesome journey, Balaam made his way to Moab and took a look at the tents of Israel. But God wouldn’t permit him to curse His chosen nation. Instead, Balaam did just the opposite and blessed Israel in the name of the Lord. His host and benefactor, of course, was furious. But Balaam’s lips were tied. It appeared that there was no way he could get rich just simply doing God’s will. But maybe there was a way around that problem. Just because God wouldn’t permit Balaam to curse Israel, that didn’t mean that Balaam couldn’t get God Himself to curse Israel. So he showed the wicked Moabite king a new method of attack. The plan was to get some of the beautiful Midianite women to lead Israel into immorality and idolatry. Eventually, the sins which Israel committed brought the punishment of God against them. The plan worked perfectly, and 24,000 Israelites died by the hand of the Lord. The infamous situation became known as “the Baal-peor affair.” But then – after God’s judgment – Israel repented. And in their return to the Lord, the blessings of God were renewed. The Moabites and Midianites were defeated in battle and eventually Balaam was slain. There is the life of Balaam in a nutshell, but there is more. For example, listen to the words of Numbers 23:8-10: “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!” How many people have said that they want to go to heaven when they die? Have there been perhaps a billion people down through the centuries? Balaam made that statement, but then he died under the wrath of God. I can’t tell you where he is at the moment, but he didn’t die in a righteous way. I don’t think that he died the death of the righteous. In history of Balaam we see the folly of mere religion. Just as it is with the demons of Hell, Balaam had a certain knowledge of God. Where and when he gone to Bible school, we are not told. But he knew that the covenant name of the Lord was “Jehovah.” God has never left his world without a witness, and Balaam somehow had heard. Balaam, like Melchizedek, Job, and Jethro, had a certain amount of spiritual knowledge. Perhaps, not even Israel had learned much more about God than this man. He understood the importance of prayer – in a day when the average Israelite didn’t. He knew that it was sin to disobey the will of the Lord. He understood the subject of prophecy. He was fully aware that there is life after death, and there is an eternity to come. And he was not surprised at the presence of an angel. When his donkey started talking, Balaam didn’t freak out. And when the donkey told him about the angel, the man didn’t start laughing. But what good did these things do for old Balaam? He knew God, but he didn’t serve God. He knew Godly morality, but he taught and spread Midianite immorality. He apparently knew the blessedness of the death of the righteous man, but how did he die? There is sometimes a great gulf fixed between knowledge and reality. What should our knowledge of God do? It should guide our hearts, subdue are wills, and mold our lives. But if our knowledge doesn’t accomplish these things, then it can have a very deleterious effect. Mere knowledge increases the judgment of the Lord upon us. Knowledge is like a kind of tax, the more we possess the more for which we are responsible. The Lord holds us accountable for the light which He has shown us. Our theology, our Bible studies, our religion, can be like a leaky tank of poison to the heart. Be not hearers only, but receivers and doers of the word. Make sure that you apply the word of God your life. The second thing that we learn from Balaam is that conviction and desire are not ends in themselves. I have heard hundreds of people say that they want to go to heaven when they die. When asked the question, 95 percent of all adults in 100 percent of all children respond positively. A presentation of the gospel on this basis alone is not only unscriptural, but very dangerous. When did Paul ever preach like this? “Do you want to go to Heaven, when you die?” When did Peter or any other Bible evangelist preach this kind of message? If the reality of sin and judgment are not fully understood, then don’t bring up the subject of Heaven. Hell might be an appropriate topic at that point, but not Heaven. “Except people repent they shall all perish.” Even after a sin-condemning sermon, the desire to get to heaven may be great. But it’s a sad thing that 24 hours later the desire may have vanished. How often are the stings of conviction mollified and forgotten? The seed falls on weedy or rocky soil and is soon choked out. How often have you experienced conviction yourself and been able to talk yourself out of it? “The sower goes forth to sow,” but the birds devour the seed before it can sprout. Balaam said he would like to die the death of the righteous and to be with Israel in the future. But he stifled that conviction by neglecting it. It wasn’t the response of angry rejection that so many people use to avoid the Lord. But how much did he use diversion? Did he get busy doing other things? One reason why Americans love their toys, is that they help us forget about our sin and our God. Balaam was convicted about the right things but he rejected it. God told him over and over again that Israel was His chosen people. But Balaam rejected that fact and died as a result. Centuries later the same things are still taking place. Another lesson from Balaam is that unrighteousness does not pay. Here’s Balaam sin: he knew the will of God but wanted it broken. “Sin is the transgression of the law” or the will of God – I John 3:4. And what is the will of God for your life? An awful lot of Christians are in the same boat is Balaam – and that boat leaks. Balaam wanted the best of two worlds. As Spurgeon might have put it, “He wanted to run with the hare and to hunt with the hounds.” Give me the DEATH of the righteous, but give me the LIFE of the wicked. Give me the blessing of the gospel of Christ without any responsibility to Christ. Lord, Lord, haven’t we prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many wonderful works ? “Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” Perhaps Balaam thought that much prayer changes the Lord’s mind. Prayer has never yet changed the Lord’s mind about anything. And to think so is sin itself. So what are the lessons of Balaam? The knowledge of God in itself is not enough – It must be applied. Good and spiritual wishes are not enough, especially if they are contrary to the Lord. And sin will be judged no matter who we are – prophet, priest or king.alaam was convicted about the right things but he rejected it. God told him over and over again that Israel was His chosen people. But Balaam rejected that fact and died as a result. Centuries later the same things are still taking place. Another lesson from Balaam is that unrighteousness does not pay. Here’s Balaam sin: he knew the will of God but wanted it broken. “Sin is the transgression of the law” or the will of God – I John 3:4. And what is the will of God for your life? An awful lot of Christians are in the same boat is Balaam – and that boat leaks. Balaam wanted the best of two worlds. As Spurgeon might have put it, “He wanted to run with the hare and to hunt with the hounds.” Give me the DEATH of the righteous, but give me the LIFE of the wicked. Give me the blessing of the gospel of Christ without any responsibility to Christ. Lord, Lord, haven’t we prophesied in thy name and in thy name done many wonderful works ? “Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.” Perhaps Balaam thought that much prayer changes the Lord’s mind. Prayer has never yet changed the Lord’s mind about anything. And to think so is sin itself. So what are the lessons of Balaam? The knowledge of God in itself is not enough – It must be applied. Good and spiritual wishes are not enough, especially if they are contrary to the Lord. And sin will be judged no matter who we are – prophet, priest or king.