Numbers Chapter 22

Balak and Balaam

A. Balak’s Evil Desire

(Numbers 22:1-4) Balak, king of Moab, fears an advancing Israel.
“Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian, ‘Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.’ And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.”

Israel had now completed their long period of wandering in the wilderness. Their journey had reached the plains of Moab, directly across from Jericho, and the time had come for them to move forward toward the Promised Land. Their presence represented a divine momentum, the movement of God’s covenant people preparing to claim what He had promised Abraham centuries before. Their march was not merely geographical but spiritual, a progression from wilderness discipline to conquest and fulfillment.

The victories over the southern Canaanites, the Amorites, and the Bashanites served to strengthen Israel’s faith and confirm God’s power working among them. These smaller conflicts were preparatory, teaching Israel how to trust the Lord for greater victories ahead. Each battle tested and trained them for the campaign that would soon take them into Canaan itself.

Balak, the king of Moab, observed all that had transpired with trembling fear. The text states that “Moab was sick with dread,” meaning that terror gripped them to the point of despair. Their fear was natural from a human perspective. Israel was a vast nation that had already defeated formidable neighbors. Yet if Balak had known or believed God’s revealed word, his fear would have been unnecessary. In Deuteronomy 2:9 the Lord specifically commanded Israel not to harass Moab, saying, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’” Had Balak trusted in this word, he would have realized that Israel posed no threat to Moab’s land or sovereignty.

Balak’s statement, comparing Israel to an ox licking up the grass of the field, reveals both his fear and his misunderstanding. He viewed Israel purely in terms of physical strength, imagining them as an unstoppable consuming force. Yet Israel’s strength was not in their numbers or their might, but in their relationship with God. Balak recognized their power but failed to understand its source.

(Numbers 22:5-6) Balak’s invitation to Balaam.
“Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: ‘Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.’”

Balak’s fear drove him to seek supernatural assistance. He sent messengers to a man named Balaam, known for his spiritual influence and prophetic reputation. Balaam lived at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in the region associated with Mesopotamia. Though he was not an Israelite, Balaam was known as one who communicated with spiritual powers and whose blessings or curses were believed to have tangible effect.

The narrative makes clear that Balaam had some knowledge of the true God. In Numbers 22:8, he speaks of “the Lord,” using the divine covenant name, indicating that he was not merely a pagan sorcerer but a man aware of the God of Israel. How Balaam came to know this truth is uncertain, but he stands in a small category of Gentile men who possessed knowledge of God apart from the covenant nation—men like Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18 and Jethro in Exodus 18, both of whom feared and honored the true God.

Balak’s request was straightforward yet blasphemous. He wanted Balaam to curse Israel, hoping to sever their spiritual connection with the God who gave them victory. He rightly discerned that Israel’s strength was spiritual, not military. However, instead of humbling himself before Israel’s God, Balak sought to manipulate the spiritual realm through superstition and sorcery.

The words “for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed” reveal Balak’s belief that Balaam’s words carried inherent power. He imagined that divine blessing and cursing were tools in the hands of men rather than the sovereign prerogative of God. Yet Scripture teaches the opposite: true blessing and cursing belong solely to the Lord. Balaam would soon learn that he could not speak anything beyond what God permitted.

B. Balaam’s Two Meetings with Balak’s Representatives

(Numbers 22:7-8) Balak sends men to hire Balaam’s services as a prophet.
“So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. And he said to them, ‘Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.’ So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.”

The delegation sent by Balak was composed of leaders from both Moab and Midian, showing that fear of Israel united these neighboring peoples who were often at odds. They came bearing “the diviner’s fee,” a payment commonly associated with pagan seers or magicians. This indicates that Balaam’s prophetic reputation was not limited to those who knew the true God but extended into pagan nations who viewed him as a man able to control or influence spiritual powers through incantations or pronouncements.

The presence of the diviner’s fee immediately exposes Balaam’s susceptibility to greed. Scripture later identifies this as his central sin. In Second Peter 2:15-16, Peter warns believers against following “the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” Jude 1:11 also references “the error of Balaam for profit,” and Revelation 2:14 condemns those who held “the doctrine of Balaam,” associating him with covetousness and corruption.

When Balaam said, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you,” his hypocrisy and inner conflict became clear. He already knew the God of Israel’s character and promises. God had blessed Israel, declaring them His covenant people. Therefore, any request to curse them was in direct opposition to divine will. Balaam’s willingness to “seek the Lord” about something that was plainly sinful shows a heart that desired to justify compromise rather than submit in obedience.

This attitude reflects a dangerous spiritual condition. Many today, like Balaam, attempt to negotiate with God concerning matters He has already forbidden in His Word. Balaam’s pretense of seeking divine permission while coveting the reward revealed his double-mindedness. James 1:8 declares, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Balaam’s instability led him to entertain sin, rationalize rebellion, and ultimately bring destruction upon himself.

By entertaining Balak’s messengers and allowing them to stay overnight, Balaam showed that he was willing to flirt with temptation. He should have immediately sent them away, declaring that Israel was under the protection and blessing of the Almighty. Instead, he kept them close, pondering how to satisfy his greed without directly disobeying God. This was the first step toward his eventual downfall.

(Numbers 22:9-12) God’s response to Balaam.
“Then God came to Balaam and said, ‘Who are these men with you?’ So Balaam said to God, ‘Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, “Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.”’ And God said to Balaam, ‘You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.’”

In His mercy, God directly intervened, speaking to Balaam despite his self-serving motives. God’s question, “Who are these men with you?” was not for His own information but for Balaam’s conviction. The Lord often asks rhetorical questions to awaken the conscience, as He did with Adam in Genesis 3:9 when He said, “Where are you?” and with Cain in Genesis 4:9, “Where is Abel your brother?” Similarly, this question was designed to confront Balaam’s compromised heart.

Balaam’s answer was evasive and incomplete. He relayed the request but not his true intention. He avoided addressing the moral issue at hand—the attempt to curse the people of God. Balaam’s response reveals that he already sympathized with Balak’s motives and was merely waiting for divine permission to indulge his greed.

God’s reply was unequivocal: “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” This command was absolute. God left no room for reinterpretation or debate. The phrase “for they are blessed” echoes His covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, where He said, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” Israel’s blessing was irrevocable, established by divine decree, and therefore could not be overturned by human will or manipulation.

Balaam’s encounter with God should have ended the matter. The word of the Lord was clear: he was not to go and not to curse. Yet, as the subsequent verses reveal, Balaam’s greed continued to drive him to seek loopholes in God’s command. This demonstrates the danger of covetousness and disobedience in spiritual service. The prophet knew what was right, but he desired what was wrong.

(Numbers 22:13-15) Balaam’s reply to Balak’s messengers and the counter-offer.
“So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, ‘Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.’ And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, ‘Balaam refuses to come with us.’ Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they.”

When morning came, Balaam sent the first delegation away, but the way he phrased his response revealed the true condition of his heart. He said, “The Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you.” His words carried the implication that he personally wanted to go, but God had restrained him. He did not say, “The Lord forbids such wickedness” or “God has blessed Israel, and I will not curse whom He has blessed.” Instead, Balaam left the door open. His tone implied reluctance rather than conviction, as though God’s command were an obstacle to be worked around rather than a holy decree to be obeyed.

This subtle compromise shows that Balaam’s obedience was external, not internal. He submitted only because he was temporarily restrained, not because his heart was aligned with God’s will. It was as if Balaam were saying, “I want to go, but God will not let me—perhaps He might change His mind.” Such half-hearted obedience always invites further temptation. When the heart is not wholly devoted to God, the world’s offers continue to appeal.

The messengers carried Balaam’s ambiguous response back to Balak, who misread it as hesitation rather than refusal. Consequently, Balak sent another delegation, this time composed of “princes more numerous and more honorable than they.” These new envoys were wealthier, more influential, and likely bore gifts and promises of greater reward. This second offer reveals both Balak’s determination to manipulate the situation and Balaam’s failure to take a firm stand.

Had Balaam firmly declared, “God has blessed Israel, and they cannot be cursed,” the matter would have ended there. But his weak answer suggested that he was open to negotiation. The tempter always returns when sin is entertained rather than crucified. As Genesis 4:7 reminds us, “Sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Balaam did not rule over his greed; instead, he allowed it to linger in his heart, waiting for a better offer.

(Numbers 22:16-17) Balak’s messengers increase the offer to Balaam.
“And they came to Balaam and said to him, ‘Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: “Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.”’”

Balak’s second appeal was much stronger than the first. The phrase “I will certainly honor you greatly” shows that the king was now willing to go far beyond a standard prophet’s payment. No longer did his envoys bring a mere diviner’s fee; they came with promises of status, wealth, and personal exaltation. Balak’s appeal targeted Balaam’s pride and greed—the twin weaknesses of the flesh that have ensnared many who serve God outwardly but lack inward integrity.

Balak’s words, “Please let nothing hinder you,” reveal how persistent the world is in its efforts to draw God’s servants away from obedience. Satan uses the same strategy—he increases the appeal, raises the stakes, and packages sin in more flattering terms. For Balaam, this was a second test, one that came wrapped in the language of honor and greatness. Yet behind it all was the same corrupt purpose: to oppose God’s covenant and curse His chosen people.

The spiritual principle here is timeless: when temptation is not decisively rejected, it returns with greater intensity. The first compromise invites a second opportunity to sin, and each successive temptation grows stronger. Balaam’s failure to dismiss the first offer outright left him spiritually vulnerable. Proverbs 19:27 warns, “Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” Balaam’s ear was open to flattery and profit rather than truth and obedience.

(Numbers 22:18-19) Balaam entertains the offer from Balak’s messengers.
“Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.’”

At first glance, Balaam’s words appear noble and restrained, even spiritual. He declares that no amount of silver or gold could cause him to disobey the word of the Lord. Yet when examined closely, his statement betrays the greed and duplicity in his heart. The very fact that he mentions “a house full of silver and gold” reveals what he truly desired. He wistfully entertained the thought of great wealth, subtly inviting Balak’s envoys to sweeten the deal.

While Balaam verbally acknowledged that he could not go beyond the command of the Lord, his heart was not aligned with that confession. He knew that true prophecy is not born of human ambition or manipulation, but solely by divine inspiration. However, his longing for riches overpowered his reverence for God’s will. His language was correct, but his motives were corrupt. It is possible to speak the right words while harboring the wrong heart, and Balaam perfectly illustrates this hypocrisy.

When Balaam invited the messengers to “please stay here tonight,” it became clear that he had not renounced his sinful desire. God had already spoken clearly in Numbers 22:12, saying, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” Yet Balaam sought to reopen the discussion, hoping for a different answer. He cloaked his rebellion in pious language, pretending to “seek the Lord” for further guidance.

This reveals one of the most dangerous patterns in spiritual compromise: when a man tries to reinterpret or renegotiate God’s will in order to justify his sin. Balaam was not seeking truth; he was seeking permission. His behavior mirrors that of King Saul, who repeatedly disobeyed God but tried to maintain a spiritual appearance. As Samuel told Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”

When Balaam said, “That I may know what more the Lord will say to me,” he was acting like a child who, unsatisfied with his father’s answer, asks again hoping for a different response. True obedience does not require repetition of God’s word; it requires submission to what He has already spoken. The prophet’s persistence revealed that he valued personal gain over divine command.

(Numbers 22:20-21) God allows Balaam to go with Balak’s messengers.
“And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, ‘If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do.’ So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.”

In this verse, God permits Balaam to go, but this is a case of divine concession rather than divine approval. God did not change His mind; He simply allowed Balaam to follow his own stubborn desire. When men persist in rejecting God’s will, He may eventually let them have their way—to their own destruction. This is the same principle seen in Psalm 81:11–12, where God laments, “But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”

Balaam’s insistence brought him to a place where God’s patience turned into judgment. God’s allowance was not permission in righteousness but preparation for exposure. By granting Balaam’s request, the Lord would reveal the true corruption of his heart. This principle is echoed in Romans 1:24, where Paul writes, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves.” God sometimes says “yes” to the wicked, not to bless them but to judge them through the consequences of their choices.

When the Lord said, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them,” it was a conditional statement. Yet Balaam did not wait for them to call again. He eagerly rose early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and set out. His zeal exposed his true intent. When God had previously forbidden him to go, Balaam had hesitated. Now, at the slightest hint of permission, he moved with haste, eager to pursue his covetous ambitions.

Balaam’s heart rejoiced in what he falsely believed to be divine approval. He mistook God’s silence for acceptance and His patience for agreement. It is a solemn reminder that when a person continually pressures God to allow sin, the Lord may permit it—yet the permission itself becomes the judgment.

C. Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

(Numbers 22:22-27) God’s message to Balaam through the Angel of the Lord.
“Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. Then 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. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.”

Though God had permitted Balaam to go with Balak’s men, His anger was “aroused because he went.” This was not because Balaam disobeyed a new command, but because he persisted in a path that was already condemned. Balaam was moving forward with a greedy, self-willed heart, intent on twisting God’s allowance into approval. God’s permissive will never negates His moral law. Thus, His anger burned—not against the journey itself, but against the motive behind it.

The Angel of the Lord stood in Balaam’s path “as an adversary against him.” The Hebrew word for “adversary” (satan) literally means “one who opposes.” Here, the Angel of the Lord acted as the divine barrier between Balaam and destruction. Many scholars recognize that this “Angel of the Lord” is no ordinary angel but a theophany, an appearance of the preincarnate Christ. The drawn sword is a symbol of divine judgment, as seen also in Joshua 5:13–15, when the Angel of the Lord appeared before Joshua with sword in hand as the Commander of the Lord’s army.

Ironically, the donkey saw what the prophet could not. Three times she perceived the Angel of the Lord and reacted in fear: first turning aside into a field, then pressing Balaam’s foot against a wall, and finally collapsing beneath him. The spiritually blind prophet beat the very creature who was saving his life. In his rage, Balaam failed to recognize that his path had brought him into direct conflict with God Himself. The animal, devoid of prophetic gifts or spiritual office, was more discerning than the so-called prophet who claimed to hear from God.

This episode powerfully illustrates the principle that spiritual gifts do not equal spiritual maturity. Balaam had prophetic insight but lacked submission to God. The donkey, though lowly and speechless, responded with sensitivity to divine presence. She is a picture of the humble believer—unspectacular, obedient, and sensitive to God’s leading, even when it provokes the anger of the disobedient.

The sequence of events—turning aside, pressing against the wall, and finally lying down—shows escalating resistance from the animal as divine warning intensified. Yet Balaam misinterpreted the entire situation. Instead of recognizing God’s opposition, he likely viewed the resistance as satanic interference hindering his “ministry.” This underscores a vital truth: circumstances alone cannot reveal God’s will. Disobedient hearts often misread providence through the lens of their desires. The more Balaam suffered, the angrier he became, because he mistook divine mercy for obstruction.

(Numbers 22:28-30) God’s message to Balaam through the donkey.
“Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ And Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!’ So the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?’ And he said, ‘No.’”

In an extraordinary act of divine intervention, “the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey.” God, who created language and intellect, miraculously enabled this humble animal to speak and reason. The message was not merely a rebuke for cruelty but a divine revelation of Balaam’s madness. The apostle Peter refers to this event in 2 Peter 2:16: “But he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.”

The donkey’s words, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” exposed Balaam’s irrational anger and moral blindness. Her question mirrors God’s own dealings with sinful humanity—“What have I done to you?” (Micah 6:3). The prophet who claimed to speak God’s word now found himself rebuked by a creature he deemed inferior.

Remarkably, Balaam conversed with the donkey without any sense of astonishment. So consumed was he by rage and pride that he did not pause to marvel at a talking animal. His heart had become so hardened by greed and frustration that even a miracle could not pierce his delusion. Anger blinds a man more thoroughly than ignorance ever could.

Balaam’s reply, “I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you,” reveals the murderous spirit of a man who, though unable to curse God’s people, was willing to destroy the innocent instrument God used to restrain him. His cruelty toward the donkey foreshadows his later counsel to corrupt Israel through Moabite immorality (Numbers 31:16). Those who resist God’s correction often grow increasingly hostile toward His messengers, no matter how humble they are.

The donkey’s reasoning, “Am I not your donkey… Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” forced Balaam to acknowledge her faithfulness and his injustice. When he answered simply, “No,” he conceded defeat in a debate with his own beast. The lesson was humiliating yet redemptive: even the simplest of God’s creatures can teach wisdom to the proud.

This passage teaches that when a man resists God’s will, the Lord may use the most unexpected means to confront him—a circumstance, a humble person, even an animal. The speaking donkey was a divine mirror, reflecting Balaam’s own spiritual stubbornness. The prophet who claimed to be God’s mouthpiece was outdone by his own mount, which spoke truth more faithfully than he ever had.

(Numbers 22:31-33) God’s message to Balaam through seeing the Angel of the Lord.
“Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. And the Angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.’”

The moment God opened Balaam’s eyes, the delusion was shattered. What the donkey had seen all along—the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword—was now visible to Balaam. The imagery of the drawn sword represents the righteous judgment of God against rebellion and sin. This made God’s will absolutely unmistakable: Balaam’s course of action was against divine purpose, and God Himself was opposing him.

The Angel of the Lord declared, “Your way is perverse before Me.” The Hebrew word translated perverse (יָרַט, yarat) carries the meaning of reckless, twisted, or self-willed. Balaam’s problem was not ignorance but willful stubbornness. He was determined to pursue his own way while pretending to serve God. Outwardly, Balaam presented himself as a prophet of the Lord, but inwardly, he was ruled by greed and ambition.

Significantly, the Angel said that Balaam’s way was perverse “before Me.” This personal pronoun indicates divine authority—the offense was not against some impersonal moral code, but against the Lord Himself. Since the Angel speaks in the first person as God and accepts Balaam’s reverence, this was no ordinary angel. It was an appearance of the preincarnate Christ—the Second Person of the Trinity—manifesting Himself in visible form for a specific divine mission.

This revelation underscores the Lord’s mercy and patience. God could have struck Balaam dead immediately, but instead He sent visible warning after visible warning. Even the donkey’s actions were providential acts of restraint. The Angel affirmed, “If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.” Thus, the animal Balaam had beaten was, in truth, his deliverer. It is a profound irony: the prophet was saved by the very creature he despised.

Balaam’s blindness is emblematic of those who walk according to the flesh. He had physical sight but spiritual darkness. The donkey had no prophetic gift, yet she discerned God’s presence and judgment, while the prophet—boasting of divine insight—was oblivious. Spiritual rebellion always clouds perception, and the man who ignores God’s Word soon loses discernment altogether.

(Numbers 22:34-35) Balaam’s meager “repentance” and sinful course.
“And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.’ Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.’ So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.”

When confronted by the Angel of the Lord, Balaam confessed, “I have sinned.” On the surface, this sounds humble and contrite, but the words rang hollow. His confession came only after being caught in sin, standing before divine judgment with a drawn sword pointed at him. True repentance flows from a broken heart; Balaam’s admission was a reflex of fear.

He continued, “If it displeases You, I will turn back.” The phrase reveals his insincerity. Balaam spoke as though God’s displeasure were uncertain—“if it displeases You.” But God’s will had been made unmistakably clear, both in His initial command and through the extraordinary events of this encounter. Balaam’s half-hearted tone exposes that he was not repentant but still searching for permission to pursue his desires. His words were diplomatic, calculated to appease the divine messenger without surrendering his ambition.

The New Testament exposes Balaam’s true character. In 2 Peter 2:15-16, Peter warns of false teachers “who have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.” The apostle makes clear that Balaam’s madness was driven by greed. His covetousness blinded him to the danger of defying God.

Jude 1:11 also condemns “the error of Balaam for profit,” showing that his heart was rooted in the pursuit of material gain. Balaam’s sin demonstrates that there is no depth of compromise to which a man will not descend when driven by love for money. His apparent spirituality masked his covetous motives. Like many today, he tried to balance divine service with worldly reward, but Scripture warns that “no man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).

To illustrate this point, it has often been said that sin, like greed, erodes principle little by little. A man may claim he would never betray God for a small price, yet prove willing to do so for a large one. The heart that entertains compromise is already corrupt; the only question is the size of the offer. Balaam’s faith was for sale, and the highest bidder was Balak.

When the Angel said, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak,” God was not granting approval but permitting judgment. Balaam had resisted every warning. His heart was hardened, and now God would let him walk the path of his own destruction. The Lord’s command limited what Balaam could say, but not what he desired. Thus, the prophet’s lips would proclaim truth while his heart pursued wickedness.

This passage reveals one of Scripture’s sobering truths: God may allow a man to follow the desires of his own heart even when those desires lead to ruin. As Psalm 81:12 says, “So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.” Balaam’s journey would continue, not as a path of service, but as the road to judgment—a solemn warning to all who seek to mix obedience with greed.