King Balak speaking to Balaam: “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.”
Numbers 22:6
One good trait does not a godly leader make – a maxim proven by the life of Balaam. In one way, this Midianite prophet demonstrated good leadership. When Balak, king of Midian, tried to hire Balaam to curse the Israelites, the prophet declared he could speak only what God told him. And in the end, Balaam actually blessed Israel three times.
Yet the balance of Scripture denounces Balaam. Joshua chapter 13 tells us he practiced soothsaying, an activity condemned by Leviticus chapter 19. Both Deuteronomy chapter 23 and Joshua chapter 24 strongly imply that Balaam asked God for permission to curse Israel. And the New Testament uses Balaam as an example of those who have “forsaken the right way and gone astray”. It also states, “he was rebuked for his iniquity”. Although God would not allow Balaam to curse Israel, apparently the sorcerer suggested a way for King Balak to remove God’s blessing on the Jewish people. Balaam taught Balak to “put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”
Balaam finally met his demise when, by God’s command, the Israelites killed him along with all the other Midianites. And so this soothsayer died at the hands of the people he had tried to curse for personal gain. Like Balaam, are you ever tempted to sacrifice your morals for personal gain? If that doesn’t change, how do you think God will deal with you?
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