The Counsel of Balaam

Call to Prayer

Title: The Counsel of Balaam

By: Daniel Peter

Date: 22.12.2021

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. (Num 31:16 KJV)

God, in His mercies, has made provision for the protection of His children. As long as we stay in relationship with Him and walk according to the dictates of the covenant, we are shielded from the power of the enemy. However, the enemy finds ways to take us out of that relationship and cause us to go against the dictates of God in order to bring harm. Being aware of this will help us order our choices, ensuring we are always safe from the enemy’s reach.

We find in the story of Israel’s journey in the wilderness, where the King of Moab hired the Prophet Balaam to curse the children of Israel (Num. 22 – 25). Balaam had the reputation of being able to bless or curse anybody, and it will be as he says (Num. 22:6), and this ability was given to him by God. However, when He was called to curse the children of Israel, He couldn’t. Instead of a curse, a blessing came out (Num. 24:10). God’s reply at one point was “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel…. (Num. 23:21)”. Therefore, as long as Israel walked according to the dictates of the covenant, they were protected from their enemy’s evil intention. 

Balaam, being someone who had walked with God Himself, understood that the only way to break the protection over them was to lure them to sin Against God. That way he wouldn’t need to curse them, for God Himself will punish them. Because of this, he counselled Balak, the Moabite King, to lure the Israelites to sin against God (Num. 31:16), which he did, and God punished the Israelites by killing several of them, fulfilling the desires of the Moabite King.

Despite this happening in the Old Testament, the counsel of Balaam is still the devil’s tactics to lure people out of God’s protection. In Revelation 2:14, we hear how the Spirit warned the church against the doctrine of Balaam. Though eating food sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication are what Balak used to lure the children of Israel of their protection, the devil can use any sin, that is, anything against God’s written and spoken instructions, to expose us to God’s wrath. He can use friends or circumstances to try to make us disobey God’s instructions.

Finally, despite we have been given power and authority over the enemy (Luke 19:10), and we have been lifted far above all principalities and power (Eph. 1:21), obedience to the word of God keeps us protected from the enemy and his intent.

Prayer Point

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s also ask Him to help us to be obedient to His written and specific instructions to us.

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