| | | | The Way of Balaam - Jude 1:11 Continuing in our walk through the book of Jude, in verse 11 we're presented with three examples from the Old Testament that describe the error of false teachers; Cain, Balaam, and Korah. Today we're going to look at the error of Balaam...
Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit… Jude 1:11
The account of Balaam is found in numbers 22-25, as the Israelites were moving through Moabite territory on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land. Balaak, the king of Moab was very worried when he saw the size of the caravan (some estimates are as high as six million people). So Balaak decided to hire a seer named Balaam to curse the Israelites. Now God repeatedly warned Balaam not to attempt to curse the Israelites, but Balaam continued to "seek the Lord" on the matter, as he was offered a great deal of money for the job. In the end, God had to physically restrain Balaam from cursing the Israelites (God literally replaced the words that Balaam tried to speak), but Balaam still found a way to bring harm to the Israelites. He suggested that king Balaak send Moabite women into the camp to seduce the Israelite men.
But getting back to Jude, let's look at the root of Balaam's error; Balaam was greedy for profit, and he was willing to compromise for a price. The Lord had clearly told Balaam not to assist king Balaak, but Balaam continued to "seek the Lord" in the matter.
This is the way of a false teacher; They're aware of God's truth, yet if there's a gain to be made, they're willing to compromise. They tell themselves "the end justifies the means." They'll claim to seek the Lord, but they seek God until they get the answer they want, regardless of whether it's the right answer.
And as usual, there's a person application as well, in that we must be careful not to allow our personal ambitions or desires to override what's right before God. I've found that if there's something I really want, it's all too easy to convince myself that "God is in this…" The more I "seek the Lord" about it, the more "of God" it can become.
I've learned that my guide should be #1 the word of God, which speaks clearly, and #2 the leading of the Holy Spirit, which brings clarity and truth that will aways align with God's word.
Pastor Clay
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