The story of Balaam is one of the classics of infamy.
Balaam, who was a worldly celebrity before his dealings with Israel during the Exodus wanderings, received over three chapters in the book of Numbers in the Torah.
Balaam was a famous diviner from the region of Babylon, current Iraq. After Balaam's betrayal of Israel, his treachery was recorded from the beginning of scripture (Numbers and Deuteronomy) to the end (Revelation). It could be said that Balaam was a monumental jackass, who betrayed Israel for fame and fortune.
Balaam was a Gentile prophet, whose prophesies are recorded in scripture. He even predicted the Star of Bethlehem. However, his love of the world became the source of his infamy. Balaam loved money, prostitution, and worldly fame. He was famous as a soothsayer, who would pronounce a curse for money. The Mosaic Law strictly prohibited these practices, but then, Balaam wasn't a Jew. He was a Gentile. Balaam was a dichotomy who spoke with the authority of God at times and used the power of demonism at other times.
Balaam was the classic case of the worldly prophet. He was so overcome by worldliness that his values reflected not the Righteousness of God but the corruption of the lusts of the flesh. When the lusts of the flesh replace the love of God, the believer travels down the path of reversionism. Balaam was the epitome of the reversionist. He is the classic example of a person who knew the right way, but rejected it to pursue the Frantic Search for Happiness of worldly lusts.
When prophets or Church Age pastors enter into reversionism, they are doubly destructive. Not only do they hurt themselves, but they lead others astray. Balaam was responsible for the death of 24,000 Jews. He was the pawn of Baal. He was the friend of anti-Semitism, the unfaithful servant, and corrupt prophet. His reversionism was so perverse, that his own donkey was used to preach him a sermon in an attempt to restrain his reversionistic insanity. His infamy was so great that throughout history the mere mention of the name Balaam was a cause for insult. In the epistles to the Church, Peter uses him as an example of the reversionist, and the Lord Jesus Christ uses him as an example of the apostasy in the Church at Pergammon (Revelation 2:14).
Why study Balaam? Because the story of Balaam is as relevant today as any other time in history. Just as prophets like Balaam existed in Moses' day, pastors exist in the Church Age with a striking similarity. Today the apostasy of Balaam is everywhere. It fills the pulpits of apostate churches all over the world. Unlike Balaam, however, the pastors of today do not have the luxury of a talking donkey to awaken them from their own apostasy. Unless they have a near-death experience or some other shock to wake them up, most of them continue to operate as Balaam in the power of the Cosmic System. They don't know the meaning of grace. They have no concept of experiential sanctification, and they slaves to devil's world.
Prior to entering the Promised Land, the nation of Israel camped on the steppes of Moab northwest of Mount Nebo. Israel had just defeated the Amorites, who occupied all of the land between Moab and Ammon from the River Arnon to the Jabbok (Numbers 21:23-26). So Israel had won most of the land shown on the map of the Camp of Israel. The Arnon River is near the bottom of the map. When Balak, the king of Moab, saw this, he panicked and began searching frantically for a solution to the crisis. Balak was an astute king, although he was an unbeliever. Being without the military muscle to defend his nation against the powerful Army of Israel, he racked his brain for an alternative solution. Then he hit upon the idea of using the curse of demonism to ward off the Jews. The national religion of Moab was the worship of Baal, so the idea is not so surprising.
The use of a talking ass exemplifies the blindness and stiupidity of Balaam, he was suppposed to have been a great and wise seer... but even his dumb ass could see what he could not, that he was in opposition to the Lord God in his ways and doings.
You could take the ass as actually speaking, or you could take it as a parable of sorts. Either way the point is clear, that man can become so wound up in the perversion and materialism of this world, that it is blinding to even the wisest of men. That this world and the strength of its sinful ways is so great as to blind and lead astry even those that know better.
Do I believe God could make an ass talk... yes, God can do anything he chooses. He could have sent a delusion of the ass speaking to Balaam and it would have appeared as real to the reciever. Whether or not the ass spoke is not the implortant aspect of the story, the lesson of wise men being blinded, and the strong led astry, is.
