34. DON'T BE A LIAR!
Lying has a heavy cost.
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What would you do to be famous, rich, or powerful? Would you lie, cheat, and steal? In a time of war, would you betray your friends to an enemy? Would you be willing to give up an eternity in heaven for a moment of bliss on Earth? Most of us would say no. But under extreme pressure and with a strong desire for riches, you might be surprised what some people would do! In today’s lesson we will explore this very thing and discover that no one is immune from the temptation of worldly success, not even prophets! Let’s start with the following story.
There was once a man who looked older than his age. He was a skilled man and with hard work was barely able to provide for he and his wife. One day his wife went to the bathhouse and noticed a huge crowd. She asked the other ladies,
“Why are all these people here? I’ve never seen a crowd like this before.”
The other ladies replied, “Haven’t you heard? The head soothsayer’s wife is coming to the bathhouse today.”
Just then, the sound of music lled the air and a great parade of people approached the bathhouse. The head bath woman, in the hope of receiving a great reward, honored the soothsayer’s wife and begged her to take her place. You can only imagine the impact all of this had on those poor women.
Feeling slighted and a bit jealous, the poor woman took her bath and returned home. On the way, she made up her mind and upon entering the home she said to her husband,
“Either you become a soothsayer or I will leave you!”
“What do you mean you will leave me? I am barely earning our daily bread. I don’t have enough time to learn the art of soothsaying.
How will I do what you are asking?” the man inquired.
But the woman wasn’t going to change her mind. He would become a soothsayer or she would leave him. Needless to say the man was despondent, his wife was beautiful and she was all he had.
That night, he decided to go to the coffeehouse and while he was in deep thought a friend approached,
“What’s up?”
With that simple question, the poor man explained everything to his friend. After hearing the whole story, his friend said,
“Don’t worry! I know the head bath woman and she will help us.”
The friend left the coffeehouse, went to the bathhouse, and consulted with the head bath woman. She thought for a moment and told the man,
“Tell your friend to sit outside the gate of the bath house tomorrow with paper, pen, and ink. Tell him to scribble away as if he were a soothsayer. And don’t worry, I will take care of the rest.”
So the poor man, even though he couldn’t read or write, went to the stationary store and bought the necessary materials. He then went to the bathhouse gate and started writing. It didn’t take long before everyone started calling him hoja. Just then, the chief soothsayer’s wife came for her usual bath.
While she was being tended to, one of the attendants took one of her costly rings and hid it in the mud, which had collected in the gutter. As this was the chief bath woman’s plan, she revealed the ring’s location to the poor man posing as a hoja.
It wasn’t long before the chief soothsayer’s wife was ranting and raving about her lost ring. While the attendants where running around trying to nd the ring, the chief bath woman approached her and said,
“There is a hoja sitting at the gate who is very skilled in nding lost items.”
“Well what are you waiting for? Go get him at once!” she screamed.
They ran to get the hoja and told him what happened. The poor man, posing as the wise hoja, stepped into the bath house and said,
"Stop worrying! The ring is buried in the mud at the narrow part of the gutter."
The chief bath woman sent an attendant to the spot and the ring was found. The lady was very happy and rewarded the hoja with lots of money. After receiving the money, he went home highly satis ed with his first success as a soothsayer. And that brings us to today’s Bible lesson.
In the Bible, we can read the story of a very interesting man named Balaam. Unlike the poor man who pretended to be a hoja, we know that Balaam was a real prophet because of his ability to communicate with God. But, the most interesting and disturbing part of his story is that he took advantage of his position to gain wealth and fame; a decision that would eventually cost him his life. We can start by reading the story in Numbers chapter 22 verses 1-6:
1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the eld. So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.
After the Israelites had spent a long 40 years wandering in the desert, they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. Even though 40 years had passed, their identity and fame had spread far. So far that Balak, the king of Moab, was worried. He thought that a war was imminent and decided to call upon the services of Balaam, a man who he thought was nothing more than a spiritual mercenary, a diviner for hire.
So the king of Moab sent messengers to Balaam to explain what was happening, and to ask him to come and curse the Israelites. Balaam told the messengers that he would seek God’s will and invited them to stay the night. But that night, God spoke with Balaam and told him to send the men away. Balaam could not curse that which God had blessed.
But the king of Moab didn’t give up, he believed in the power of money. If the price was right Balaam would come. So he sent a
group of dignitaries to convince him. Now, Balaam already knew what God’s will was, but he really wanted that money. So, he told them to stay the night. This was Balaam’s first mistake!
We know that God can read our hearts and minds. And He knew what was in Balaam’s heart. But we also know that God allows us to make our own choices. So, God permitted Balaam to go with the men under one condition. Balaam could only say what God told him to say. The problem was that Balaam didn't want to listen to God. That was apparent when he allowed the second group of men to stay in his house after God sent them away. God knew what was in Balaam's heart and was about to teach him a lesson. Let’s continue reading the story in Numbers chapter 22 verses 22-30:
22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the eld. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 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? 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you. 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way? And he said, No.
As hard as it is to believe, this donkey actually spoke to Balaam. And Balaam didn’t seem to be surprised because he answered the donkey’s question. But more importantly there is some interesting symbolism in this event. Just as the donkey left the main road, Balaam turned from God’s direct will. Remember God didn’t want him to go and when he fell out of God’s favor he was subject to God’s judgment. And instead of opening his eyes and understanding the event as a warning, Balaam thought it was a distraction and hindrance to his main objective, which was to get money. So he beat his donkey and threatened it. Balaam was right! He was a fool, but not because of the donkey. Let’s see what happened by reading verses 31-35:
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live. 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back. 35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you. So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
Many people in the world do not believe that there is a spiritual battle raging all around us. Do you think they would react the same way as Balaam if their eyes were opened? Would they continue to act like Balaam when bad things happen? Or would they recognize that sometimes bad things happen because they are disobeying God? They need to be reminded, just like Balaam, that God is in control.
Although God allowed Balaam to continue on his journey after he repented, it was clear that Balaam needed to leave his personal
motives behind. God would use him, but it was important that he follow God’s orders.
So Balaam continued his journey and eventually came to Balak the king of Moab. The king didn’t waste any time and immediately asked Balaam to curse the Israelites. But Balaam didn’t forget what God said and reminded Balak that he would only be able to say the words that God gave him. After the sacri ce of several bulls and rams, God gave Balaam his rst message. We can read it in Numbers chapter 23 verses 7-10:
7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said, From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel! 8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations! 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!
Balak was furious because he was paying good money to Balaam. But instead of cursing Israel Balaam blessed them. The king of Moab was a stubborn man and so he took Balaam to another hilltop. From there they looked down upon the Israelites, offered more sacrifices, and waited for God’s next message. Unfortunately for Balak, the next message was also a blessing. Now any person in their right mind would probably realize that this was an exercise in futility. It didn’t matter how much he paid or how many sacrifices he made, God wasn’t going to curse what He had blessed. But Balak, the king of Moab, wasn’t in his right mind! So he took Balaam to another hilltop and begged him to curse Israel. Let’s read what happened in Numbers chapter 24 verses 3-9:
3 and he took up his discourse and said, The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, 4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water shall ow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.
This blessing sounds familiar. Do you remember what God said to Abraham? He said that his seed would be like the stars and sand on the seashore. He said that He would bless those who blessed and curse those who cursed Abraham. God was making it clear that He had a covenant with Israel, the same covenant that He had with Abraham. Let us not forget that the main goal of that covenant was to bless the whole world!
Now up until this point, Balaam had only made one mistake and after repenting of his sin he did what God asked him to do. But Balaam wasn’t nished. He knew that he couldn’t curse Israel because God wouldn’t allow it. But what if he could get them to sin and fall out of God’s favor? God never warned him against that! So Balaam went to Balak, the king of Moab, and explained his plan. They could send Moabite women into the Israelites’ camp to seduce them into sexual immorality and idol worship. You may be thinking to yourself:
“Well now wait a minute. You mean to tell me that the Israelites, after all they had been through, would turn against God? That is impossible!’
But that is exactly what happened! And Balaam was involved every step of the way. We can read about it in Numbers chapter 25 verses 1-3:
1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacri ces of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
What Balaam couldn’t accomplish in words, he did in actions (see Numbers 31:16). Not only had the Israelites turned their backs on God, but they had also broken the rst and seventh commandments of God’s law. They worshipped other gods and committed adultery. Needless to say the consequence of their sin was great. A terrible plague raged through the camp and 24,000 people died.
Shortly thereafter, God ordered the Israelites to form an army and destroy the Moabites and Midianites. Both of whom had tempted the Israelites and openly rebelled against God. When the dust settled and the battle ended, Balaam was found among the dead. He thought that money and fame could bring him happiness. But he paid a high price for such a short lasting success. He would forever be known as the prophet who betrayed God.
Now, let's return to the Turkish fable that we referenced at the beginning of the lesson to gain a better understanding of Balaam's mistake.
While the poor man from our rst story was still celebrating his rst success, the Sultana called for him. She too had lost a ring and wanted the poor man to find it.
“My ring has disappeared and I want you to find it. If you don’t find it by tomorrow morning, you will die.”
She then had the “hoja” arrested and thrown into prison. The “hoja” immediately fell onto the ground and started crying.
“What have I gotten myself into? How will I ever find her ring? I am a dead man!”
At the same moment, a young servant could not sleep because she was afraid of being caught. She had stolen the ring and wanted to confess her crime to the “hoja”. So she risked her life by going to the prison and told the hoja everything. The hoja realized his fortune
had changed and said:
“Don’t worry young girl. Find a duck in the garden and let it swallow the ring. But be sure to break its leg.”
The young girl snuck out and did exactly what he said. The next morning the hoja was called before the Padishah and he said:
“Master, let it be known in all the land that I have found your ring. If we go to the garden I will give it to you.”
The people began to whisper as they walked to the garden. The hoja started to scribble on his paper and stopped briefly to look at the birds. When he saw the limping duck he told the king:
“Master, kill that limping duck and you will find the lost ring inside it’.”
The Padishah ordered that it be done and to everyone’s amazement the ring was found.
Those of you who are familiar with this story know that the poor man became a very respected hoja. And while we may admire the wit and wisdom of the poor "hoja" in this story, deception is not a joke in real life. Deceit in a fable may be funny, but deceit in real life is a cursed sin. Balaam's actions prove to us that lying and cheating in real life push us away from God and towards the darkness of eternal doom. Unfortunately it is true, motivated by the desire for wealth and power to do evil, even a prophet isn’t immune to the temptation of sin!
Discussion Questions
1. What should the poor man have done differently? Was there anything wrong with what he did?
2. How could Balaam do wrong after God had spoken to him so many times?
3. Does it seem strange that a prophet could sin and actually disobey God?
4. What should Balaam have done the rst time the men came to him?
There was once a man who looked older than his age. He was a skilled man and with hard work was barely able to provide for he and his wife. One day his wife went to the bathhouse and noticed a huge crowd. She asked the other ladies,
“Why are all these people here? I’ve never seen a crowd like this before.”
The other ladies replied, “Haven’t you heard? The head soothsayer’s wife is coming to the bathhouse today.”
Just then, the sound of music lled the air and a great parade of people approached the bathhouse. The head bath woman, in the hope of receiving a great reward, honored the soothsayer’s wife and begged her to take her place. You can only imagine the impact all of this had on those poor women.
Feeling slighted and a bit jealous, the poor woman took her bath and returned home. On the way, she made up her mind and upon entering the home she said to her husband,
“Either you become a soothsayer or I will leave you!”
“What do you mean you will leave me? I am barely earning our daily bread. I don’t have enough time to learn the art of soothsaying.
How will I do what you are asking?” the man inquired.
But the woman wasn’t going to change her mind. He would become a soothsayer or she would leave him. Needless to say the man was despondent, his wife was beautiful and she was all he had.
That night, he decided to go to the coffeehouse and while he was in deep thought a friend approached,
“What’s up?”
With that simple question, the poor man explained everything to his friend. After hearing the whole story, his friend said,
“Don’t worry! I know the head bath woman and she will help us.”
The friend left the coffeehouse, went to the bathhouse, and consulted with the head bath woman. She thought for a moment and told the man,
“Tell your friend to sit outside the gate of the bath house tomorrow with paper, pen, and ink. Tell him to scribble away as if he were a soothsayer. And don’t worry, I will take care of the rest.”
So the poor man, even though he couldn’t read or write, went to the stationary store and bought the necessary materials. He then went to the bathhouse gate and started writing. It didn’t take long before everyone started calling him hoja. Just then, the chief soothsayer’s wife came for her usual bath.
While she was being tended to, one of the attendants took one of her costly rings and hid it in the mud, which had collected in the gutter. As this was the chief bath woman’s plan, she revealed the ring’s location to the poor man posing as a hoja.
It wasn’t long before the chief soothsayer’s wife was ranting and raving about her lost ring. While the attendants where running around trying to nd the ring, the chief bath woman approached her and said,
“There is a hoja sitting at the gate who is very skilled in nding lost items.”
“Well what are you waiting for? Go get him at once!” she screamed.
They ran to get the hoja and told him what happened. The poor man, posing as the wise hoja, stepped into the bath house and said,
"Stop worrying! The ring is buried in the mud at the narrow part of the gutter."
The chief bath woman sent an attendant to the spot and the ring was found. The lady was very happy and rewarded the hoja with lots of money. After receiving the money, he went home highly satis ed with his first success as a soothsayer. And that brings us to today’s Bible lesson.
In the Bible, we can read the story of a very interesting man named Balaam. Unlike the poor man who pretended to be a hoja, we know that Balaam was a real prophet because of his ability to communicate with God. But, the most interesting and disturbing part of his story is that he took advantage of his position to gain wealth and fame; a decision that would eventually cost him his life. We can start by reading the story in Numbers chapter 22 verses 1-6:
1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the eld. So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.
After the Israelites had spent a long 40 years wandering in the desert, they were standing on the edge of the Promised Land. Even though 40 years had passed, their identity and fame had spread far. So far that Balak, the king of Moab, was worried. He thought that a war was imminent and decided to call upon the services of Balaam, a man who he thought was nothing more than a spiritual mercenary, a diviner for hire.
So the king of Moab sent messengers to Balaam to explain what was happening, and to ask him to come and curse the Israelites. Balaam told the messengers that he would seek God’s will and invited them to stay the night. But that night, God spoke with Balaam and told him to send the men away. Balaam could not curse that which God had blessed.
But the king of Moab didn’t give up, he believed in the power of money. If the price was right Balaam would come. So he sent a
group of dignitaries to convince him. Now, Balaam already knew what God’s will was, but he really wanted that money. So, he told them to stay the night. This was Balaam’s first mistake!
We know that God can read our hearts and minds. And He knew what was in Balaam’s heart. But we also know that God allows us to make our own choices. So, God permitted Balaam to go with the men under one condition. Balaam could only say what God told him to say. The problem was that Balaam didn't want to listen to God. That was apparent when he allowed the second group of men to stay in his house after God sent them away. God knew what was in Balaam's heart and was about to teach him a lesson. Let’s continue reading the story in Numbers chapter 22 verses 22-30:
22 But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the eld. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 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? 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you. 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way? And he said, No.
As hard as it is to believe, this donkey actually spoke to Balaam. And Balaam didn’t seem to be surprised because he answered the donkey’s question. But more importantly there is some interesting symbolism in this event. Just as the donkey left the main road, Balaam turned from God’s direct will. Remember God didn’t want him to go and when he fell out of God’s favor he was subject to God’s judgment. And instead of opening his eyes and understanding the event as a warning, Balaam thought it was a distraction and hindrance to his main objective, which was to get money. So he beat his donkey and threatened it. Balaam was right! He was a fool, but not because of the donkey. Let’s see what happened by reading verses 31-35:
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD said to him, Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live. 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back. 35 And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you. So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
Many people in the world do not believe that there is a spiritual battle raging all around us. Do you think they would react the same way as Balaam if their eyes were opened? Would they continue to act like Balaam when bad things happen? Or would they recognize that sometimes bad things happen because they are disobeying God? They need to be reminded, just like Balaam, that God is in control.
Although God allowed Balaam to continue on his journey after he repented, it was clear that Balaam needed to leave his personal
motives behind. God would use him, but it was important that he follow God’s orders.
So Balaam continued his journey and eventually came to Balak the king of Moab. The king didn’t waste any time and immediately asked Balaam to curse the Israelites. But Balaam didn’t forget what God said and reminded Balak that he would only be able to say the words that God gave him. After the sacri ce of several bulls and rams, God gave Balaam his rst message. We can read it in Numbers chapter 23 verses 7-10:
7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said, From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel! 8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced? 9 For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations! 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!
Balak was furious because he was paying good money to Balaam. But instead of cursing Israel Balaam blessed them. The king of Moab was a stubborn man and so he took Balaam to another hilltop. From there they looked down upon the Israelites, offered more sacrifices, and waited for God’s next message. Unfortunately for Balak, the next message was also a blessing. Now any person in their right mind would probably realize that this was an exercise in futility. It didn’t matter how much he paid or how many sacrifices he made, God wasn’t going to curse what He had blessed. But Balak, the king of Moab, wasn’t in his right mind! So he took Balaam to another hilltop and begged him to curse Israel. Let’s read what happened in Numbers chapter 24 verses 3-9:
3 and he took up his discourse and said, The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, 4 the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! 6Like palm groves that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that the LORD has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters. 7 Water shall ow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He crouched, he lay down like a lion and like a lioness; who will rouse him up? Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you.
This blessing sounds familiar. Do you remember what God said to Abraham? He said that his seed would be like the stars and sand on the seashore. He said that He would bless those who blessed and curse those who cursed Abraham. God was making it clear that He had a covenant with Israel, the same covenant that He had with Abraham. Let us not forget that the main goal of that covenant was to bless the whole world!
Now up until this point, Balaam had only made one mistake and after repenting of his sin he did what God asked him to do. But Balaam wasn’t nished. He knew that he couldn’t curse Israel because God wouldn’t allow it. But what if he could get them to sin and fall out of God’s favor? God never warned him against that! So Balaam went to Balak, the king of Moab, and explained his plan. They could send Moabite women into the Israelites’ camp to seduce them into sexual immorality and idol worship. You may be thinking to yourself:
“Well now wait a minute. You mean to tell me that the Israelites, after all they had been through, would turn against God? That is impossible!’
But that is exactly what happened! And Balaam was involved every step of the way. We can read about it in Numbers chapter 25 verses 1-3:
1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacri ces of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
What Balaam couldn’t accomplish in words, he did in actions (see Numbers 31:16). Not only had the Israelites turned their backs on God, but they had also broken the rst and seventh commandments of God’s law. They worshipped other gods and committed adultery. Needless to say the consequence of their sin was great. A terrible plague raged through the camp and 24,000 people died.
Shortly thereafter, God ordered the Israelites to form an army and destroy the Moabites and Midianites. Both of whom had tempted the Israelites and openly rebelled against God. When the dust settled and the battle ended, Balaam was found among the dead. He thought that money and fame could bring him happiness. But he paid a high price for such a short lasting success. He would forever be known as the prophet who betrayed God.
Now, let's return to the Turkish fable that we referenced at the beginning of the lesson to gain a better understanding of Balaam's mistake.
While the poor man from our rst story was still celebrating his rst success, the Sultana called for him. She too had lost a ring and wanted the poor man to find it.
“My ring has disappeared and I want you to find it. If you don’t find it by tomorrow morning, you will die.”
She then had the “hoja” arrested and thrown into prison. The “hoja” immediately fell onto the ground and started crying.
“What have I gotten myself into? How will I ever find her ring? I am a dead man!”
At the same moment, a young servant could not sleep because she was afraid of being caught. She had stolen the ring and wanted to confess her crime to the “hoja”. So she risked her life by going to the prison and told the hoja everything. The hoja realized his fortune
had changed and said:
“Don’t worry young girl. Find a duck in the garden and let it swallow the ring. But be sure to break its leg.”
The young girl snuck out and did exactly what he said. The next morning the hoja was called before the Padishah and he said:
“Master, let it be known in all the land that I have found your ring. If we go to the garden I will give it to you.”
The people began to whisper as they walked to the garden. The hoja started to scribble on his paper and stopped briefly to look at the birds. When he saw the limping duck he told the king:
“Master, kill that limping duck and you will find the lost ring inside it’.”
The Padishah ordered that it be done and to everyone’s amazement the ring was found.
Those of you who are familiar with this story know that the poor man became a very respected hoja. And while we may admire the wit and wisdom of the poor "hoja" in this story, deception is not a joke in real life. Deceit in a fable may be funny, but deceit in real life is a cursed sin. Balaam's actions prove to us that lying and cheating in real life push us away from God and towards the darkness of eternal doom. Unfortunately it is true, motivated by the desire for wealth and power to do evil, even a prophet isn’t immune to the temptation of sin!
Discussion Questions
1. What should the poor man have done differently? Was there anything wrong with what he did?
2. How could Balaam do wrong after God had spoken to him so many times?
3. Does it seem strange that a prophet could sin and actually disobey God?
4. What should Balaam have done the rst time the men came to him?