The Error of Balaam 7-The Error of Lip Service

"18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me"- Numbers 22:18-19 NIV New International Version

As we continue to examine the errors of Balaam,it is pertinent that  we revisit his conversation with his visitors.The opening sentence of his reply is a declaration that is impressive and high sounding. Balaam as we are aware, is given another opportunity as the enemy comes to check on his word based convictions.Although he declares to the men that he would not do anything great or small beyond the command of the Lord my God , in the very next verse he is making preparations to do just that. If he truly meant what he said with his lips, then there would have been no need for these men to spend another night in his house especially as they had the same request which was not favourably looked upon last time(Numbers 22:7-14).

It is also interesting  to note that as Balaam starts to deviate,he begins to sound more spiritual(Numbers 22:18).This time,when he speaks to his guests ,he not only addresses God as Lord but said "the Lord my God".Prior to this ,he had always referred to God as his "Lord". Ironically whenever God liaised  with Balaam,he is not referred to by his covenant name "Yahweh;Lord" but by the name "God".This makes me  wonder whether the writer was trying to let us know that there was a disconnect between the relationship portrayed by Balaam of himself and God compared to that which was really in existence.Severally he referred to God  with the covenant name "Lord"(Numbers 22:8,13) while the writer always used "God" and not the  covenant name (Numbers 22:9-12,20) in his dealings with Balaam.

The error of lip service which we see here is another common one we sometimes make, when we call him "Lord" and do not all that  he says(Luke 6:46).Jesus during one of his teachings talked about importance of following through our speech(Matthew 21 :28-32) and he still  requires our obedience (John 14:15)Although we proclaim him as Lord, he does not have the full rights and ownership over our lives, as we still choose to follow our own ideas in some areas of our lives.And because we sometimes have become quite familiar with church language "Christianese", we may actually  be declaring  one thing while our lives may be quite the opposite(Matthew 15:8).This is not to say that we will never make a mistake(1 John 1:8;2:1) but what distinguishes a sheep from a pig is their reaction when they fall into a muddy puddle(1 John 3:9,5:18. Living Bible).But  language alone  is not what identifies us  as children of God rather our whole lifestyle should be affected(1 John 2:4-6;2 Corinthians 5:15). 

Today, are there areas in our lives where our walk is not matching our talk and we are merely offering lip service?The death of Jesus on the cross which we commemorated last week was a culmination of a life whose talk matched his walk(Hebrews 5:8). He came to do the will of the father (John 6:38),at the greatest inconvenience(Luke 22:42) and misinterpretation(Matthew 27:41-44).Who said Jesus did not want to claim the Scriptures of long life(Exodus 20:12) when he went to the cross at 33(Luke 23:44-46).He died at an unpopular age just because he had come to do the will of the father.

The good news is  the victory which  the death of Jesus brought two thousand years ago is still very much available for us  today to ensure that  sin does  not rule over us as Christians( Romans 6:10-14,Titus 2:12).Or are we like Balaam, may have  been around church for so long and now  become familiar with the language but know deep within  that there is no  true relationship with God.
 You  can ask Jesus into  your heart,repent of your sins.he is waiting for you and if you do make that decision today,there is more.This  is just the first step,tell a Christian you know about it and you can also contact me for some resources to help you in the new journey.

Yours in His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

The Error of Balaam 6-The Error of checking again

At one time or the other, we all  probably may have  experienced the persistence of a child who does not want to take “No” for an answer. It sometimes seems like the first "No" provides the energy to make a come back again and the motive behind the tenacity is that  somewhere in the one track mind of a child is the hope that  given the right amount of doggedness ,they would eventually get a yes. But even we as  adults also are guilty of this and it is the next error we see Balaam committing.

" Balaam refused to come with us. Then again, Balak sent some more men,....." Numbers 22:14-15a   Today's Living Bible TLB

Balaam reaped what he sowed as  the messengers do not fully relay all the conversation with him  to Balak (Numbers 22:14-15). However it appears that they had said enough to let Balak know that he could try again. This he did as the Bible records that he sent more honourable men than the first group. It is the usual pattern of the enemy to use persistence in an attempt to break down our defences. (Joseph &Potiphar’s wife-Genesis 39:10;  Samson &Delilah-Judges 16:16-17 )

" Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished ambassadors than the former group"- Numbers 22:15 Today's Living Bible TLB

 "¹⁶ And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; ¹⁷ for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’”-Numbers 22:16-17 New English Translation NET

It is easy to read the story and think that this return visit occurred the next day but  taking into cognizance the distance between Moab and  Pethor which  was about a  thirty days journey, at least a minimum of sixty  days would have elapsed  between  the first and second visits .The dynamics of life may have moved negatively for him in this period ; recession, stagnation in ministry, unpaid utility bills and children’s school fees, threatening court charges are only but a few possibilities. This would have made the offer which the return of Balak’s emissaries brought worth considering again. Initially it was just the fee of divination(Numbers 22:7),but now he was  also given a blank cheque (Numbers 22:16-17) .It is not unusual for things to happen in our lives that that would tempt us to begin to reconsider our Word based convictions. 

¹⁹ Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

It is  also typical for the enemy to come knocking again but what was wrong was for Balaam to start considering again what he had already been forbidden not to do. Balaam entertained Balak’s emissaries and promised to check again what more the Lord would say but what exactly did he want to check? Approximately two months ago, he had a definite word from God not to go .Did he think God is fickle and was it possible for him to have a rethink,a second thought? 

 It is not that anything in particular is wrong with checking our instructions again  but in this case, Balaam was doing a recheck  because he did not want to obey the original command. Rather than adjusting his life to the definite word of God, he was looking for another word to suit his purpose. Sometimes we seek this other word by going to seek counselling elsewhere.This is a common error and one of the signs of the last days where we prefer to listen to teachers who would tell us what we want to hear and endorse our actions (2 Tim 4:3).

We are all tempted differently and at different times. The enemy hardly gives up  and may sometimes leave us for a while (Luke 4:13),to try again. Sometimes like Balaam, our search for a recheck or to listen to" what more "may be to endorse what we really want to do, regardless of God’s word. But God’s Word  is our instruction manual for life (Psalms 109:105).  As far as the Word of God is concerned, it is meant to be obeyed, not reasoned ( Luke 11:28,John 14:15;15:14 ,1 John 2:4).We should submit our desires to the Word and use it as a mirror to correct our actions(James 1:23-25, Psalms 119:9,11) rather than using it as a camera to take pictures of things as they are, with no change intended. God’s word   cannot and will not change (Psalms 119:89) and as his children, we should see it as the final authority.

Yours in His Service,
Grace Tom-Lawyer

The Error of Balaam 5-The Error of half truths

"9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”

10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”

13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us. " (Numbers 22:9-14 )New International Version.


When we were younger,we did what we were told to do ,without asking questions. For the most if we ever dared to ask why, the reply was  either "Y has a long tail and two branches" or "because I said so".But these days kids do not seem satisfied with those answers and  often have to be told the reason they should carry out an instruction.God in his conversation with Balaam appears to follow the current trend and  not only tells  Balaam not to go to curse the Israelites but he gives him the reason;"because they are blessed".End of story. However when Balaam meets his guests the next morning, he only tells them "the Lord has refused to let me go with you".He puts a period where God had put a comma.

Judging from the unspoken words of the latter conversation (Numbers 22:13-14), it appears from Balaam's reply that he is inadvertently saying "I would have loved to go with you but it is the Lord who is hindering me ".He hides from the Midianites  and the Moabites' emissaries the fact that this is a"mission impossible" task as the Israelites cannot be cursed.He refused to share this knowledge with them or deliver the whole counsel of God for ulterior motives.
There may be several reasons we may allude to his actions. Firstly it might be the issue of his reputation. It was the success of his ministry that brought these dignitaries from international borders.How could he possibly explain to them that the task at hand was beyond his expertise.Secondly,it may also be in a bid of political correctness that Balaam only  told the people that the Lord has refused me to come with you.At least with this answer,no one would be  offended and "the Lord" left  to blame that he could not go along with them.Thirdly,these men also did not come  empty handed so the issue of the reward  was at stake however  it appears that it is the first reason  that is the most  influential of his decision as these emissaries actually take their leave (Numbers 22:14).

 But this does not mean all of the truth should be said at once  as there are times we may need to exercise discretion in speaking the truth.When Ananias was told to anoint Paul ,he did not tell him all of what he was told as Paul was just a new believer and did not have the maturity to receive it all(Acts 9 :13-17).Abigail also shows the importance of timing  with truth telling (1 Samuel 25:36). 

Like  Balaam, sometimes in a bid to protect our reputation,we compromise with truth telling.In some instances, it is  personal gain or pride that hinders us and it may very well be that in this era of political correctness,we want to be accepted and prefer to receive the applause of men rather  than of God (John 12:43 ;Acts 5:29).There are definitely times we will need to say "No" in accordance with God's Word . This should be done  unapologetically with a gracious spirit,without  obnoxiousness(1 Peter 3:15-16) .


We have looked at yet  another error of Balaam in which he failed to faithfully deliver the whole counsel of God(1 Corinthians 4:2) for ulterior motives.This is not an uncommon temptation. Whereas Balaam did not have  the benefit of the written word,today we have the Bible to show us the counsel of God (Acts 20:27).All of the Bible is true and necessary for us to live a balanced life (Psalms 119:9;2 Timothy 3:16).It is therefore our responsibility to familiarize ourselves with the Word  in order to deliver us from the error of knowing half truths and  speaking likewise. 

In His Service, 
Grace Tom-Lawyer.