Lessons from Baalam

Why the Lord "came to Balaam" and allowed him to go and got angry at him, immediately afterwards, for doing so? After all, Balaam has His permission to go ?!?

In the Balak/Balaam incident in Numbers 22,

• First time, when the elders of Moab approached Balaam, he checks up with the Lord and the Lord says "No". Balaam conveys the same to the elders.
• Second time, when more distinguished officials of Moab came, again Balaam checks up with the Lord and in verse 20, Lord allows him to "go with them, but do only what I tell you."

- However, in verse 22, "God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him."

Answer
"God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind" (Num 23:19). God's plan was not to curse the Israelites and he never changed his plan.

To give a brief introduction about Balaam, he was a false prophet used by the Moabites to curse or bless people for money (Num 24:1). Even after God instructs him not to curse his blessed people (Num 22:12), consumed by his greed, he decides to wait for one more night to hear God's instruction hoping for a change in God's response. God tells him to go with the men only to speak his words. Balaam's intention when he went with the princes of moab was not to obey God's word but to lay his hands on Balak's honor and riches.

Did God know this? Yes. Peter, the apostle of Christ writes about false prophets following the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness (II Pet 2:15). We have a similar situation when Jesus was anointed with an expensive perfume at Bethany. Judas objects to this saying the perfume could be sold and the proceeds given to the poor. John 12:6 says, "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (Matt 6:24).

God knew that Balaam would go against his word and so he was angry with him and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.

Read alternate answer submited by a reader here