Fri. Zoom Class on Acts / Article: Balaam-A Preacher Corrupted by Money
Frank Walton
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Balaam: The Preacher Corrupted by Money
The New Testament uses Balaam three times to warn us about a preacher who was corrupted by the desire to get money (2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). Yet, when we read Numbers 22-24 in the Old Testament, he doesn't seem all that bad on the surface. He seems like a friendly guy who just wants to get along with everybody. He was just curious what King Balak had in mind. Yet, he ends up being infamously labeled as a greedy compromiser.
Note what sounds good about him on the surface:
· He prays and pleads with God multiple times (Numbers 22:8, 19; 23:3).
· He professes dedication to preaching only God’s truth. "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more" (Numbers 22:18; cp. Numbers 24:13).
· He even offers generous, extravagant sacrifices in worship to God and prophecies (Numbers 23:1, 4).
Why does God warn us about Balaam?
First, why was Balaam, a prophet of God, even negotiating or considering the request of the king of Moab to curse God’s people? Moab was clearly a nation that was an enemy to God's people, and as a prophet of God he should not help them at all.
Why, when God already declined his first request, did he go back and try to speak with him again (cf. Numbers 22:12, 19)? Wasn't God clear the first time in saying “don’t go with them” (Num. 22:12)? Why did he seek a second opinion from God on the matter?
Why would he flirt with danger and disaster and get so cozy with known enemies of God and truth? What kind of impression was this giving to the people he was leading by constant interactions with the Moabites and the Midianites?
Why wouldn't Balaam tell Israel they should move out of the area and away from this enemy to avoid their influence (Numbers 25:1)? Why stay nearby? Why not separate and flee? Remember, Paul said “flee” when temptation presents itself (1 Cor. 6:18, 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11, 2 Tim. 2:22).
The Love of Money
Of course, all along, the New Testament provides us with the answer as to why Balaam persisted: "for profit" (Jude 11) and "the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Peter 2:15). Deep down, he was covetous and greedy for money. Paul warns us: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10).
Balaam talked like he knew the right course of action was to not compromise
with King Balak’s offer, but deep down his lust for money would not allow him
to miss this opportunity to cash in on a big payday in cursing the children of
Israel. Although God stopped him from cursing Israel in Num. 24, we can deduce
in Num. 25 that Balaam simply told King Balak that to defeat Israel he simply
needed to send some Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men to engage in
sexual rites associated with idolatry (Num. 25:1-3, 1 Cor. 10:7-8).
Balaam could see the "diviner's fee" in the "hand" of the "elders of Midian" when they came calling for his services (Numbers 22:7). It must have been a flattering pull to have the "honorable princes" of this powerful nation consulting him (Numbers 22:15). He suddenly delays, dodges, and doubtfully gives answers when God was clear about His will all along to not go with the Moabites. He may have said the right things about money, but clearly, money was a major lure in why he would not take a hard stand and put an end to flirting with the enemy. He should have cut things off quickly, but instead kept stalling, waffling, and wavering, prolonging a dead-end relationship. He was a prophet-for-profit and thereby sold his soul for mere money.
Lessons From Balaam
Then, I think about how God wanted us to learn from Balaam. He wanted preachers like me and preachers like many of my friends to realize that false teachers today get swayed by the same things. We are susceptible to the temptations of money and pride. We see "the diviner's fee" and an opportunity to increase our bottom line, and we can start to become shifty and shady, like Balaam.
Some preachers who face difficulties in poverty become “internet fishermen” to try to attract naïve brethren in affluent countries to support them in their work. This can morph into deception in order to exaggerate their situation to enable them to solicit for more and more money. For example, a Ugandan preacher posted pictures of a large funeral assembly and said this was a large gathering for his gospel meeting, in order to deceive and impress Americans of the great work he was doing, which of course needed monetary support.
I have known of preachers in Africa that spend a great deal of time on Facebook, connecting with hundreds of American churches and going through the “Friends List” of preachers in order to constantly solicit for money. Because the church of Christ does not have a centralized, overseeing organization like the Catholics, Anglicans, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc., they think they can get away with it. If they do secure funds from one source, they hide this from others they solicit for more funds. To not be corrupted by greed for money, a preacher should report all sources of funds if supported by different parties. Sometimes a church thinks they are the only one supporting a preacher, but later discovers this preacher has secured multiple contributions from other sources. Feeling deceived, this church will cut this greedy preacher off, and this church will probably never ever support a preacher again in Africa. One rotten apple will spoil the whole barrel!
Also, some preachers may want to preach out of both sides of their mouths. The problem is that "truth" doesn't have two equal sides. This type of two-facedness is unbecoming of truth-proclaimers following in the heritage of men and women who died for the sake of truth and the proclamation of the unadulterated gospel. They avoid hard subjects or making overt applications (like this post) because they fear it may not be received well if they get too pointed (Jesus didn't seem to mind — Matthew 21:45). Some are preaching to keep a job rather than calling people to repentance.
Don’t see preaching as an opportunity to gain money from American churches or Christians. There's a fine line and vast difference between a preacher who gets paid to preach and one who preaches to get paid. I don't want to preach sermons that sound more like those of a feel-good life coach, just to be liked and invited back to preach at a large church. I don't want to compromise my convictions and connections by cursing the very people I'm called to protect and edify, just because it might be good for lining my pocket. Balaam was seduced by the temptation to compromise the truth for money. We're warned not to follow his path and speak truth in love clearly, unequivocally, and unashamedly, regardless of the earthly outcomes.
The apostle Paul urges preachers: “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4:2-5).
This means Gospel preachers, to be truly dedicated to the Lord’s work, must continually work on their personal character and spiritual growth. Paul advises the preacher Timothy, “Be an example to believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching….Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:12-16).
Adapted and expanded by Frank Walton from Josh Welch