If Balaam had stopped with his visions from God,
he would have been safe; but he wanted the money and
honor Balak promised, so he told the king how to defeat
Israel. His plan was simple. Invite the Jews to share in
the heathen sacrificial feasts and corrupt them. The
feasts of Baal were terribly wicked, and Balaam knew
that the Jewish men would be tempted to join with the
Moabite women. This is exactly what happened. In fact,
one Israelite was bold enough to bring a Midianite woman
home right in the sight of Moses. What the armies of the
other nations could not do, the women of Moab and Midian
were doing. There is a lesson here for each of us. If
Satan cannot overcome God’s people as a lion (I Peter
5:8), then he comes as a serpent. We should always
beware of the friendliness of God’s enemies; for their
smiles, snares, and gifts could bring us to destruction.
Balaam’s one mistake (mentioned in Jude 11) was that he
thought Israel’s sins would destroy the nation.

Revelation 2:14 mentions the doctrine of Balaam.
This doctrine is compromise. Christians today must deal
with this doctrine. We must never forget that our
calling is to be separate–never joining with the world,
for joining with the world can only mean judgment and
ruin.

Balaam was successful to a degree, but he did
not understand the grace of God. God did not leave or
forsake the children of Israel. He did punish and
chastise their sin, but because of His marvelous and
matchless grace, He will never leave or forsake His own.
Though we may fall and go astray, God wants us to turn
to Him in sincere repentance, so that we might again be
cleansed and fit for fellowship and serve for our Lord.
There will be many Balaks and Balaams in our Christian
life. Our only fight against them is to put on the whole
armour of God, that we may be able to withstand the
wiles and temptations of the devil (Ephesians 6).