When Balak first sent his messengers to him, God told him not to follow them to curse Israel (a nation He has blessed) and he complied. When Balak later sent a more powerful delegation with mouth-watering promises, Balaam refused to take God's earlier "No" for an answer and asked the delegation to stay overnight for him to learn what else God will say. God grudgingly allowed him to go with them and waylaid him before warning him to say only what He tells him to say there.
Thrice , Balak built 7 altars and offered 7 bulls and 7 rams on them. Each time, Balaam stepped aside to seek God's face and God made him bless Israel instead of cursing them. This annoyed Balak and he sent him away . (Read Numbers chapters 22-24).
Balaam "loved the reward of wrongdoing", though he was too smart to curse Israel so as not to be struck down by God. So he sponsored Moabite and Midianite women to lure Israel into sin so that God will punish them Himself (Revelation 2:14; Numbers 31:15,16). Though his plot succeeded, God led Israel to attack Midian and he was killed there (Numbers 31:1-8).
The Bible says at 1 Timothy 6:10, " The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows". Greediness is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5).
Though Balaam was not an Israelite, he enjoyed God's favour until the love of money led him astray. (Contrast Balaam with Job, another non-Israelite who found favour with God till the end of his life). May we not end up like Balaam.
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