We have discussed the Biblical concept of Truth, of Knowledge, and of Language separately, but in reality, these three are integral to one another within the Scripture. In order to illustrate this, I would like to talk about the story of Balaam.
After Israel left Egypt under the leadership of Moses, they traveled in a nomadic fashion in a relatively small section of land between Egypt and Canaan. Because of the dramatic way in which they left Egypt, and because of one or two military encounters they had during their travels, the Israelites were known and feared by the Canaanites. One such group were the Moabites.
The Moabites had a problem. They were certain that the Israelites were on their way, and that when they arrived, they would be an unstoppable force. Certain of a military defeat, Balak, the king of Moab, decided to pursue a supernatural course to bring about the fall of Israel.
There was a well-known local prophet named Balaam who had gained a reputation for being able to successfully curse or bless individuals or groups. His curses or blessings invariably stuck, making him 100% reliable. Balak therefore decided that if Balaam were to be paid a sufficient amount of money, he would curse Israel, and they would then fall.
At this point, I must pause the narrative to comment. Because of a mistaken worldview, Balak made a false assumption. His mistake was a misinterpretation of cause and effect. The fact of the matter was that Balaam was a prophet of God, meaning that God spoke through him. Since God’s words are always true, when Balaam cursed or blessed someone, he was simply informing them of a curse or blessing that already existed and came directly from God. In other words, Balaam did not have the power to bless or curse. He was simply able to accurately tell people what God had already decided. Balaam himself explicitly says this multiple times throughout the story.
So Balak sends generous gifts to Balaam, promising even more gifts if Balaam is able to successfully level a curse against Israel.
Since Balaam’s only ability was to speak that which God had already decided, he has a problem. He can be a wealthy man if it just so happens that God has already cursed Israel. But if this is not the case, his gift gives him no access whatever to the money. So Balaam consults God and receives what, to him, was the worst possible news: not only does God strictly forbid him to go with to Balak, but He has actually blessed the king’s enemies.
Let’s pause again to examine Balaam’s incorrect assumptions. Balaam has a gift which has been granted to only a handful of people over the years: the ability to talk directly to God and receive immediate verbal responses. In terms of rarity and true value, this gift is possibly the most valuable thing to ever have existed such that it cannot be obtained for any amount of wealth. However, Balaam esteems money and worldly wealth as more valuable than even his ability to talk to God. We see that even though Balaam has received direct knowledge from God, his idea of truth is distorted by greed for wealth and the recognition of men.
Receiving the news that Balaam will not come, Balak does the only thing he can think to do, and tries to sweeten the pot by offering even more wealth than before. Desperate to get his hands on the wealth, Balaam requests once more of God to let him go.
Throughout the scriptures, we can find examples of people trying to negotiate with God. This is problematic since, once God decides something, His decision is unalterable. That said, God always allows people the option to disobey Him, but not without consequence. This is exactly what happens in this case. God tells Balaam to go, not because He changed His mind, but because Balaam has already decided to go, placing a premium on wealth rather than obedience to God.
As Balaam travels, God places an angel with a drawn sword in his path. Balaam, a prophet of God, is blind to the danger. Instead God intentionally grants spiritual sight to Balaam’s donkey. The donkey swerves to avoid the angel several times, and Balaam flies off the handle, beating the donkey harshly.
At this point God gives the donkey the ability to speak. Now, this is the only time we ever have a record of God giving speech to an animal. Needless to say, this is a very unusual event, and it’s worth asking why God did this?
To answer this question, I must once more reiterate the position that Balaam held. Not only did Balaam have the gift to verbally communicate with God, but the Spirit of God would come on him and he would actually speak the words of God to others. It is impossible to overstate the honor that such a position held.
Balaam, however, was treating his position with contempt, by making himself mercenary. By giving speech to the donkey, God was illustrating to Balaam that He, God, was free to choose anyone to speak for Him. God made Balaam and his donkey equals in that moment. There was nothing special about Balaam that made God select him for this gift any more than there was anything special about the donkey.
This is important for our larger lesson as well. The ability to speak, to use language, is a part of God’s nature that he grants to man, because man was designed to reflect God’s nature. And just like every other sacred gift that he gave us, we have corrupted and profaned language. God can give language, and the understanding to use it, as he sees fit, just as he did by granting Balaam’s donkey a human level of understanding and speech. He can also take it as He sees fit, just as he did to Nebuchadnezzar by reducing him to an animal level of understanding and no ability to speak. Man’s worth does not come from within, as postmodernism would teach. God’s nature is what makes man special, and when we fail to reflect His nature, we abandon our own worth.
At this point, God opens Balaam’s eyes and he, too, sees the angel with the sword. Balaam repents of his sin, and is placed in the mortifying position of having to apologize to his donkey. Most likely Balaam’s repentance had more to do with the giant angel standing over him with a drawn sword than it did with his realization of his true sin of undervaluing his position as prophet, because his later actions show that he still has a desire to somehow gain access to the wealth that Balak is offering.
So Balaam goes to with Balak to the mountain top and instructs the king to offer sacrifices to God. Now in the old testament, when sacrifices are offered, they are only offered for one of two reasons: repentance of sin, or as a way of subjecting yourself to the Creator by giving gifts to Him. Both Balak and Balaam had sins aplenty to repent of, but there doesn’t appear to be any repentance implicit in these offerings. Moreover, if they were subjecting themselves to God’s rule, they would accept what He had to say with humility. Since they don’t do this either, it appears the sacrifices are a vain attempt to bribe God into giving them the answer they want.
Once the sacrifices are given, Balaam opens his mouth, and prophecies for God. The blessing that God pours out on His people in this prophecy is breathtakingly beautiful. It almost seems like a love song of a Father for his children.
Now we know at this point that God’s words are true and unalterable. Balak was in a privileged positions that very few earthly rulers ever get: hearing the direct Word of God. If he had recognized his position of privilege, and really listened to what Balaam was saying, there was an answer to his problem which we will discuss shortly.
Balak, however, grasps neither the nature of God, nor the privilege of his position. All he knows is that Balaam just blessed the people he ask him to curse, and that Balaam’s blessings are generally true.
In frustration, Balak tries several more times from various mountain tops, offering sacrifices and prompting Balaam to prophecy, and each time, he is granted the rare privilege of hearing God’s blessings on His chosen people.
Finally, with the knowledge that no curse will be forthcoming, Balaam makes a suggestion. Realizing that:
1.) The people of Israel dwell under God’s blessing
2.) The Moabites are considered corrupt and wicked by God
Balaam realizes that that which is purified can be corrupted by that which is impure. Now Balaam’s insight is absolutely true. However, what he chooses to do with this insight reflects a corrupt use of this knowledge. He suggests that Balak send some Moabite women among the Israelites to sleep with them, thus defiling themselves and bringing them under God’s judgment.This they do with relative success.
Now let us consider an alternative option which probably never occurred to either Balaam or Balak. Down in that valley lay the camp of a people which were under God’s blessing. They had with them a book of law, given to them directly by God, which related how to live righteously in the presence of God. In that book of law were specific instructions that gave foreigners living among them privileges almost equal to citizens. Furthermore, there were explicit instructions in their law allowing Gentiles to convert to their faith and be welcomed among them as members. And while it was true that that which was pure could be corrupted, it is also true that that which is corrupt could be purified.
We know this, because a generation later this exact thing happens. The harlot Rahab turns her back on her culture and people, asking to be inducted into the Hebrew people. She, though formerly a Gentile and a harlot, is welcomed in and blessed by God. She marries a Hebrew and she is purified in the union rather than corrupting him.
Balak, Balaam, and the Moabites had the opportunity, given to them on a golden platter, to repent, avoid destruction, and seek out the true treasure of the knowledge of God. Instead, they used the knowledge they received for their own corrupt purposes.
Hopefully you can see how this story illustrates the way that truth, knowledge, and speech all work together for the glory of God, and how Man abuses them to his own destruction.
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