Seder 119: Numbers 22---Some Clues for Evaluating Balaam

 Balaam, the renowned ancient diviner/sorcerer, is one of the most enigmatic figures in the Bible.  On the one hand, his oracles bless the Israelites and present important prophecies.  On the other hand, he later helped the Midianites to tempt a number of Israelites to commit sexual immorality and idolatry in the infamous incident at Baal Peor (Num 25:1-9; 31:16).

Commentator Michael Morales observes that ancient Jewish and Christian evaluations of Balaam are thoroughly negative, recognizing Balaam as one motivated primarily by greed (2 Pe 2:15-16; Jude 11; Pirke Avot 5:19).  Some more recent interpreters are kinder to Baalam, seeing him as a Gentile follower of the God of Israel who succumbed to temptation and fell away.  

Morales argues that a close reading of the text supports the ancients and brings up a number of telling points supporting a negative assessment of Baalam.  

First, consider what the Bible tells us about Baalam's occupation. Joshua describes him as "the one who practiced divination" (Josh 13:22), meaning that interpreted omens in order to predict the future.  This is an activity forbidden by the Torah (Dt 18:9-14), not one in which a true follower of God would engage.

Second, the narrator casts doubt upon the idea that Baalam has a relationship with the God of Israel, despite the fact that Baalam knows the name of the God of Israel (Num 22:8).  In the exchange between God and Baalam in Numbers 22:9-12, the narrator uses Elohim to refer to God, rather than his covenant name.  Verse 9 begins, "And God came to Baalam and said ..."  This is the same language used in Genesis when God comes to pagans at night and warns them not to harm his representatives (Ge 20:3; 31:24)

A third piece of evidence is Baalam's consistent desire to curse Israel.  After God makes his position on this issue unequivocally clear, Baalam fails to communicate this to Balak's envoys (Num 22:13-14).  Would a true follower of the God of Israel want Israel to be cursed?

Baalam makes some statements that sound pious on the surface, especially verse 18:  "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the LORD my God to do less or more."  

Here we should realize that disclaimers of this type were probably part of Baalam's usual sales pitch to potential clients.  When a customer came to Baalam asking him to curse nation X, this was really a request that Baalam persuade the god of nation X to curse nation X.  Baalam would probably acknowledge that in order for him to carry out such a request, the god of nation X would have to sign off on it.  Therefore, this wasn't really up to him.  He could only do what the god of nation X allowed, whoever that god was.  Numbers 22:18 does not imply that Baalam was a faithful follower of the God of Israel.  In fact, he hopes that he can persuade God to change his mind, as we see in verse 19 and throughout the rest of the narrative.  Again, this is not something that a follower of God would desire.