Numbers 22:5
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
Scofield's Notes have some very insightful things to say about "Balaamism."
"Balaam is the typical hireling prophet, seeking only to make a market of his gift. This is "the way of Balaam" (2Pe_2:15) and characterizes false teachers. The "error" of Balaam" (Jud_1:11) was that he could see only the natural morality -- a holy God, he reasoned, must curse such a people as Israel. Like all false teachers he was ignorant of the higher morality of vicarious atonement, by which God could be just and yet the justifier of believing sinners (Rom_3:26). The "doctrine of Balaam" (Rev_2:14) refers to his teaching Balak to corrupt the people whom he could not curse; (Num_31:16); (Num_25:1-3); (Jam_4:4). Spiritually, Balaamism in teaching never rises above natural reasonings; in practice, it is easy world-conformity."
• Watch Balaam as he hears the message from God and struggles with obeying the Lord or accepting promotion.
• See him as he makes a vain show of piety, insisting he cannot but speak what God has said and yet
• Notice that in the end, it is man, not God he really serves
Is this not exactly what we see in so much of Christianity today?
I think we could call much if not most of Christianity today Balaamism. There is a show of seeking God and there is access to God in many of the churches today, but there is no real intention to obey and follow Him.
• They salve their consciences with the fact that they have a show of worship and
• They justify what they do by reasoning God did not forbid them from doing it but
• They cannot see the real truths of atonement.
• They press for a worldly morality, not able to see a higher morality that is in Christ and
• They choose the easy and the worldly road.
Is there an answer to modern day Balaamism? Of course there is because in Christ there is always hope. The answer must always be in an absolute surrender to Christ and a coming out of the world. No portion of this world will ever be pleasing to God. No amount of reason and justification will make compromise with this world acceptable to God. No sort of apparent success will ever be proof enough that a worldly course is within the will of God. Only absolute surrender to Christ will reverse the course of Balaamism in the churches of today.
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
Scofield's Notes have some very insightful things to say about "Balaamism."
"Balaam is the typical hireling prophet, seeking only to make a market of his gift. This is "the way of Balaam" (2Pe_2:15) and characterizes false teachers. The "error" of Balaam" (Jud_1:11) was that he could see only the natural morality -- a holy God, he reasoned, must curse such a people as Israel. Like all false teachers he was ignorant of the higher morality of vicarious atonement, by which God could be just and yet the justifier of believing sinners (Rom_3:26). The "doctrine of Balaam" (Rev_2:14) refers to his teaching Balak to corrupt the people whom he could not curse; (Num_31:16); (Num_25:1-3); (Jam_4:4). Spiritually, Balaamism in teaching never rises above natural reasonings; in practice, it is easy world-conformity."
• Watch Balaam as he hears the message from God and struggles with obeying the Lord or accepting promotion.
• See him as he makes a vain show of piety, insisting he cannot but speak what God has said and yet
• Notice that in the end, it is man, not God he really serves
Is this not exactly what we see in so much of Christianity today?
I think we could call much if not most of Christianity today Balaamism. There is a show of seeking God and there is access to God in many of the churches today, but there is no real intention to obey and follow Him.
• They salve their consciences with the fact that they have a show of worship and
• They justify what they do by reasoning God did not forbid them from doing it but
• They cannot see the real truths of atonement.
• They press for a worldly morality, not able to see a higher morality that is in Christ and
• They choose the easy and the worldly road.
Is there an answer to modern day Balaamism? Of course there is because in Christ there is always hope. The answer must always be in an absolute surrender to Christ and a coming out of the world. No portion of this world will ever be pleasing to God. No amount of reason and justification will make compromise with this world acceptable to God. No sort of apparent success will ever be proof enough that a worldly course is within the will of God. Only absolute surrender to Christ will reverse the course of Balaamism in the churches of today.
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