There are few figures in Scripture more unsettling than Balaam. He was not a pagan fumbling in ignorance. He was not an obviously false prophet standing in open opposition to God. Balaam spoke with God, heard from God, and even declared, “I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God.”
On the surface, that sounds like a man of conviction.
And yet, when the New Testament issues one of its clearest warnings to the church, it reaches back and names him specifically. That alone ought to arrest the attention of any man who handles the word of God. Balaam’s downfall was not rooted in outright rebellion. It was rooted in something far more subtle and dangerous: a willingness to compromise for personal gain.
The New Testament does not leave the doctrine of Balaam undefined. In Revelation 2:14, the Lord rebukes the church at Pergamos for tolerating those who hold it, explaining that Balaam taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, leading them into idolatry and immorality. Peter adds that Balaam “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15), and Jude warns of those who run greedily after his error “for reward” (Jude 11).
Taken together, the meaning is unmistakable. The doctrine of Balaam is not ignorance or doctrinal confusion. It is a deliberate posture of the heart, a willingness to bend truth, soften conviction, or blur separation in order to gain something in return.
Within the narrative (Numbers 22–25), Balaam is unable to curse Israel. Each time he attempts to do so, God compels him to bless instead. Outwardly, it appears that Balaam remains faithful. He speaks only what God gives him.
But Scripture reveals that he found another way.
If he could not curse Israel directly, he would corrupt them indirectly.
According to the New Testament, Balaam taught Balak how to bring Israel down from within by leading them into idolatry and immorality. And it worked. Israel fell, not by the power of an external curse, but through internal compromise.
At the center of it all lies the defining statement of Balaam’s character. He “loved the wages of unrighteousness.” This is not merely a note about his actions; it is a revelation of his heart. Balaam was not forced into compromise. He was drawn into it because he desired what was being offered.
That desire did not immediately lead him to reject truth. Instead, it led him to begin adjusting around it. He remained close enough to truth to sound right, but far enough from it to be dangerous.
Many preachers have come to a dangerous conclusion, whether they would say it outright or not, that gain is godliness. They may never quote it, but they live as though church or social media growth, influence, finances, and favor are the metrics of divine blessing. In doing so, they have quietly traded eternal rewards for temporal success.
Instead of being governed by biblical principle, they have allowed pragmatic results to set the boundaries of their ministry. Fame, favor, finances, and followers begin to push decisions. And little by little, those pressures stretch a ministry past the lines God drew.
A hard truth is avoided because it might cost too much. A doctrine or text gets softened here. A separation gets ignored there. After all, what is wrong with partaking in ecumenical services, as long as I know what I believe.
And before long, the ministry still carries the name of God, but it is being driven by something else entirely.
That is Balaam’s doctrine alive and well. And unfortunately, should you walk in it, there will be many others who embrace this pragmatic doctrine to cheer you on.
A man influenced by it does not necessarily abandon truth. He may continue to preach it, affirm it, and even defend it in certain contexts. But his obedience becomes conditional. His convictions become, negotiable, expendable, vendible.
He is no longer simply asking, “What has God said?”
He is asking, “What will this cost me. What might I gain if I adjust it?”
Balaam’s compromise also rarely presents itself as such. More often, it appears as strategy, wisdom, or even effectiveness. But beneath those labels lies the same underlying exchange, principles adjusted in order to secure advantage.
Balaam’s life demonstrates that a man can maintain the appearance of faithfulness while drifting. He can speak truth publicly while subtly reshaping it privately. And over time, that inward drift produces outward corruption.
The conclusion of Balaam’s story is as sobering as its development is gradual. Numbers 31:8 records that he was slain among the enemies of God. The man who once stood in God’s presence ultimately fell in the company of those opposed to Him.
The central question is not whether a man can preach, influence, or even speak truth. Balaam could do all of those things.
The question is far more searching:
What is the price of a preacher?
Because every compromise carries a cost, and it is rarely paid in the currency expected. What is gained in the moment often results in something far more valuable being lost.
About The Author
Interesting
Thank you
Amen brother Randy. It’s a sobering thought how much our motives will be burned up at the Judgement of Christ.
No wonder the Church is in the condition it’s in today. It’s not persecution that will destroy our influence – it’s posterity.