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Dumb Donkey



  For a rather obscure figure, the New Testament mentions Balaam a lot.

  Jude 1:11, 2nd Peter 2:15-16, and Revelation 2:14 all make mention of the prophet son of Beor, yet not in a good way. He is held up as the example of what not to be. His desire for wealth causes him to accept what was clearly wrong. It took a dumb donkey to make him see the error of his ways. And even then, he still used his influence to drive the people of God into error, all for his own gain.

“ They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.”

--2nd Peter 2:15-16

  Maybe it does because his type is still common. Even in the early church, we see those more concerned about their pocketbook than the Good Book. Teachers who will say whatever as long as it fills their bank account. People who convince themselves that evil isn’t so bad since it keeps the economy going.

  As we read in 1st Timothy 6:10,  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  We need to be warned of people like Balaam because it is easy for us to become a person like Balaam. We all tend to what makes life easier for us. And money is that (Ecclesiastes 10:19). Yet we must be careful because that makes us dumb to the danger right in front of us!

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