22/08/2011 - BALAAM’S DOCTRINE

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But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Revelation 2:14

The Lord expects His children to live a perfect life but some of them open the doors to certain sinful deeds which they deem of no significance or importance. This way they stain their reputation and by doing so they cannot fully please God.
Any flaw in our faith is influenced by the devil. He sends his demons who, in certain cases, present themselves as innocent people or mere temptations. That is why you must beware of the traps set up by the enemy because they have great power to rob you of your salvation. Those who let themselves be carried away by the subtle tricks of hell create barriers that hinder their getting the blessings of the Lord.
Prophet Balaam knew our Creator and that is the reason why his work as a prophet was very powerful. But after being admonished by God – who made a donkey speak to complain about how vicious the prophet was by beating the animal up when all she was doing was to turn aside from the angel of God (Numbers 22:28) – Balaam insisted on his error and for that reason he was disqualified in the end.
The desire for what he could cash in with the gift he had received from God was one of Balaam’s biggest problems. Even today that kind of temptation leads many people into walking the wrong way. The devil used that trick even with Jesus Christ and, as was expected, he was not successful. You must imitate the Lord and every time the enemy comes to tempt you, rebuke him using the Gospel.
Because Balaam was prevented by the Most High from cursing the children of Israel, that traitor taught the Moabite king to put a stumbling block before the people of God. He revealed to that ruthless king that if
the Moabite women invited the Israelite men to their pagan feasts, in which they sold their bodies as prostitutes and did what was wrong in the eyes of the Lord, the sons of Israel would displease Him and, by doing so, they could be destroyed both by God and by the Moabites (Numbers 22:1-8).
Jesus spoke about the scandals that would come upon His people by saying that they were inevitable, but He warned that those who caused them would pay too high a price for that (Matthew 18:7). Therefore, it is good to be careful so as not to lure any child of God into wrongdoings. He will not forgive those who put a stumbling block in front of any of the little ones that believe in the Lord (Luke 17:2).
Just like those pagan feasts were sacrifices to demons, every religious feast that is not based on the Word of the Lord is about worshiping strange gods. It is not good to be among those people who attend these places because they do not know how much harm they are causing to themselves and to other people as well.
In Christ, with love,
R. R. Soares