Was Balaam a True or a False Prophet?

Weird Stuff in the Bible

If you don’t know Balaam’s story, you are behind the 8-ball. Most Christians don’t really know who Balaam is, which is a shame, because he is one of the most-referenced characters in the Bible. Balaam’s name comes up 59 times in Scripture.

In comparison, Mary is only mentioned 14 times. And yet, every Christian knows who Mary is. But not many know about Balaam. Balaam is mentioned in the Bible more than Noah, more than Sarah, more than Levi, more than Rachel, more than Isaiah. So if you don’t know who Balaam is, it’s about time you do.

That’s why I’ve done a couple of episodes now on the prophet Balaam. He is a lightning rod for weird stuff, and that makes his story fertile ground for a podcast about weird stuff in the Bible.

Here’s a question I’ve been wondering about: was Balaam a true prophet or a false prophet?

I ask because everything Balaam says comes true, and that’s the test of whether someone’s a true or false prophet, right? Except,

II Peter 2, a chapter all about false prophets, says:

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.

So, everything Balaam says was a true prophecy, yet the New Testament still implies that he was a false prophet. Is this confusing or what?

So I find this to be weird.

I think I have a solution to this problem, and I’ll share it with you today. Turn to Numbers 23 and let’s get weird.

0:00 - Introduction

2:25 - Recap

5:50 - What Happened Up on that Mountain

10:40 - Balaam in the New Testament

12:20 - Motive Matters

16:45 - A Question for the Audience

17:45 - Closing Thoughts from Jude 11

If you want to get in touch, my email is [e-mail]

Hosted by Luke Taylor