Who was Balaam?

Who was Balaam?

The book of Revelation is one of the most popular books of all time. It should come as no surprise that society relates so many worldly issues to this text. John of Patmos is considered to be the author of this text. John mentions many different people in his writing. Some of the individuals he wrote about were completely foreign to me. The name that stood out the most to me was Balaam. John references Balaam as if he was a fabricated teacher. More interestingly, in my opinion, John illustrated Balaam as a man of influence. Through further research I learned that there are other books that mentioned the unidentified man named Balaam. This gentleman has been talked about in the Old and New Testament, but who is he?

Since biblical names have always held symbolism and honor throughout history, it could be helpful to begin with the meaning of Balaam’s name. Thename “Balaam” means “Destroyer Of People.”  Because of this meaning of the name connections can be drawn to the book of Revelation. John refers to Balaam as a stumbling block to the people.  This answer is logical, but I think it would be premature to just assume this is all we need to know about Balaam. To get clarity we need to take a step back and study the Old Testament.

Balaam in the Old Testament

Balaam is name is mentioned in several books of the Bible. Each book gives us a different illustration of who Balaam was. The website http://biblehub.com/topical/b/balaam.htm tells us that Balaam was also referenced as an individual that held supernatural powers. From my understanding, he was contacted by Balak, king of Moab, who feared that the people of Israel would attack his country. Balak needed Balaam services to curse the Israelis. Insteadof cursing the people he coerced by the spirit to bless the children of Israel(Numbers 22:5 and Numbers 22:22). The website goes on to inform us that Balaam was most likely a descendant of Shem and carried some of the same ideas as God.Even though he had similar ideas he didn’t have similar intentions. As a result, he died an unrighteous man.

What did we learn from this passage?

1. Balaam has authority.
2. Balaam has Godlike powers.
3. Balaam had evil intentions, but was forced into doing good deeds.
4. Balaam’s actions definitely coincides with the meaning of his name.

Who is Balaam in Revelation?

According to the website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaam the etymology of Balaam’s name is unclear. He is considered to be a prophet and the son of Beor. Furthermore; allof Balaam’s positive contributions were not done out love, but because the spirit forced him to. Instead of him being viewed as a blessing, Balaam is depicted as a wicked man. The root of Balaam’s wickedness was his decision to sabotage the Israelites on the Promise Land. The Israelites listened to Balaam teachings about the worshiping idols and were plagued because of it.

Regardless of Balaam’s true identity we can conclude that he is a man of influence.  My research has brought me to believe that Balaam held a large amount of power. Balaam is talked about in the Old and New Testament. In my opinion, there should be more discussions about this influential character. Although Balaam had corrupt ways God used him to help the masses.