Tag: Compromise is Always Judged - Joshua 11-15

Joshua 13:22

Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.

Tag:   Compromise is Always Judged

Balaam was, at one time, a man of God.  He was enticed, by wealth, power and prestige, to trick Israel into living a life of compromise with their enemies.  He was asked on multiple occasions to curse Israel.  When he continued to refuse to curse them, the enemies of Israel increased the wages.  He finally convinced the enemy to simply marry into the nation of Israel and allow the match-making to take its course.  Eventually the wives would convince the Israelite husbands to compromise their faith and follow the false gods of their enemy.   They would convince them, too, to compromise.  The example Balaam is found numerous times in God’s word and used to emphasize the dangers of compromise.  Balaam compromised himself to eventually compromise the entire nation of Israel.  God despises compromise.   In the above verse we see that Balaam is finally judged.   God will always judge compromise.   We have to make sure that we understand that God hates the ways of Balaam.  Noticed what the NT says about Balaam:

2 Peter 2:15

Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

Revelation 2:14

But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.

God holds all of us to the same standard today.  God hates the ways of Balaam ... compromising our faith and mixing our faith with the world is contrary to the holiness of God.   Compromise will, eventually, be judged.