The Deceitful Counsel

An unfortunate parallel

It’s important to understand that in the New Testament, Balaam became known as a false prophet and a sad example of wandering from truth to greed. Thus, when Peter charges false teachers with greed, he supports this accusation by providing an Old Testament equivalent in Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15,16). The same happens in the Epistle of Jude: the false teachers fall into, “Balaam’s error for the sake of gain”. 
 

The Evil Advice

However, in the Book of Revelation we hear sharp condemnation of not just Balaam’s greed, but of “Balaam’s teaching”. What did Balaam teach? In Numbers 31:16, we find a hint that Balaam advised (possibly King Balak) on how to get the Israelites to commit the sins of fornication and idolatry. The Israelites fell into wrongdoing due to these traps and as a result the Lord sent the plague among the people of Israel. 
  

Discover the hidden layers of the Bible

As a result of Balaam’s deceitful counsel, Israel was led to worship idols and immorality. Jesus’ accusation was that like the Israelites, the church was being led in the same direction by the people who “hold to the teaching of Balaam”. You miss a lot if you don’t read the New Testament in its Jewish context. To discover the hidden layers of Jesus’ words, enroll in our course Jewish Background of the New Testament.