the ancient Romans were wont, when laying siege to a foreign city, solemnly to invite its special gods to

come out to them and join their side,9 promising them in return not only equal but higher honors than they

had hitherto enjoyed. And if something of this kind were now needful - if influence was to be exerted on the

God of the Israelites, who was so capable of it as Balaam, both from his profession as a dealer with the gods,

and from his special qualifications? And this leads up to the principal personage in this history, to his

character, and to the question of his religion.10

What has b een said of the knowledge which the king of Moab must have possessed of Jehovah's dealings

in reference to Israel (Exodus 15:14-16) applies, of course, with much greater force to Balaam himself. As a

professional magician, belonging to a family of magicians, and residing at one of their chief seats, it was

alike his duty and his interest to acquaint himself with such matters. Moreover, we ought not to forget that,

in the place of his residence, traditions of Abraham would linger with that Eastern local tenacity which we

have already had so frequent occasion to notice. Indeed, we have positive evidence that Balaam's inquiries

had gone back far beyond the recent dealings of Jehovah to His original covenant-relationship towards His

people. A comparison of the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 13:16 with the mode of expression used

by Balaam in Numbers 23:10; still more - the correspondence between Genesis 49:9 and Numbers 23:24, 24:9

in his description of Judah; but most of all, the virtual repetition of the prophecy Genesis 49:10 in Numbers

24:17, prove beyond doubt that Balaam had made himself fully acquainted with the promises of Jehovah to

Israel. That a professional soothsayer like Balaam should have been quite ready, upon a review of their

whole history, to acknowledge Jehovah as the national God of Israel, and to enter - if the expression may be

allowed - into professional relationship with such a powerful Deity, seems only natural in the circumstances.

This explains his conduct in speaking to and of Jehovah, and apparently owning Him. But in all this Balaam

did not advance a step beyond the mere heathen point of view, any more than Simon Magus when,

"beholding the miracles and signs which were done," "he was baptized;" (Acts 8:13) nor did his conduct

bring him nearer to the true service of Jehovah than were those seven sons of Sceva to that of Christ, when

they endeavored to cast out evil spirits in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:13, 14). In fact, Scripture

designates him uniformly by the word Kosem, which is the distinctive term for heathen soothsayers in

opposition to prophets of the Lord. And with this his whole conduct agrees. Had he possessed even the

most elementary knowledge of Jehovah as the only true and living God, or the most rudimentary

understanding of His covenant-purposes, he could not, considering his acquaintance with previous

prophecy, have for a moment entertained the idea of allying himself with Balak against Israel. On the other

hand, if, according to his view of the matter, he could have succeeded in making the God of Israel, so to

speak, one of his patron-deities, and if, upon his own terms, he could have become one of His prophets; still

more, if he could have gained such influence with Him as to turn Him from His purpose regarding Israel, then

would he have reached the goal of his ambition, and become by far the most powerful magician in the world.

Thus, in our opinion, from the time when we first meet him, standing where the two roads part, to the bitter

end of his treachery, wh en, receiving the reward of Judas, he was swept away in the destruction of Midian,

his conduct was throughout consistently heathen, and his progress rapid in the downward course.

Where the two roads part! In every great crisis of history, and, we feel persuaded, in the great crisis of every

individual life, there is such a meeting and parting of the two ways - to life or to destruction. It was so in the

case of Pharaoh, when Moses first brought him the summons of the Lord to let His people go free, provin g

his authority by indubitable signs. And Balaam stood at the meeting and parting of the two ways that night

when the ambassadors of Balak and the elders of Midian were for the first time under his roof. That embassy

was the crisis in his history. He had advanced to the knowledge that Jehovah, the God of Israel, was God.

The question now came: Would he recognize Him as the only true and living God, with Whom no such

relationship could exist as those which heathenism supposed; towards Whom every relationship must be

moral and spiritual, not magical - one of heart and of life service, not of influence and power? To use New

Testament language, in his general acknowledgment of Jehovah, Balaam had advanced to the position

described in the words: "he that is not against us is for us" (Luke 9:50). But this is only, as it were, the

meeting and parting of the two roads. The next question which comes is far deeper, and decisive, so far as

each individual is concerned. It refers to our relationship to the Person of Christ. And in regard to this we

read: "He that is not with Me is against Me" (Matthew 12:30).