The man whom the Moabites and Midianites believed to be Moses' peer was
none other than Laban, Israel's arch-enemy, who in olden days had
wanted to root out entirely Jacob and all his family, [722] and who had
later on incited Pharaoh and Amalek against the people of Israel to
bring about their destruction. [723] Hence, too, the name Balaam,
"Devourer of Nations," for he was determined to devour the nation of
Israel. [724] Just at this time Balaam was at the zenith of his power,
for his curse had brought upon the Moabites their defeat at the hands
of Sihon, and his prophecy that his compatriot Balak should wear the
royal crown had just been fulfilled, so that all the kings sent
ambassadors to seek advice from him. He had gradually developed from an
interpreter of dreams to a sorcerer, and had not attained the still
greater dignity of prophet, thus even surpassing his father, who had
indeed been prophet too, but not so notable a one as his son. [725]
God would permit the heathens to have no ground for exculpation, for
saying in the future world, "Thou hadst kept us far from Thee." To
them, as well as to Israel, he gave kings, sages, and prophets; but
whereas the former showed themselves worthy of their high trust, the
latter proved themselves unworthy of it. Both Solomon and
Nebuchadnezzar were rulers over all the world: the former built the
Temple and composed many hymns and prayers, the latter destroyed the
Temple and cursed and blasphemed the Lord, saying, "I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High." Both David
and Haman received great treasures from God, but the former employed
them to secure a site for God's sanctuary, whereas the latter with his
tried to destroy the whole nation. Moses was Israel's prophet, and
Balaam was prophet of the heathens: but how great a contrast between
these two! Moses exhorted his people to keep from sin, whereas Balaam
counseled the nations to give up their moral course of life and to
become addicted to lewdness. Balaam was also different from the
Israelite prophet in his cruelty. They had such pity for the nations
that misfortune among the heathens caused them suffering and sorrow,
whereas Balaam was so cruel that he wanted to destroy an entire nation
without any cause.
Balaam's course of life and his actions show convincingly why God
withdrew from the heathen the gift of prophecy. [726] For Balaam was
the last of the heathen prophets. Shem had been the first whom God had
commissioned to communicate His words to the heathens. This was after
the flood, when God said to Shem: 'Shem, had My Torah existed among the
previous ten generations, I suppose I should not have destroyed the
world by the flood. Go now, announce to the nations of the earth My
revelations, ask them if they will not accept My Torah." Throughout
four hundred years did Shem go about as a prophet, but the nations of
the earth did not heed him. The prophets that labored after him among
the heathens were Job and his four friends, Eliphaz, Zophar, Bildad,
and Elihu, as well as Balaam, all of whom were descendants of Nahor,
Abraham's brother, from his union with Milcah. In order that the
heathens might not say, "Had we had a prophet like Moses, we should
have received the Torah," God gave them Balaam as a prophet, who in no
way was inferior to Moses either in wisdom or in the gift of prophecy.
Moses was indeed the greatest prophet among the Israelites, but Balaam
was his peer among the heathens. But although Moses excelled the
heathen prophet in that God called him without any previous
preparation, whereas the other could obtain Divine revelations only
through sacrifices, still Balaam had one advantage over the Israelite
prophet. Moses had to pray to God "to shew him His ways," whereas
Balaam was the man who could declare of himself that he "knew the
knowledge of the Most High." But because, in spite of his high
prophetic dignity, Balaam had never done anything good or kind, but
through his evil tongue had almost destroyed all the world, God vowed a
vow to His people that He would never exchange them for any other
people or nation, and that He would never permit them to dwell in any
land other than Palestine. [727]