In American football there is the term “Monday Morning Quarterbacking” meaning that after the games are played on Sunday analysis begins on Monday morning. Because the games have concluded it is easier to reflect back upon them and get a better perspective of what was done right, or wrong. We can do the same as we look back on early church fathers in seeking to better understand Why Christianity is what it is today. The period beginning with the conversion of Constantine, and establishment of Roman Christianity, can best be scrutinized in its historical context. It was a pivotable moment wherein a doctrine was laid that would serve as a handbook of antisemitism for the next two millennia resulting in Jewish persecutions. Gentile church leaders went on to accuse the Jewish people of “deicide,” which translates to the “killing of God.” “Christ Killers” then became a common term used to describe Jews. Later, another myth began to circulate known as “blood libel – the false and maliciously perpetuated accusation that Jews have murdered non-Jews (such as Christian children) in order to use their blood in rituals” 629 Just as during the time before Constantine Christians were blamed for all bad happenings, now the Christians incriminated the Jews. Once these suggestions were adopted Christians would interpret their understanding of the gospel through this antisemitic prism.
Perhaps one of the main reasons why bias against Jews proved an easy sell was that they had been removed from their homeland. After 70 AD Israel was no longer a visible nation with Jerusalem and its Jewish Temple having been destroyed. This affected the interpretation of biblical prophecies suggesting there will be a Jewish state of Israel, its capital of Jerusalem, and the existence of a Temple during the time of Christ’s second return. It simply wasn’t on the physical radar. A phenomenon of giving spiritual interpretations of prophecy rather than anticipating literal fulfillments became the standard hermeneutical method. This tendency still lingers within Christian churches today, especially as it relates to “replacement theology,” sometimes referred to as “supersessionism.”
Which leads us back to the “doctrine of Balaam.” Now that we are familiar with his story, we can better analyze this “doctrine,” or “teaching.” But what lessons does his story teach us? Well, let us consider:
LESSON #1 – The first lesson we get from Balaam is that you cannot, and better not try, to curse what God has blessed, in this case Israel. “God told Balaam, ‘You are not to curse these people (the Israelites), for I have blessed them.’” 630 Cursing Israel would equate to any effort to replace or diminish the role of Israel as a people chosen by God to deliver HIS-STORY to the world. Such a teaching seeks to negate the very purpose God has in calling them.
LESSON #2 – Secondly, Balaam said “I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations.” 631 After the golden calf incident Moses was tested to see if he really believed that God would stand by His oath to reinstate Israel to the land promised to them. The Lord threatened Moses saying He was considering abandoning Israel in their journey. Moses appealed saying, “’If you don’t go with us, how will anyone ever know your people (Israel) and I have found favor with you? How else will they know we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth?’ And the Lord replied to Moses, ‘I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend.’” 632
LESSON #3 – Revelation was given to Balaam that “God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind.” 633 Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and restoration to the land of Canaan was in keeping with the Lord’s promise He had made to Abraham. 634 This guarantee extends all the way down to the end of time when Israel will enter into her glory, and the Lord will judge the nations. In other words, God’s promise is still today in effect for both Jews and Gentiles. This blessed assurance is reiterated to New Testament believers, “God also bound himself with an oath (the promise He made to Abraham), so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.” 635 Because God remains faithful in what He promised to do for the Jewish people, in spite of their faults, He has promised to do for us Gentile Christians, in spite of ours. Instead of trying to create a doctrine that God is no longer good for His promise to Israel, shouldn’t we be trying to assure people that the Lord is good for His word?
LESSON #4 – “Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” 636 According to the little known prophet Obadiah, this “blessed” and “curse” rule is how the nations of the earth are tested and judged. “The day is near when I, the Lord, will judge the godless nations! As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you. All your evil deeds will fall back on your own heads… Yes, you nations (who seek to take away the blessing God promised Israel) will drink and stagger and disappear from history, as though you had never even existed… And the people of Israel will come back to reclaim their inheritance.” 637
LESSON #5 – Which leads us to the most important lesson we should take away from Balaam’s story. “A star will arise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.” 638 This obviously recounts the blessing Jacob gave to his son Judah, saying, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of THE ONE to whom it belongs, THE ONE whom all nations will obey.” 639 Yet, Balaam’s final declaration was a two-part prophecy. A star (God) did arise from Jacob when Jesus was born into this world. Likewise, when Jesus returns, He will be holding a scepter (rod of iron) which symbolizes His authority to rule over the nations forever. And just what is His scepter? “Judah is my scepter.” 640 Indeed in the future “a scepter will emerge from Israel,” just as Balaam foretold. In contrast to the early church fathers who taught God’s kingdom was to be established by the church, the Bible long before declared, “when the Israelites escaped from Egypt – when the family of Jacob left that foreign land – the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary, and Israel became his kingdom.” 641 Has the Lord changed His position concerning the identity of His kingdom? Do we wonder why the Lord hasn’t trashed the people of Israel like the early Christians tried to do? The Lord tells us the reason, “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.” 642
So, then what is the doctrine, or teaching, of Balaam that the Christian church was warned about adopting in the book of Revelation? This theological teaching holds that the Church replaced Israel in their role concerning God’s purposes in the earth. It claims all the promises the Lord made to the Jewish people now belongs to the church. This new approach paved the way for assuming that the annulment of the old covenant with Israel and establishment of a new covenant with Christians was part of the original divine plan, and that Christians had been embodied as the true people of Israel. In short, by changing God’s promise they changed gods! Jesus had warned his Jewish brethren that after the gospel went to the Gentiles, “you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service. This is because they have never known the Father or me.” 643 Jesus made it crystal clear to them, “you can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit.” 644
Our Monday Morning Quarterbacking session should conclude with consideration of how Gentile Christians have through the past two thousand years used their political power to treat Jews and pagans who had no clout. The apostasy warned of by the apostles is still in swing. Many Christian apologists today try to defend the early church leaders but only because they still believe the “doctrine of Balaam” that was bequeathed to them. But the real nature of their legacy should be tested with what really matters – love for one another. When we all stand before God Almighty for what we did and taught others to do in this life, no amount of theological debate will win our case. Then will we come face to face with the reality of our professions. To paraphrase the Apostle John, “If you love your brother, you know God, if you don’t, you don’t.” 645 And what is the essence of genuine God-like love? “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor.” 646
Those who profess to believe in the Bible should believe the things they read in the Bible. Not for a minute should we believe that God doesn’t have the things some professing Christians have done to the Jewish people recorded and ready to be revealed in the final judgment. In fact, it is this history of antisemitism that has hindered many Jews from accepting Christ. Though Israel has been kept in a sleepy state, the Lord has been wide awake! “Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps.” 647 Concerning the future judgment after Israel returns home thus setting up the return of His Messiah Jesus, Yahweh says, “In pursuit of his glory, he sent me against the nations plundering you (Israel) – for whoever touches you, touches (pokes) the pupil of my eye.” 648
Maybe Balaam’s donkey is still speaking to today?
629 Merriam-Webster
630 Numbers 22:12
631 Numbers 23:9
632 Exodus 33:16-17*
633 Numbers 23:19
634 See Genesis 15:13-15
635 Hebrews 6:17-18
636 Numbers 24:9
637 Obadiah 15-17*
638 Numbers 24:17
639 Genesis 49:10
640 Psalm 108:8
641 Psalm 114:2
642 Malachi 3:6
643 John 16:2-3
644 Matthew 7:16
645 See 1 John 4:20-21
646 Romans 13:10; KJV
647 Psalm 121:4
648 Zechariah 2:8; Christian Standard Bible*