Read: Numbers 21-26
While Israel was taking the journey from Kadesh to the plains of Moab, there were a couple of incidents.
They were confronted with resistance by the residents of the Edomite tribe, the death of Aaron (Ch.20), and God rescuing their lives through a bronze snake made by Moses (for those who complained against God, in order to heal their afflictions) (Ch.21)
And there was this story of Balaam and Balak who was the king of Moab (Ch. 22-25) Balaam was a sincere prophet as those he blessed were blessed, and those he cursed were cursed(Ch.22:6).
However, when the king of Moab invited him to go against Israelites, he rejected the proposal the first time, until finally, he accepted the proposal by the king of Moab to curse Israel, due to the fact that he will be given a bountiful reward.
Even though there was no described failure by Balaam, in Ch. 22-24, however, many parts of the books of the Bible point out his failure.
In the book of Revelation 2:14, there is a clear example of what severe sin that Balaam did to the Israelites, "You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."
In the book of Numbers (Ch. 25), we can see that the Israelites fall into sexual immorality.
After Balaam left the place of Moab, there was depravity among the Israelites. It was the reason that Balaam taught Balak of how the Israelite nation is set apart from God and committing such sin is the true curse for the Israelites.
Balaam had loved 'the wages of wickedness'.
Even if they serve God sincerely for their first time, it has to be with humility and to be in holiness until the end (of life).
This story teaches us how we serve God as a leader of a Christian community.
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