Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his! Numbers 23:10
What a strange case Balaam was! This prophet-for-hire wanted it both ways; he wanted the rewards the king of Moab was offering, but he also knew better than to speak anything other than what God told him to speak. In our text he speaks of his desire to be counted with the righteous in his death, but Joshua 13:22 tells us that Balaam died along with the enemies of God and the Israelites. In fact, the writer of Joshua calls Balaam a soothsayer, not a prophet. Soothsayers are listed in the Bible as among the worst of sinners. This pathetic failure reminds us of the folly of those who attempt to serve God according to their own desires and not according to the Word and will of God.
Balaam has plenty of company today, as we look around the world of religion. We recognize the spirit of Balaam among the cults and fake religions, those who follow the writings of their own false prophets and teachers, or who like the Russellites rewrite the Bible to make it fit their heresies. We also recognize this spirit in the so-called mainline denominations, as they ignore or re-interpret the Scriptures to allow for behaviour that the Scriptures clearly condemn. Sadly, we also see it in the deterioration of the truth among what once were called evangelical groups, as they turn to entertainment and a mushy repentance-less gospel to fill their pews. What about ourselves, do we see anything of Balaam’s attitude in our hearts or our Assemblies?
Those of us who have trusted Christ as our Saviour will surely die the death of the righteous. The Lord Jesus plainly declared,’I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish’ (John 10:28). This gives us great comfort. But it can also cause us to pay lesser heed to Jesus teachings about devotion and service and testimony. He told us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15); how are we doing with that one? He also commanded that we love one another (John 13:34); how deep is that commitment? He told us to take the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15); are we really obeying that command? I could go on…
It is one thing to face death as one of the righteous, it is another thing to die in righteousness. – Jim MacIntosh