Why does God tell Balaam to go with the Moabites and then get angry because he went?

In the account of Balaam found in Numbers 22:1—24:25, God’s instructions and subsequent anger can perplex Bible readers. There’s a seeming contradiction in which God, on the face of it, changed His mind. This raises questions that can only be answered by looking deeper into the story.

First, it’s essential to understand who Balaam was—a non-Israelite, pagan soothsayer, or false prophet. He “used magic to tell the future” (Joshua 13:22, NLT). Balaam was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel. The evil king knew Israel was gaining strength. Balak thought he would need supernatural intervention to help him repel the Israelites, who were camped nearby and whom he saw as a threat. So, he sent for the prophet Balaam and enticed him with a generous payment. Balaam, “who loved the wages of wickedness,” was eager to oblige (see 2 Peter 2:15; see also Jude 1:11). But God would not let Balaam curse Israel.

At first, Balak sends messengers to retrieve Balaam, but God expressly forbids Balaam from going with them. The Moabite king commissions a second, larger entourage with even more money to lure Balaam. This time, God gives Balaam permission to go with the Moabites, but strictly on the condition that he does and says only what God instructs (see Numbers 22:19). The Bible says, “So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way” (Numbers 22:21–22, NLT).

God was angry, most likely because Balaam had not truly heeded His instructions. He got up and set off on his own. When Scripture says that “God was angry that he was going” (Numbers 22:22), we should understand it as indicating Balaam was going with ill intent. Despite the warnings God had given him, Balaam was hellbent on cursing Israel and taking the Moabite money. Warren Wiersbe writes, “Deep in his heart, Balaam wanted to go with the messengers because he was greedy of gain. This is ‘the way of Balaam’ (2 Peter 2:15–16), using religion as a means of getting wealth” (Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament, Victor Books, 1993, Numbers 22).

Another commentary theorizes that God became angry perhaps because “Balaam uttered some words along the way that were unauthorized by God, thus disobeying God’s command to do only what he told him to do or say” (Martin, G. S., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Anders, M., Holman Old Testament Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, 2002, pp. 340–341).

God sent an angel to block Balaam’s path. The prophet failed to see what his donkey perceived—the angel of the Lord standing in his way. Eventually, God got His message across, and Balaam’s eyes were finally opened. Balaam vowed, “I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth” (Numbers 22:38, NLT; see also Numbers 22:18; 23:26; 24:13).

God did not change His mind, but He knew what was in Balaam’s heart and that it was out of alignment with His will. When Balaam, still harboring intentions to disobey the Lord’s directives, went with the Moabite princes, God’s displeasure was incited, and He took action to get the prophet’s full attention.

The Lord permitted Balaam to proceed with specific actions but prevented him from cursing Israel. God’s opposition to Balaam’s journey underscores His omniscience and the complexity of human free will when set against His sovereignty.

Three times, King Balak tried to make Balaam curse the Israelites, and three times, Balaam spoke only God’s blessing on them. Finally convinced of God’s will to bless Israel, Balaam abandoned his fortune-telling efforts (Numbers 24:1). Then, prompted by the Spirit of God, Balaam proclaimed four more messages of blessing over Israel. He also delivered a prophecy of warning against the Moabite king, that God would ultimately defeat Moab (see Numbers 23:18–24; 24:3–25).