Balaam / Judas
The fate of Balaam was similar to that of Judas, and their characters bear a marked resemblance to one another.
They both tried to unite the service of God and Mammon and met with failure.
Balaam acknowledged the true God as a steppingstone to the acquirement of riches and worldly honor, and because of this, he stumbled and fell, and was broken.
Judas expected his connection with Jesus to secure freedom from Roman bondage and to secure wealth and promotion in the worldly kingdom which, he believed, was to be set up at once. The failure of this drove him to deny his Lord and sent him to apostasy and ruin, finally committing suicide.
Both Balaam and Judas had received great light, and had enjoyed great privileges; but a single cherished sin poisoned the character of each, and caused their destruction.
It is a perilous thing to allow such a trait to mar one’s heart. Just one cherished sin will, little by little, debase the character, bringing with it all the nobler powers one may possess into subjection to evil desire. This opens the way for Satan to come and lead us astray. The only safe course is to let our prayers go forth from a sincere heart, as David did:
“Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not”. (Psalms 17:5)
– George Eldridge