Empathy Fuels Pragmatism

“And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.” (Nu 23:13 AV)

The dialogue in Numbers does not tell the whole story.  A little further in the book of Numbers, we read, “And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.” (Nu 31:15-16 AV) Balaam, a Gentile prophet of God, was hired by the king of Moab, Balak, to curse Israel.  The problem was, God did not give Balaam the liberty to do so.  Thrice Balak asked Balaam to curse Israel and thrice God disallowed it.  However, we learn from above that Balaam counseled Balak to entice Israel to have relations and even marry the women of Moab.  The thought was, if Israel intermarries, then they will compromise and ally with the Moabites.  So, the question arises, knowing they could not be cursed and that God was going to bless them, what possessed Balaam to give the advice to intermarry?  Where did this slippery slope of pragmatism begin?  What decision was made that resulted in the advice given by Balaam?  I think Balaam empathized with Balak because he continued to entertain Balak’s complaint.  He went from point A to point B to point C, overlooking the significance of Israel and in the process, began to see it Balak’s way.  Even though he could not curse Israel, he could offer advice that would be a stumbling block.

We do this all the time.  Someone does not want to do the right thing.  We advise them in the counsel of the LORD.  The answer is clear.  It may be tough, but it is clear.  However, they begin to sing a sad song.  Ever so slightly, we let our guard down.  We begin to empathize with them and identify with their situation.  So, we come up with some type of compromise that is suitable for them and has the semblance of obedience but is not obedience at all.  Our children do this to us.  Our church members do this to us.  Years ago, we had this young man show up out of nowhere.  He was in need of a job because he lost his last one due to a drug problem.  The people of the church bent over backward for him.  We even gave him a room.  One excuse after another as to why he couldn’t work.  But there was no compromise.  As long as we gave him a roof over his head, he was going to get a job.  No food from us.  Nothing but a warm bed.  How many have given more than they should to someone not willing to do the right thing?  How about the young child who is throwing a temper tantrum over the vegetables on his plate?  Mom is tired of fighting with him so she makes him a deal.  She counts out ten peas and as long as he eats those, then she is satisfied.  Or, what about that curfew?  Don’t you understand, Mom and Dad?  It’s unreasonable.  After all, no one has to be home as early as I do.  What about the spouse who wants a better marriage but is only willing to commit half-way?  What about the believer who wants to serve but only wants to come when he or she is serving?  We put up with this because we are pragmatists.  We empathize because, after all, we are human, too.   

Balaam’s problem was that he stuck around too long listening to the concerns of a man who had his mind made up.  There was no counsel that was going to change the heart of Balak.  He wanted Israel cursed no matter what and the word of the LORD did not matter.  Balaam offered the advice to intermarry because he was too pragmatic to see the absolute spiritual right and wrong of it.  We do not know exactly what the thought process was.  Maybe he was somewhat genuine in his advice thinking Moab and Israel could co-exist without compromising the blessings of God upon Israel.  It really doesn’t matter.  He wanted to solve Balak’s problem because he hung around for too long.  He heard the plea and decided it was better to ease Balak’s concern somewhat, even if it could not be completely alleviated.  What is right is right.  No matter how we feel or how strongly we are compelled to fix the problem.  There is no room for compromise no matter how much we internalize the problem.  Balaam was wrong here because he allowed the disobedient to cry on his shoulder.  We do the same when we compromise the truth for the sake of easing someone’s pain to the exclusion of the truth.