Balaam could not curse Israel for the Moabites and Midianites, because the Lord had blessed Israel. Instead, Balaam’s prophecies blessed Israel, so King Balak said,

“I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.” – Numbers 24:10-11

Balaam could not receive his payment by cursing Israel, but he did do his research and discovered that though Israel had not been cursed by God, they had certainly had their fair share of difficulties including being sentenced to forty years of wandering in the wilderness and among plagues, fires and death they had most recently been attacked by poisonous serpents. Balaam discovered that even though God would not curse the Israelites he would strike them in punishment for sinning against him. The way for Balaam to recover his lost financial compensation was to cause Israel to sin.

Upon Balaam’s advice King Balak sent his Moabite women down among the Israelite men to entice them to engage in immorality and to sacrifice to the Moabite god, the Baal of Peor. As a result the Lord literally commands Moses to “take the leaders of the people and impale them to Yahweh before the sun.” Impaling would be execution by being pierced through with a pole and then suspended on that pole for everyone to see and for the Lord’s judgment to be evident. After the Israelite leaders who allowed this immorality to occur where executed and exposed on a pole, then all the people who “yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor” were killed.

This is the first mention of the god Baal in the Old Testament. Israel would struggle for the next 900 years with their attraction to Baal worship.

9 out of 10 Americans who identify with a religion are Christian (2007).

82% of Americans told Gallup they identified with a
Christian religion.

51% Protestant
23% Catholic
5% Other Christian
3% Named a Christian
Faith
2% Mormon
11% No religion
2% Did Not Answer
(Details here)