Israel had travelled from Egypt into the wilderness, sojourning through the desert plains. Their army tasted victory against their enemies, until they arrive at Moab where they camped in the desert plains. Balak, the Moabite king was fearful of this mighty group of people and so he hired a "prophet" come sorcerer, Balaam to curse the people before they attacked his land and his people. Balaam is a complex character, pretending a right relationship with God, yet hiding what he was really about.
In this teaching, Aliyah takes us through scripture, deep in to the book of Numbers to discover the character of the charismatic Balaam. His character with his desire for honour, prosperity and glory foreshadow characters that fill many congregations today. We have to heed the warning, stay away from the spirit of Balaam and be discerning around this kind of wickedness.