2 Peter 2:15-17

¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

¹⁷ These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

astray (v.15) = led away from the truth, led off course, misled into taking the wrong path

wages (v.15) = reward

Balaam was a hireling prophet who sought to market his gift. This is the way of Balaam. When Balak, the king of the Moabites, saw how the Amorites were utterly destroyed by the children of Israel, he feared that he was going to suffer the same fate. So he sent the elders of Moab to Balaam with the rewards of divination to curse Israel. Balak reasoned that if the prophet cursed the chosen nation, he would prevail and driver her out of the land. The very fact these bearers of silver and gold were sent to Balaam strongly suggests that the reputation of the prophet preceded him. As they say, money talks, and Balaam was listening. But God would not allow the prophet to return with the elders of Moab, nor did He permit him to curse Israel.

The princes of Moab returned to offer Balaam riches untold and even greater honor throughout the realm. Rather than accept the will of God regarding he matter, he approached the face of the Lord again. Balaam reasoned that since Israel had sinned against God she deserved to be cursed; which, of course, meant he would reap a handsome sum for his effort. He had no concern whatsoever for others, even though man would perish, as long as it profited him. This time God gives Balaam the liberty to go, as a test. This shows the true intent of his heart seeing that he fully understood it was not god’s will for him to go, yet he went.

Balaam’s journey was interrupted when the ass upon which he was riding saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with a sword drawn. Although the money-blinded prophet could not see the angel of the LORD at first, the ass did and turned aside into the field The second time she crushed his foot against the wall. The third time she saw the angel of the LORD she collapsed beneath the prophet. Each time Balaam bet the ass unmercifully. However, after the third beating, the dumb ass spoke to him. … Peter would have us understand it was according to God’s purpose that Balaam was “rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness [insanity] of the prophet” (See Numbers 22).

Then the Lord opened his eyes and Balaam saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way. It is important to note that this was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, the very One who would redeem Israel from the curse of the law. Balaam reasoned that a holy God must curse Israel on the basis of His righteousness. This was the error of Balaam (Jude 1:11). But what the hireling prophet failed to understand was the higher purpose of God to redeem Israel at the Cross, where Christ would be made a curse for the sins of His people (Galatians 3:13). Consequently, the Lord rebuked the wayward prophet: “Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me” (Numbers 22:32).

After Balaam realized God would not allow him to curse Israel, he deceitfully devised a plan to corrupt Israel. He taught Balak to sway the chosen nation into eating things that had been offered to idols and to commit fornication, both of which were strictly forbidden by God. This is known as the doctrine of Balaam (Revelation 2:14). Israel was only to worship the true and living God. She was to be a separate nation unto God; therefore, she was not permitted to marry those of other nations. So when the Israelites joined themselves to the daughters of Moab, God sent a plague among His people wherein 24,000 perished (Numbers 25:1-9).

The false teachers of Peter’s day were “following the way of Balaam,” that is, they were imitating the prophet. Balaamism is a system of teaching that’s based purely upon human reasoning. It is worldliness in its worst forms; lust, greed, and personal advancement at the expense of others. — Sadler, pages 212-214.

Clouds carried by a tempest (v.17) — The idea is not very different from that of the “wells without water.” These mists [clouds] promise refreshment to the thirsty, but they are so insubstantial that they are blown away before they do any good. Imagine puffy clouds during a drought that seem to gather and promise needed rain but then dissipate on the wind without providing relief.  It seems to me that the storm here could refer to their lust for the temptation du jour, or maybe just their desire to push anything that opposes godliness.

In the dry, barren desert, wells hold out the promise of life-giving water, but if the oasis is dried up, those who approach are left destitute. The message of these false teachers was unable to quench the spiritual thirst of the their hearers because they themselves were empty wells. … Only Christ can satisfy the longing of the soul: “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any m an thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).

There should be no question that these apostates were unsaved when Peter says, “to whom the [blackness] of darkness is reserved for ever.” Those who purposely lead men to perdition have a special place reserved for them in the lake of fire. Hell is darkness, but Peter reveals that there are degrees of darkness, which would be in keeping with degrees of punishment promised those who blatantly reject the Savior (Matthew 11:20-24 cf. Revelation 20:11-15). — Sadler, pages 215-216.