When God says “no,” shouldn’t that mean “no”!

The entire plot of the Balaam story revolves around a theological dilemma. Balak felt exceedingly threatened by the Children of Israel, and so, he decided to hire the renowned prophet, qua magician, Balaam, to curse them in order to make them vulnerable to defeat. He sent messengers to urge him to come curse them. To which, Balaam responded:

“Spend the night here, and I shall reply to you as the Lord may instruct me.” (Numbers 22:8)

After giving God a detailed description of Balak’s request, God gave Balaam a definitive answer:

“Do not go with them. You must not curse that people, for they are blessed.” (Ibid. 12)

And therein lies the crux of the problem. God’s reply should have ended the story. When God says “no,” shouldn’t that mean “no”?  And yet, Balak sent another contingent of messengers to Balaam. And again, Balaam petitioned God and God ultimately acquiesced to Balaam’s request:

“If these men have come to invite you, you may go with them. But whatever I command you, that you shall do.” (Ibid. 20)

The following midrash attempts to come to terms with the question:

The way of the wicked shall perish. (Psalms 1:6) … Said Rabbi Elazar: Indeed, for the newly wicked God sees to it that their way perishes for their [own] sake, but when they persist, He allows them [to go on their way], as it said: “At scoffers, He (God) lets them scoff” (Proverbs 3:34). Know for yourself that this is so. Go out and learn from Balaam the wicked. When Balak sent messengers to Balaam, [telling him] to curse Israel, what did Balaam say? He said: “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, [l cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God]” (Numbers 22:18). While Balaam slept, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him in a dream, as is said: “And God came unto Balaam” (Numbers 22:9), and said: “Do not go with them” (Numbers 22:12). Immediately, [the contingent of messengers] left.  Whereupon Balaam said [to himself]: “Because I am righteous, God does not wish to put me to any trouble.” So, he asked the Holy One, blessed be He [again], “Should I curse the people of Israel?” And when God said: “You shall not curse the people” (Ibid.), Balaam [then] asked: “If so, shall I then bless the people of Israel?” And [God] replied: “They do not need your blessing, for they are blessed (Ibid.).” Concerning this incident, Rabbi Tanhuma quoted a proverb: “To a wasp we say, ‘Neither your honey nor your sting.’” (Midrash Tehillim 1:22, Buber ed. p. 23)

Rabbi Elazar offers the sinner two options, each based on biblical verses, one from Psalms and the other from Proverbs. In the first, he learns from the verse: “The ways of the wicked will perish” that God initially presents a person with the means to conquer their wrongdoing and save themselves. If, however, a person does not take advantage of this option, then sin becomes habitual for him: “At scoffers, He lets them scoff.” The latter is the case for Balaam who was so sold on the mission to curse the children of Israel that he refused to heed God’s first warning.

In fact, the Balaam story is a parody of how, at every turn, God attempts to thwart Balaam’s sinful “calling” and while God ultimately causes Balaam to fail, he does not manage to reform him, for that only human willpower can accomplish. And on that count, Balaam serves as a stark warning for all of us.