Orphadeus

Balaam is an Old Testament prophet. The available book of Jasher http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jasher/index.htm is allegedly a forgery. The book of Jasher is mentioned in the bible:

 

"Is not this written in the Book of Jasher?"--Joshua, 10:13
"Behold it is written in the Book of Jasher."--2 Samuel, 1:18

 

'And amongst the servants of Angeas was a youth fifteen years old, Balaam the son of Beor was his name and the youth was very wise and understood the art of witchcraft.'

 

(Jasher 61:8)

Much about the early life of Balaam is written in Jasher. 

 

 

'They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer,who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.'

 

'Moses was angry with the officers of the army —the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

“Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.'

 (Numbers 31:14-18)

 

That appears to contradict Peter's assertion that Balaam's madness had been restrained, and also contradicts Numbers 24:

 

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2024&version=NIV1984

 

Furthermore, the women of Moab were not the women of Midian.

 

'While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women,  who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.'

 (Numbers 25:1-3)

 

It would appear that Moses made an error in following the LORD's instruction to take revenge on Midian.

 

'"Eat the food as you would a barley cake; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.”  The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”

Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth. ”'

 (Exekiel 4:12-14)

 

The point being that Exekiel was correct. (Even with a benign instruction from Jesus you need to pay attention to the way in which he told you.)

Moses did not make it to the promised land:

 

'And they divided all the spoil of Midian, and the children of Israel had been revenged upon Midian for the cause of their brethren the children of Israel.

 

At that time the Lord said to Moses, Behold thy days are approaching to an end, take now Joshua the son of Nun thy servant and place him in the tabernacle, and I will command him, and Moses did so.'

 

(Jasher 86:12 - 87:1)

 

"My people, remember
    what Balak king of Moab counseled
    and what Balaam son of Beor answered."

(Micah 6:5)

 

'Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.'

 (Revelation 2:14)

 

An example of the problem is to compare http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:14-15&version=NIV1984 with http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%202:14-15&version=NIV

The Book of Jasher appears to be an abridgement.

 

It is likely that the forgery in Numbers 31 has been part responsible the sexual abuse of many children (Yebamoth 60b) as well as the death of millions of people.