The wicked man blesses a robber, and spurns the Lord.
Psalm 10:4
All who have ever come before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not hear them.
John 10:8
The world loves those who love the world, but God calls His children who love the world adulterers and adulteresses: “You adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity against God? Therefore, whoever would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God!” (Jas. 4:4). Likewise, the world rewards those who say what they want to hear about God, but God condemns His children who reward such ministers: “When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and your portion is with adulterers!” (Ps. 50:18).
Worst of all is when one of God’s own children becomes a thief, teaching for money what men want them to teach. We can hardly bring ourselves to think of ministers hired to teach about Jesus as wicked, but God has no such qualms: “To the wicked man, God says, ‘How dare you declare my statutes, or take up my covenant into your mouth!’ (Ps. 50:16). To teach people about God for money is the sin of Balaam, and it is one of the greatest sins that a servant of God can commit. Jesus was still angrily speaking of Balaam’s sin in the last book of the Bible, over three thousand years after Balaam committed it, because there were men among the saints doing as Balaam did (Rev. 2:14).
Ministering for hire makes a man a thief because a minister who is hired is stealing from God’s people the money that should be given to Jesus’ faithful servants. Paul had to warn the saints not to encourage such men, for many had already begun to follow Balaam’s example in Paul’s day: “There are many rebellious, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things they should not for the sake of base gain” (Tit. 1:11). By “whole houses”, Paul meant whole congregations, for the saints met in houses at that time. John also warned the saints, “If anyone comes to you not carrying this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, and do not offer him a greeting, for he who welcomes him partakes of his evil deeds” (2Jn. 1:10–11).
Jesus said that all who came before him were thieves and robbers, and I will add that all who have come after him are thieves and robbers –– unless he has sent them. When the sheep see a thief, that is, a minister who is following Balaam’s example by being hired to teach about God, they will not bless him! They know that those who bless robbers make themselves adulterers and adulteresses in God’s sight.
