The Bible unequivocally condemns the practice of witchcraft and related sorceries, including the work of soothsayers. Leviticus 19:31 warns against consulting mediums and familiar spirits, declaring them defiling and forbidden by the LORD. Deuteronomy 18:9-14 lists soothsayers among other occult practitioners as abominations to the Lord, alongside sorcerers, conjurors, and necromancers. This strong denouncement extends throughout Scripture, emphasizing that such practices are a moral outrage in the eyes of God. He forbids His people from engaging with or seeking guidance from soothsayers, ensuring they remain separate from these deceptive influences.

In the realm of prophecy, while we often recall the revered prophets of God, there emerges the peculiar figure of Balaam, a Mesopotamian soothsayer. Balaam, son of Beor, hails not from Israel but from Pethor, near the Euphrates, and is known for his trade in curses, sought by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel for money and honor. Despite his unrighteous character, marked by leading Israelites into sin and causing a grave curse upon them, his prophecies stand true within God's Word. Delving into Balaam's background, he descends from a line of diviners, his reputation for cursing widespread across the region. His name, meaning devourer or destroyer, and his father Beor's name, meaning burning, reflect his destructive craft. The Bible labels him a soothsayer, distinguishing him from true prophets of God, and suggests he was a Mesopotamian priest-diviner employing dreams, omens, and auguries. His claim that the Lord was his God might be a ploy to enhance his oracular credibility or to convince Balak's emissaries of his influence over Israel's God, revealing his cynical nature. In the events surrounding his prophecies, Balaam is constrained by God to speak only the words He puts in his mouth, ensuring that God's purpose through Israel remains unhindered. His encounter with the Angel of the Lord reveals his spiritual blindness, unable to see God's opposition, unlike his donkey, which recognizes and submits to divine presence. Through this blind soothsayer, God conveys His purpose to Balak and the Israelites. During the first prophecy, Balak urges Balaam to curse Israel from a high place of Baal, yet God places a blessing in his mouth, affirming Israel's vast numbers and separation by covenant. In the second prophecy, from Mount Pisgah, Balaam again fails to curse Israel, admitting his powerlessness before God, who stands as Israel's King and protector, ensuring no sorcery or divination can prevail against them. Thus, even through an unworthy vessel like Balaam, God's unyielding will and glory are proclaimed.

Balaam, known as the Devourer, hailed from Pethor, a place renowned for its sorcerers, magicians, diviners, and soothsayers, located on the banks of the Euphrates River. It is believed that Balaam descended from a long line of celebrated soothsayers or diviners, with his family earning their livelihood for generations by cursing or blessing others. Their reputation as the best in the world at cursing had spread throughout the region, making them the go-to choice for such services. Regardless of the requestor's religion or political affiliation, for a price, they would perform auguries, incantations, or sacrifices to a particular god and curse the targeted party in that god's name. King Balak, driven by fear of Israel, sought Balaam, the most renowned curser in the known world, to come and curse Israel, believing he needed the very best to counter the mighty acts of Israel's God.