2354. CONCERNING BALAAM, WHY HE PRONOUNCED A BLESSING. It may happen [to appear] wonderful to anyone that Balaam could curse the people; but that Jehovah did not hearken to him, yea, also that he had to bless them, as is also read Joshua 24:9, 10, as if the cursing of the people [ejus] pronounced by him [he would have cursed them if thereby he] could have effected anything. But I am able to know, to some extent, from the state of the world of spirits, to wit, that very many of them seek a pretext for punishing; and as soon as they find aught of evil, that is of any moment, desire the soul to be delivered to them, as I know from many experiences. They anxiously search for whatever evil they can find, and when they find evil, claim the right over it; moreover, the soul is relinquished to them to be punished, for when the evil is great, then it is in the evil to be punished; wherefore the Lord, on account of justice, permits the evil and false to be punished, but only for the sake of its reformation or good. Since, therefore, there were such things in the people of Israel as were nefarious, idolatrous, and filthy, the Lord was unwilling that these should be detected by Balaam, and so be arraigned, for it was true that they were such; they would then have been condemned, which the Lord forbade, as continually is His custom, when souls recently [from the body] come [into the spiritual world] and are [there] arraigned. That Balaam could speak with spirits, and that he was led by them, is manifest enough from his confession. - 1748, June 18.