Numbers 24:11
Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.
Balak ordered Balaam to flee to his own place, dismissing him with reproach. The dismissal came after Balaam had blessed Israel instead of cursing them, failing to give the favorable answer Balak wanted. Balak declared that he had thought to promote Balaam unto great honour and reward him, but the Lord had kept Balaam back from that honour.
He spoke from disappointed hope and from fear and anger over not getting what he wanted. The Lord withheld the honour because Balaam could speak only the words and message God gave him, and Balaam replied that Balak had been warned beforehand that this was so. As a result Balaam lost the riches and honour he had hoped to gain. The repeated efforts to move Balaam to another place could not change his blessing of Israel into a curse, showing the same unshakable steadfastness later shown when repeated appeals could not shake Luther's decision.