Balaam, The Donkey, And The Angel

TITLE: BALAAM, THE DONKEY, AND THE ANGEL

SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 22:22-35 / II PETER 2:15 / JUDE 11 / REVELATION 2:14

One of the most interesting characters you will ever find in the Bible is a guy named BALAAM. In all honesty, I’ve had a hard time figuring this guy out.

• He starts out and you think he’s a man following God

• He says and does all the right things when you first encounter him in the book of NUMBERS

• He even looks pious at times

• He’s a guy who dines with a king

• He is well known among his own people

• He is a legend in neighboring lands

He is also the only person I’ve ever read about who actually talks with a donkey.

• This OT figure is also mentioned three times in the New Testament

• Each time false teachers were likened to him – motivated by greed and led God’s people astray

• The most memorable incident in his life was his argument with a talking donkey

• His character was on display in this event

• There are some important lessons for us to learn in this encounter

Okay, so we understand that Balaam’s narrative is found in the OT, and Peter and Jude mention him by name in the NT. We also established that we can even find him again in Revelation. There’s more page coverage given to this donkey riding prophet than there is MARY, JESUS’ MOTHER, and Apostles.

• He’s got presentation

• He’s has God’s ear

• He clearly hears God’s voice

So who is this donkey riding guy --

• Was he genuine?

• How did his donkey get so smart?

• More importantly, what can we learn from this prophet with a talking donkey?

Let me introduce you to another figure occupying the pages of this text. BALAK WAS THE KING OF MOAB and saw what happened to the other nations in the neighborhood that stood against the Israelites. The king was afraid, so he hired a well known prophet. King Balak wanted this Prophet to issue a curse against Israel so that the Moabites could defeat them and get them out of their back yard.

This is where Balaam looked like a real man of God. He took the time to ask God what to do, and he listened when God instructed him not to go with King Balak’s men. The king sent his men back a second time with more money to persuade this seer, this Prophet to come curse Israel, and again he refused. Looks like obedience, right? But look at VS. 19.

• “BUT STAY HERE ONE MORE NIGHT, AND I WILL SEE IF THE LORD HAS ANYTHING ELSE TO SAY TO ME”

• In other words, ‘don’t be so hasty with that big bag of money’

• Let me see if I can cut a deal with the Lord

His thoughts were on that increased bounty King Balak’s men had brought.

• PETER wrote about that and pointed out that Balaam’s way was Greed

• Sadly, you could probably name at least one modern Celebrity Pastor whose measure of success is how many books they sell rather than how many lives are changed by their books

• Too many of God’s best have fallen because of greed

• II PETER 2:15-16 “WHICH HAVE FORSAKEN THE RIGHT WAY, AND ARE GONE ASTRAY, FOLLOWING THE WAY OF BALAAM THE SON OF BOSOR, WHO LOVED THE WAGES OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS”

What’s going on here, our prophet wants to do what God has told him not to do. We all do that now and then and it’s never a good thing, but God allows us to do what we want to do. That’s something called THE PERMISSIVE WILL OF GOD. It means that He will sometimes allow us to do things that we insist on doing, even when what we want directly opposes his will.

God indicated to Balaam that it was okay to go with the men, but if, and only if, they contacted him first. For whatever reason, Balaam got ready to go before anybody said anything and God was very displeased with this. Isn’t that a classic definition of sin, to do what God expressly said not to do?

• I JOHN 5:17 “ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS SIN…”

• I JOHN 3:4 “…FOR SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW”

Balaam is on his way, heading to MOAB along with the princes/messengers from the king. Now, I can’t say for sure just what Balaam was thinking, or if he was thinking, as he was riding the donkey from PETHOR, his hometown, to MOAB. The only thing he was most likely thinking about was – how much money was in those money bags with his name on them. I doubt, though, he was anyway near ready for what was about to happen!