A warning about Deceivers, would your thoughts and actions cause a donkey to stop.
Numbers 22 is an interesting chapter of scripture, in fact it’s a bit obscure and leaves us with a few questions, an important one gets answered by Jesus on the Island of Patmos, hold onto that thought. It also tells the story that may have inspired Mr. Ed the Talking Horse, young people, google Mr. Ed the Talking Horse when you get home. You could say it’s based on a true story. It may have also inspired this character (Donkey from Shrek).
Let's have a look at Numbers 22. I’m not going to read the whole chapter, there will be a bit of paraphasing, but this will give you a heads up on the situation. I am hoping that you followed up on my post and watched the link on the Corps FB page.
22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. (NIV)
Then God talks with Balaam and he asks Balaam about who his visitors were and tells him not to curse the Israelites because they are blessed. Balaam tells the visitors that he can’t do what Balak wants, they tell Balak, he sends in another group of Nobel people to ask Balam to curse the Israelites. Why, because his curses have power, plus there will be a handsome reward for undertaking this service. Balaam had a reputation for speaking curses that worked. Balaam however refuses because God told him not to curse the Israelites.
At this point it appears that Balaam is doing exactly what God wants. He waits to hear what God will tell him.
Verse 20: That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.” So the first half of the chapter we see exactly what we would expect to happen. Balaam the prophet was not of Israel but of Moab, who God has a relationship with is doing the right thing by God. Note here that God had relationships with not only the people of Israel.
Balak: “Curse the people of Israel.”
Balaam: “No sorry King Balak, I can’t God has blessed these people.”
Balak: “There’s a great reward in it for you, curse these people.
Balaam: “Sorry even for all the gold and silver in the palace I cannot curse the people of Israel.”
God tells Balaam, go with these people but do only what I tell you to do. It appears that Balaam is in this place with God, where he agrees to the constraints that God places upon this journey. This was a 400-mile journey, from Pethor to Moab, it would take about three weeks.
The next morning Balaam, gets up and goes with the princes of Moab, Balak’s nation. However God is very angry that he went, verse 22.
22 “But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.”
Just a minute; God had told him to go with them. What had occurred here? My thinking is that Balaam had decided at some point in the night that he might gain personally out of this journey, silver and gold or even not upsetting the King may have been the reward Balaam was after, he had a plan, a cunning plan. R.D Cole states; “The rabbinical tradition in the Targumic literature interpreted this sequence as evidence of Balaam’s personal rebelliousness in embracing the idea that he might eventually be successful in pronouncing a curse on Israel........The verse would refer to God becoming angry with Balaam while he was on the journey because he still thought he might curse the people of Yahweh. That Balaam was lacking spiritual insight at this point in the journey narrative is evident from the context that follows. (Cole, R. D. (2000). Numbers (Vol. 3B, p. 389). Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
So, what follows? Balaam's donkey becomes the central character, a character with more spiritual insight than the Great prophet and would be curser of Israel, Balaam. A small hint on humanity here, sometimes and I’ve underlined the sometimes, a donkey can have more spiritual insight than people who claim the authority of God.
So, Balaam, heads off, the donkey sees the angel of God with his sword in his hand. Miss Donkey, yes, a girl donkey turns off the road and into a field. Balaam beats her to get her back on the road.
Balaam tries to ride between two walled vineyards, the donkey again sees the angel and presses against one of the walls, crushing Balaam’s foot, again he beats the donkey.
The angel moves ahead, the donkey sees that angel and lies down, Balaam gets angry again and beats her. At this point the donkey is given the power of speech by God. She says; “What is your problem, that you would beat me three times?” (Moffatt paraphrase).
Balaam, and I’m guessing once he’s gotten over the shock of having a talking donkey replies; “you have made me look like a fool, if I could I would kill you.” (Moffatt paraphrase). It becomes fairly evident that Balaam has an anger issue.
The Donkey says; “What is your problem, how many times have you ridden me, yip lots, do I normally act like this? (Moffatt paraphrase). Balaam answers; “no.”
The penny drops as God allows Balaam to see what the donkey has been seeing. A whopping great angel, with a scarily sharp sword, drawn and ready for business, ready to do some damage. So, he does what most of us would do in the same situation he gets humble, quickly humble and bows down, so much so that he falls on his face.
The angel of God, has words with Balaam, “Why did you beat your donkey these three times? If she had not turned away, I would have killed you.” (Moffatt paraphrase). Balaam admits his sin and offers to return home. Again, the message is clear from God; “Go with them but speak only what I tell you.” The King, Balak hears Balaam is coming and he has him on about arriving late and that he is able to reward him greatly for his services. Balaam tells him, “Yip I get that, I’m here now as requested, but can only say what God puts in my mouth to say.” (Moffatt paraphrase).
There are some sacrifices made, then the next morning Balak and Balaam head up to a place called Bamoth Baal and see the people of Israel, well some of them in the distance. Of interest, the next two chapters contain four oracles of Balaam, where Balak wants Balaam to curse the Israelites, but he ends up blessing them. Then there are another three short oracles of Balaam. If you are keen, spend some time reading these.
So why did I just spend fifteen minutes relaying this story?
Well, this is where it gets interesting. Say 100 years ago, two hundred years ago, I can almost certainly state as a matter of fact that if you were living at that time, you or someone you knew would have had a donkey, or a mule or a horse or a bullock. A beast that has been replaced by the internal combustion engine or a lithium ion cell battery. I would have preached what I just preached and every time your donkey, mule, horse, or bullock took an undirected turn, or stopped suddenly, or sat down unexpectedly this story would have come to mind. You would have wondered am I doing or saying anything that would be out of sorts with God’s will? A vision of an angel with a sword and potential shortening of your life might have come to mind, leading to repentance of your sins and ongoing justification with God. Historical context is an amazing thing. Today though we need to still check ourselves in relation to God and what he wants of us.
I want to briefly address three New Testament references to Balaam. One is this from second Peter:
“Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing.” 2 Peter 2:15.
This from Jude's letter to the Church:
“Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion.” Jude 1:11.
And this from the Revelation to John at Patmos: Jesus words to the angel of the church at Pergamum:
“But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.” Revelation 2:14.
This last verse tells us a bit more about what was going on with Balaam, it appears from what Jesus has said to the Church at Pergamum that some of them were leading people astray in the same way Balaam did. Everything appeared okay on the outside, Balaam was even claiming to speak only what God directed him to speak. But there was gain to be had by him in advising Balak on another way to defeat the Israelites and it appears this is what he did. If we read the first three verses of Numbers chapter 25 we see this.
“While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.” Numbers 25:1-3. Baal is an ancient Canaanite god, who has been worshipped as other god’s also throughout history.
Israel was in a short time, taking Moabite prostitutes, eating sacrifices made to and bowing down to other god’s. So why mention this, Andrew?
Like the Israelites we are flesh and blood people, we can be led astray. In this instance, sexual immorality was a doorway to the Israelite nation's decline. Sin is a way to any nations decline, our own nation is not in the state it is now accidentally. We get to see a God’s eye view of Balaam as described by Jesus. Balaam was cunning. Speaking what God told him regarding the cursing of Israel, he blessed them, he had to, he had no choice. But he advised Balak another way to defeat Israel, immorality, get those men involved with the Moabite women, fill them up with food at feasts of food sacrificed to idols, the high life, then, full belly's and carnally gratified they were swayed into worshipping other gods. Here’s a reminder that we need to still check ourselves in relation to God and what he wants of us. We also could be led astray. 1 Corinthians 10:13a tells us “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” Please at home and read the rest of that verse.
Peter stated it this way again about people in the church, talking about false prophets and teachers and their looming destruction: 13 “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.”
We the Church need to be aware of the danger there is from those who prophecy falsely, there is a great push within Christian circles to accept people's immorality in the name of God’s love, and grace. Sin remains sin, those of us who have repented of our sins know the release and joy that there is in Jesus having taken our rightful punishment. But for those who are told their sin is a normal human thing by false teachers; this does not allow them to become truely saved and regenerated living a sanctified life through Christ. This is a denial of God’s power to set free and redeem the lost. We need to remember that “Jesus died once and for all” (2 Corinthians 5:15), to continue in our sins is to re-crucify Christ.
Daily do we check ourselves in relation to God and what he wants of us, like we would have if we had been riding a donkey that suddenly stopped? Maybe some of us are called to be Balaam’s donkey for others, blocking their way or speaking up, saving them from the wrath of God, bringing them back from the brink of destruction. For some it might be a case of not walking two paths, a path that appears right while being like Balaam was to Balak, two things, one supposedly pleasing God and the other pleasing self. The only worthy outcome is to please God only by living in his will. The outcomes of our actions and our words have immediate and eternal consequences.
In the week ahead think on this, would my thoughts and actions cause a donkey to stop in its tracks?
