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!
Like Balaam, Christians are full of compromise today. If you think that sounds familiar, it should. Christians today are full of compromise.
• We compromise by the type of words we allow to come out of our mouths
• We compromise by what movies and shows we watch
• We compromise by the books we read
• We compromise by the music we listen to
• We compromise by who we hang out with
• We compromise by what we do while we’re hanging out
• Some even compromise by what verses in the Bible they choose to overlook so as not to be socially offensive
Remember God was very angry that Balaam had ignored the command, and as a result rebelled against God. We don’t know when or how far from Balaam’s hometown these events happened, but we can rest assured they did. God cannot lie -- TITUS 1:2 “IN HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE, WHICH GOD, THAT CANNOT LIE, PROMISED BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN”
• Some say these incidents are MYTHS - FABLES, or anything less than plain historical narrative
• They are playing fast and loose with the sacred text
• If God says it happened, it happened
• I have heard over the years saint say ‘God Said It, I Believe It, and that Settles It’
• Well the fact of the matter is – ‘God Said It, Whether We Believe It or Not, That Settles It’
My mind jumps to VS. 22, Balaam was riding the donkey, and two servants were along with him. I have to confess that I have no idea how fast a donkey can walk, but probably not very fast, if two men can keep up while still walking. And it’s while he’s riding the donkey that we read about the first out of the ordinary experience. Again, based on my limited knowledge, donkeys tend to follow a straight ahead path, only turning when the rider (somehow) indicates that it’s time to go either left or right. People with experience riding horses say it’s easy to make them turn, just pull the reins until the horse goes in the rider’s chosen direction. Anyway, the donkey seems to be walking along the straight path until it saw something very much out of the ordinary.
• This donkey saw something Balaam didn’t see — the Angel of the LORD!
What did the donkey see? The first time, it saw the Angel of the LORD standing “IN THE WAY,” which I take to mean the road - trail- pathway this group was traveling. And not only did the donkey see the Angel Himself, but it noticed He had a “SWORD DRAWN IN HIS HAND.”
• I remember reading or hearing, somewhere, that if one’s sword was kept in the sheath, this meant Peace
• But if the sword was drawn, this was either a warning or an act of punishment
• No matter what it was, the donkey knew that something bad was going to happen unless it made a move
Look my brothers and sisters, even a donkey has the discernment to not stand against an angel with a sword in hand!
• Apparently, the donkey has more spiritual discernment than our prophet here
• Balaam’s focus was on that reward, the money bag
• No doubt, and the response was to beat the poor thing
I have to admit to you that this miraculous moment is both humorous and profound. The situation’s absurdity underscores Balaam the prophet’s spiritual blindness — his donkey perceives divine reality more clearly than he does. This moment emphasizes God’s sovereignty in using even the lowliest of creatures to fulfill God’s purposes.
• The talking donkey also serves as a metaphor for Balaam himself, a prophet who speaks divine truth yet is morally and spiritually compromised
Still, the donkey didn’t receive any credit for moving out of the Angel’s way. The donkey left the path and went into the field, but Balaam didn’t like it, and “SMOTE: THE ANIMAL.” We’re not told what Balaam used, here, but I’m willing to say he expressed his displeasure clearly!
• As a side note, I only know a little Hebrew and have some trouble understanding the Verb
• According to an online source, the verb “SMOTE” is in the HIPHIL STEM, but I don’t know what that entails
• At any rate, the donkey got the message, painfully clear, that Balaam wasn’t happy with the direction it was taking him and smote the donkey in anger
Now here’s the second time the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD. The donkey noticed the Angel in a path of the vineyards, VS. 24, with a “WALL” on each side. The word “wall” has several different meanings and definitions and may refer to a wall of stone to make a border. This time, when the donkey saw the Angel, it “crushed” Balaam’s foot against the wall.
• I’m pretty sure Balaam was not pleased when this happened!
• I doubt there was any permanent damage — as we silll see, Balaam was able to walk up tall mountains—and the word “crushed” is also translated “Pressed”
• We could say the donkey tried to get away from the Angel, and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall of stone
Balaam, just like before, “SMOTE” the donkey again. But he got back on the donkey and they rode, you guessed it, into experience number 3. The donkey saw the Angel, but Balaam didn’t, and this time, the donkey did something different.
• It promptly lay down
• It could see the Angel standing in a narrow place but there was no way to move either to the left of the right
• The donkey might have guessed, if I go forward, the Angel may kill me
• I can’t turn to either side, so I’m just going to lay down until something happens
This made Balaam furious! Twice the donkey had done something he didn’t like, and he beat it with something. Now, it lays down and Balaam took a “STAFF” and beat the animal. Of note, the “staff” was likely a walking stick, perhaps something like the “rods” which men, especially shepherds, had used for many years.
• Balaam had been furious with his donkey
• But now he was about to receive an unforgettable lesson from a pair of unforgettable teachers!
At that moment, the LORD opens the donkey’s mouth, and it says to Balaam, “...WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU THAT YOU HAVE BEATEN ME THESE THREE TIMES?" Balaam answers the donkey: “YOU MADE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL. IF I HAD A SWORD IN MY HAND, I’D KILL YOU NOW!”
• “BUT THE DONKEY REPLIES, ‘AM I NOT THE DONKEY YOU’VE RIDDEN ALL YOUR LIFE UNTIL TODAY? HAVE I EVER TREATED YOU THIS WAY BEFORE?’”
Suddenly, the LORD opens Balaam’s eyes, and now he can see what the donkey has been seeing all along the path.
• Standing in the way is an angel of the LORD with a killing sword in his hand!
• Balaam bows low to the ground on his face
• This is the proper posture my brothers and sisters whenever we encounter the supernatural
• This is the proper posture whenever God steps into our situation
• BISHOP PAUL MORTON said it like this -- HIS AWESOME PRESENCE FILLS THE ROOM BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP HIM
The angel of the LORD explains to Balaam that he would have killed him had the donkey not turned away these three times. Balaam finds himself eating crow- as a manner of speaking.
• God also opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel standing with a drawn sword
• Confronted by this sight and rebuked by the angel for his reckless path, he admitted his sin and offered to turn back if necessary
King Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel.
• Instead, Balaam declared blessings under God’s direction.
• He proclaimed, “HOW SHALL I CURSE WHOM GOD HAS NOT CURSED? AND HOW SHALL I DENOUNCE WHOM THE LORD HAS NOT DENOUNCED?”
• This statement affirmed that no human or spiritual force could override God’s will
Balaam’s narrative highlights God’s ability to use flawed individuals for divine purposes. If that were not the case,
there would be no –
• Preachers today
• Deacons
• Deaconess
• Prophets
• Bible Teachers
We should view the life of Balaam as a warning against greed – pride - spiritual compromise. His actions reveal the tension between human ambition and obedience to God.
This narrative will challenge and cause us to reflect upon our –
• OBEDIENCE - Aligning actions with God’s will above personal desires
• DISCERNMENT - Recognizing divine guidance through unexpected means
• INTEGRITY - Resisting temptation for material gain or power
Balaam’s narrative challenges me to examine my own motives and align my desires with God’s will. His journey serves as a reminder that spiritual gifts are not substitutes for godly character, and even the most gifted individuals can fall prey to compromise.
--The prophet who rode a talking donkey wasn’t so bad when we first met him
--You might even like him in the beginning
--But it didn’t take long for him to show his true hand
--His heart wasn’t right with God
--His way was greed
--His error was compromise
--His doctrine was betrayal and corruption
--These are the lessons of Balaam, and they’re still infiltrating the church and individual lives thousands of years later
--BALAAM, THE DONKEY AND THE ANGEL
