A donkey's angelic vision - Numbers 22: 21-39

Admittedly, the story of Balaam will make the least animal cruelty aware people think about it. Balaam beat his donkey three times while they were on the road. Three times. It really does make you think. Ok, really it makes you think not only of animal cruelty, but also what in the world was going through Balaam’s head. Three times he was waylaid, and it took that long for him wise up.

We have a story here of a prophet, but not an Israelite one. Balaam the Seer is called upon to curse the Israelites because the Moabites were afraid of them. When Balaam is summoned, he wisely asks the men to wait the night while he considers and seeks to know if he should go. And lo, God speaks to him and says not to attend to the request. It is only the second time that he is requested to go and promised great riches that God assents to his going. God however stipulates that Balaam should do only what he says.

So, Balaam loads up his donkey and heads out on the way. This is when the donkey begins to act up and Balaam beats the animal three times before ‘the seer’ is able to understand the donkey. Here we find that the donkey is usually quite good, and that Balaam should have taken note that something was wrong. Balaam could have checked the donkey’s hooves or checked for pinching or a burr under the saddle. Instead of doing this, Balaam has ignored everything and is out of tune with the world around him, specifically his own donkey. How could he have been in tune with the spiritual world and the desires of God if he was even ignoring what was causing him pain, a crushed foot. How often have we too gone about the work of the Lord but not been attuned to the needs of our fellow workers? I myself have gotten rather upset at the lack of participation from others and instead of seeking them out and trying to understand the person and what is going on with them, I’ve ignored them. Not very mature of me, I admit.

I have heard it said that when things are repeated it is because they are important. Here Balaam was told directly by God to do only what he was told and then it was repeated, rather dramatically. It makes me question how often I have heard the Lord and then gone on about my way, not checking in to see how I am doing. How often have I hurried along as Balaam did, seeking to do as requested and not stopped to check the way or the why of my doings? It is the constant connection and the continual prayer that makes that possible. It is not dogged determination that God seeks, but prayerful consideration. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, ‘Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess 5:17).’ Each of these, rejoicing, praying, and thanking, tie back to a connection with God, an ongoing connection. Balaam was blindly trudging along, as I too have done often enough. But, when we seek to rejoice, pray and thank continually, there is no possibility of blindly doing anything. When Balaam stops to speak with the angel, he hits the reset and is again focused on the objective of the day: do as God says. It is unclear exactly who Balaam is, but the speculation is that he is not Hebrew, yet he too has the objective to do as God says.

God opens the mouth of the donkey; he uses extraordinary means to capture our attention too. But those around us who need us to understand, should not have to use extraordinary means for us to consider them and take notice of them. When we find behavior out of tune with a person’s norm, it is an opportunity for us to stop and check with them, probably in private. Jesus withdrew to pray and take advisement on things, and we can too. But we are called into fellowship, like that Jesus had with the Father and the Holy Spirit, a fellowship with others. In that fellowship, we can more closely discern the will of God, and do only what he permits. The fellowship here is absurdly with a donkey, but who else may have been accompanying Balaam, we do not know. We have the grace to journey with others, whether in church, small group, or now online groups. Maybe we too will be visited by an angel to fellowship with.

Doing only as God says is not an easy objective but is one that we undertake with joy and certain gravitas. Through the donkey’s angelic vision story, I am reminded that I have an obligation to those around me, to those in fellowship, to check in with them and for them to check me in my progress with God.