Donkeys, Diviners, and Divine Intervention

Being sick has thrown a wrench in my Sunday post plans, but it's no excuse for being two days late! Yesterday, I spent a good hour or so catching up on my personal Bible study as well.

I've reached Numbers now in my read-through of the Bible, and particularly hit on the stories of the Israelites and their eventual destruction of the Midianites. One of the main stories that stuck out to me was the oft-recited children's story of Balaam the diviner and his little faithful donkey. What we forget as adults is the surrounding story around Balaam's journey and interruption by divine authority.

Balaam had been summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to come to Moab and curse the people of Israel, who were certain to overrun Moab and destroy it. When Balak's officials arrived to take Balaam to their king, Balaam contacted God, who on first prayer, said Balaam should remain. The second time that Balaam prayed, however, God appeared to have consented:

^"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.” Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.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. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides.When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff.Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.” Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.” The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balaam's officials.""(Numbers 22:20-35)

What initially confused me about this passage was that Balaam obeyed God's orders and yet, God was "angry" at Balaam for following the Moabite officials---the very thing he had told Balaam to do! When I re-read the passage, though, it appeared God had provided a cavaet in his command that Balaam had blithely (or, as the angel of God said, "recklessly") ignored: go with the officials BUT only do what I tell you. It was as if he was telling Balaam he could go, but wait for further orders. Balaam however, simply saddled his donkey and headed out, and then was so far from true communication with God he completely ignored various signals that he should stop his donkey. Only a very foolish and stubborn man would keep attempting his own way even after a donkey spoke to them to stop!

I was thinking over Balaam's stubbornness and decision to follow his own way, and it reminded me of my own life. How often do I praise God for things that have happened to me, or ask him advice in major decisions or deadlines? Hardly ever. Prayer is one of my greatest weaknesses. My communication with God suffers daily. Then, of course, I am annoyed and frustrated when an angel blocks my way to my goal, and I just whip myself into a fury attempting to continue, just like Balaam and his donkey. Yet all along God was trying to tell me, "Only do what I tell you". 

By no means do I believe in the humanistic philosophy that godly intervention frequently occurs, but if we listened more, do you think we would notice it more? Perhaps the frustration of life would be more peaceful and we'd have a reason to set forward in our decisions with more joy from God. Simply asking God is enough to acknowledge his approval is needed. 

It was strange for me to note that after Balaam's donkey incident, he did indeed predict the success of the Israelites to Balak (not the curse of them, which Balak had desired), but not long afterward, the Israelites swept in and killed the diviner. Although he had been the mouthpiece of God for a brief time, he was still an image of rebellion. Not only did he express it through the donkey story of stubbornness, he had chosen a career (sorcery) which he surely knew was against God's commands, if he had known God intimately at all. Our stubbornness to go our own way indeed shows a heart at the core that is rebellious, not humble and teachable. Our choices should be to call upon God before an angel blocks our way.