~ Beating the Donkey ~
A STORY STRANGE-SEEMING to us is placed in the scriptures late in the time of Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. Israel is finally coming out of forty years in the desert, and they come out strong. They have militarily defeated two kings—Sihon and Og—and are massed at the southern boundaries of Moab. Balak is the next king in their forceful trajectory towards the Promised Land, and Balak is very nervous. “Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.” (Num. 22:3) He sends messengers to a local well-known astrological diviner, Balaam. “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.” (Num. 22:6a, b) Then we get our first glimpse of how strange this story is, for Balak’s message continues, “For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.” (Num. 22:6c)
Balaam, reluctant at first, eventually speaks seven favorable prophecies over Israel that are ominous for Balak, despite his protestation that he has hired Balaam to curse Israel. “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!” (Num. 23:11) It is not until his third prophecy that we find that Balaam, a non-Israelite, is actually a prophet of God. He self-validates with this statement: “The prophecy of Balaam, whose eye sees clearly, who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened.” (Num. 24:3-4)
But earlier there is clear evidence that he is indeed a prophet who speaks with and hears from God. There is also evidence that begins to indicate an internal conflict in Balaam. When Balak’s messengers first come, he tells them to spend the night, but away from him, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.” (Num. 22:8) We are then privileged to eavesdrop on a complex conversation between the Lord and Balaam. The Lord speaks to him, first telling him not to go with the messengers. “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.” (Num. 22:12) Then he seems to change his mind, telling him to go. “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.” (Num. 22:20)
In between the two directives from the Lord, the first messengers have responded to Balak, and a more distinguished group (cf. Num. 22:15) come back with an enticing offer. “Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.” (Num. 22:16-17) Balaam responds, and we are appreciative, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.” (Num. 22:18) So far, so good. And so, the next scene is set.
Balaam returns with these messengers to meet with Balak. He “got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.” (Num. 22:21) Already, some anxious time for Balak has gone by, since the journey between them took approximately two weeks. In the month previous and now these next two weeks, the growing presence of the Israelites on Balak’s border has him desperate for a prophetic word of victory before he goes into battle.
The story takes on another strange twist at this point, hard for us to understand. The God who sent him now opposes Balaam. “God was very angry, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey. 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.” (Num. 21:22-23) The angel of the Lord impedes Balaam’s donkey two more times. First, “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.” (Num. 22:25) Next the beast sees the angel again, and “It lay down under Balaam, and he beat it with his staff.” (Num. 22:27) At this, the Lord speaks through the donkey, though at first Balaam does not understand his presence.
After some dialogue, “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.” (Num. 22:31) Properly humbled, and with his utmost attention gained, Balaam hears the angel: “I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one.” (Num. 22:32) After telling Balaam how close he has come to death—the sword—the angel tells him, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” (Num. 22:35b) The point is made with extreme emphasis; Balaam will not deviate from what God tells him to say. Or will he?
In the Book of Numbers, Balaam is very clearly a prophet that God uses not only to favor Israel, but to cast future Messianic prophecy as well. It is not until we come to the N.T. that we find further information, and it is information that does not cast him in a favorable light. The Apostle Peter, in a polemic against false prophets, compares them to him. “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.” (2 Pet. 2:15) This is a foundational basis for later commentators, who see Balaam as venal, one who was conflicted by the offer of money, and who was bribed to give false prophecy. We don’t see this in the O.T. text, but if we go to the Book of Revelation, we find this warning to the church at Pergamum: “There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” (Rev. 2:14)
In later O.T. scriptures, it is undeniable that the Israelites and the Moabites intermarried (cf. Ezra 9:1-10:44), much against God’s will, and much to the detriment of Israel. With the intermarriages came religious syncretism, wherein the Israelites worshiped more than one god, violating the first of the ten commands given Moses: “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Deut. 5:6-7)
What are we to learn from this part of Balaam’s story? Perhaps that God can use anyone—or anything—to speak a word from him, but that not everything they say can be trusted. Perhaps, more importantly, that we must learn to distinguish between what is false and what is true. Paul’s words come to mind: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)
Instead of railing against the circumstances that seem to frustrate us—like Balaam beating the steadfast donkey—we should see that God is always trying to get our attention. He wants us to see what we are doing in a new way, and to act differently than we might otherwise. If not, he may be coming to us ‘to oppose us because our path is a reckless one.’
Q. How clearly do I decipher the supernatural facts in the circumstances of spiritual warfare that surround me?
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