Numbers 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.
As we travel through life we often run into things that just don’t seem to fit, events that seem out of place, surprises that seem to set us back. Life is filled with these unexpected, unexplained events and circumstances. Some of them are welcomed in the moment, seen as a blessing. Some are rejected outright as an evil.
It can be difficult to know how to handle these unexplained, unexpected events. They can often puzzle people for years, even to the point that it can shake a person’s faith. And shaky faith won’t sustain through the inevitable difficulties that life brings resulting in depression, anxiety and even despair.
We read about some of these types of moments in Scripture. Our text tells us that the LORD was angry with a man named Balaam. Balaam was from a country different from the main stage of the events recorded in Numbers. He had to travel in to make his cameo appearance.
The LORD had told him to not go with the emissaries from Moab and Midian, and under no circumstances was he to curse the Israelites, the substance of the request from these leaders. How would you like to be known as the person who puts curses on peoples and nations! How would that be listed in your favorite search engine?
But that was Balaam’s reputation, his hallmark, his signature dish. This is what Balaam did, and the leaders of Moab and Midian had received his advertising flyers in their mail. They knew of his reputation and they pressed the “Contact Us” button and put in the request.
But then the LORD came to Balaam a second time and told him he could go under one condition: do only what I tell you. This condition gets repeated when Balaam finally meets these leaders. He tells them he can only speak what God puts in his mouth. Balaam has clear orders, but what does he do with them?
Our text begins to tell us a strange story about a talking donkey. And after the donkey speaks, the LORD declares that Balaam’s path was a reckless one, like riding a donkey on a narrow road without room to turn around. Like walking on a cliff-face road, danger is sure to bring fruit.
The LORD sees something that even Balaam isn’t aware of in himself. He is too eager to go. The profit margin is too high to resist. Maybe his kids are starting college and he is worried about how to pay for it!
We don’t know the reasons for Balaam’s rush to join in cursing Israel. But he goes with a second warning about what he is to speak. I think the talking donkey and the angel of the LORD showing up and speaking directly to him finally got his attention. I hope I am not that stubborn!
And that is the point. Balaam has determined what he is going to say and do before he even gets there. But the LORD interrupts his plans. So he continues on his way chastised by the LORD.
When there is a story or a detail that seems out of place, like a talking donkey, look around and find the repeated things in that passage. They give us a clue about the meaning of the passage.
Balaam, in his rush, was not committed to speaking only what the LORD would tell him to speak. He would go rogue. The LORD wanted to protect Israel and Balaam. He had a plan for them both, but it required their obedience, the very thing both lacked.
Do we need a talking donkey to get us to obey? Shrek IV!
The Arnold Journey 