Balaam's donkey

Text Numbers 22:1-35 Time 10/02/13 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church

We were looking at the Book of Numbers towards the end of last year and we got as far as the end of Chapter 21. Numbers covers the period when Israel was in the desert or wilderness – after they had left Egypt and before they entered the Promised Land. It particularly deals with the latter part of their forty years in the desert. In Chapter 22:1 we read

Then the Israelites travelled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.

So here they are practically at the end of their journey facing Jericho, the first city they would take when they went into the Promised Land. However, their troubles in the wilderness are not over yet.

The people of Moab are desperate to stand against them, indeed to destroy them if they can. In Chapters 22-24 we are told the story of how they firstly seek the help of a man called Balaam to try and bring down a curse on the people of Israel. In the end, despite himself, Balaam is unable to curse the people and one of the lessons of these chapters is that God's people will be blessed despite everything, despite all that their enemies may try and do.

Balaam is a bit of a mystery as although he clearly talks to God and God talks to him and through him, giving wonderful prophecies about the future of God's people, Balaam son of Beor is nevertheless not a good man. Balaam is not only mentioned in the Bible but in at least one other place too. In that general area in a place called Tell Deir 'Alla an inscription has been found that begins Warnings from the book of Balaam son of Beor He was a seer of the gods. No doubt he was a man of great earthly wisdom and skill and one to whom God really did speak on this occasion but who was nevertheless an unbeliever and one who died in unbelief, despite his prayer recorded in these chapters. Just as in the New Testament Judas Iscariot was undoubtedly a prophet and presumably did miracles and cast out demons in Jesus' name but ended up in hell, so here in the Old Testament is a man who truly did prophesy truth and pronounce blessing on Israel and yet we have no reason to suppose he is in heaven. The New Testament condemns him as one who loved the wages of wickedness.

I want us to look at the first part of the story today, what we read in Numbers 22:1-35. In the first 20 verses Balaam is introduced and the story is set up and then in verses 21-35 we have the famous story of Balaam and his ass or donkey. The latter section is a very strange story. Apart from the case of the serpent speaking in the Garden of Eden I do not believe there is any other case of an animal speaking in the Bible. This is a pretty unique case. Why did it happen? The most likely reason is that God is teaching Balaam and all who read something by these events. We shall consider what it is in a moment. First verses 1-19.

1. The enemies of God's people and what they can do

1. Remember that the enemies of God's people are full of fear

We read (2-4) that

Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, soundly defeating them if you remember and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites. The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.

I think that this is something we often forget. Again and again we find evidence that unbelievers really are afraid of believers. Because we are sometimes frightened of them, then we find it hard to imagine that they could be afraid of us. But they often are. In this period Moab was afraid of Israel because there were so many of them and they were so close to Moabite territory. This is why they spoke to the Midianites living in their land as they did. In fact, Moab was safe from harm. It was the Canaanites who were going to be dealt with at this time, not Moab.

When people are afraid of spiders or mice they are often told “he 's more afraid of you than you are of him”.

I don't know if that's right. It certainly makes sense. Certainly in most cases unbelievers are more afraid of believers than believers ever need to be of unbelievers.

2. Understand that in their fear the enemies of God's people resort to human schemes for victory

We then read how

Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land. Balak said: A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now 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 country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.

Balak knew about this man Balaam and his power to curse people. And so he thought that he would hire Balaam to curse them and so win an easy victory. You can still hire people today who offer to put a curse on people for you. I looked it up on the web. On the site of the California Astrology Association I saw an add that said

"Hassled by a person who has it in for you? Know someone out there who deserves their comeuppance? Are you tired of being the victim and want to fight back? A Master Psychic can bless an amulet for you or cast a spell to help you even the score!"

There was also a one year unconditional refund guarantee, no questions asked. They offer a variety of spells.

These days perhaps Balak would have used the Internet but in his own time he chose rather to send a delegation to Balaam in Pethor near the Euphrates. He believes that if Balaam will curse them they will be weakened and that will strengthen his chances of being rid of them.

And so today the enemies of God's people have their ideas about how to weaken God's people. It's a mixture of carrot and stick basically. Some persecute quite aggressively. Others know about killing with kindness and try to ruin Christians by means of much more subtle ways. Both approaches have their disadvantages from the point of view of the unbeliever.

3. Realise that as God has blessed his people they cannot be cursed

So (7)

The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination or perhaps instruments for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said. 8 Spend the night here, Balaam said to them, and I will bring you back the answer the Lord gives me. So the Moabite princes stayed with him.

We then read of how God came to Balaam and asked, rhetorically Who are these men with you? And Balaam explains the situation

But God said to Balaam (12) Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed. And so The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s princes, Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you. So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, Balaam refused to come with us.

This is a strange passage in some ways. The fact that the true God spoke to Balaam is not so strange but the fact that Balaam wanted to speak to the true God rather than some pagan god is a little strange. Perhaps Balaam's logic was that given that he wanted to curse Israel he should approach Israel's God. God makes clear to Balaam that he is not to go with Balak's men or curse Israel (even though he clearly would be happy to). There is no way that the people of God can be cursed.

4. Despite this understand that the enemies of God's people do not give up easily

One might be tempted into thinking that this is the end of the story but it is not.

15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. They came to Balaam and said: This is what Balak son of Zippor says: 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.

Balak hasn't got the full story and so he thinks it is a question of money. Every man has his price they say. Balak was eager to see what it would take to win Balaam over.

But we read in verses 18, 19 that

Balaam answered them, Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me.

Balaam sounds like a believer in the first part but an unbeliever in the second. It is a reminder of how inconsistent people can be.

This is why unbelievers frighten us sometimes. They seem so strong because they will stop at nothing and yet the truth is that they cannot be victorious.

2. Balaam's Ass

With verse 20 we move on to the famous story of Balaam's ass or donkey. We read in verses 20 and 21 that

That night God came to Balaam (perhaps in a dream) and said, Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.

This is why Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.

What then happens with the donkey foreshadows what happens in the subsequent chapters. So, for example, we read of the donkey taking Balaam to various places just as Balak takes Balaam to various places where he tries to get him to curse Israel. Just as God opens the mouth of the donkey to speak so he later opens Balaam's mouth to speak. Just as the donkey complains of being beaten three times so later Balaam complains of being duped by Balak three times. The story of Balaam's donkey here is a sort of miniature version of the later story.

In verse 22 we have what appears to be a contradiction.

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.

Why would God be angry when he had told Balaam it was okay to go with Balak's men? Oh, you know the Bible, say some, full of contradictions! It is not likely that Moses would have written an obvious contradiction like that, however, There must be some explanation. Rather, there seems to have been a change in Balaam's attitude. He now seems bent on ignoring God and going to curse God's people even though he is forbidden to do that.

There seem to be three or four phases in this story

1 The donkey sees the angel

I got into a little trouble this afternoon when I started to explain to someone that in this world God has made three sorts of creatures – animals that have no soul or spirit (they didn't like the idea that animals have no soul but I think it is clear – when an animal dies that is it. There is no after life. I often warn children to break this gently to their parents when they tell them their rabbit has gone to heaven. There is no bunny heaven!). Then there are humans. We are body and soul or spirit. Finally, angels are only spirit. Here in this passage we see all three.

23, 24 When the donkey (animal) saw the angel of the Lord (spirit) standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam (human) beat her to get her back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides.

The irony here is that Balaam is the human and he is supposed to be a prophet or seer but he cannot see the angel, only the donkey can.

2 The donkey sees the angel twice more

In verses 25-27 we read another two times of how the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and how Balaam beat it. At one point

she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her 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, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff.

The donkey sees but Balaam is blind and so he unjustly beats the donkey.

Perhaps there is more here, though. Balaam is angry with the donkey because it won't go where he wants it to go just as God is angry with Balaam because he will not submit to God and do as God says.

3 The donkey speaks

Not Balaam or the angel but the donkey.

28-30 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, (as he would a prophet) and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, (he's in a temper now) “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

(There is a sword, of course, if only Balaam could see it. The angel had it - but Balaam could not see).

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.

What a fool Balaam appears to be as God opens the donkey's mouth just as he does with prophets. It is God who opens mouths and so God's people never need fear the words of anyone! Never be afraid of what people may say.

4 The Lord opened Balaam's eyes

31-35 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 she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her.” Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realise 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 the princes of Balak.

The thing here then is that Balaam has been made a fool of. God was entirely in control of the situation. We can't be cursed if we are trusting in Christ. It can only turn out for our good.