A Donkey Speaks
“But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.” Numbers 22:22a
Be very careful about asking God to give you permission to do something that he has expressly told you not to do. That’s one of the key takeaways from the story of Balaam recorded in Numbers 22. The context of the story is that God was about to lead Israel into the promised land and the people of Moab were afraid they might be in Israel’s path and would be destroyed. So, the king of Moab sent men to Balaam, who was known to be a prophet, to ask him to come and put a curse on Israel. The king offered Balaam great riches to do this.
Balaam asked God about cursing Israel “But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”” (verse 12). The king of Moab offered Balaam even greater rewards, so Balaam asked God again. God gives in and says he can go “But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.” (verse 22a)
Balaam’s donkey sees the angel, but Balaam doesn’t. The donkey stops three times in fear of the angel and each time, Balaam beats the donkey. Finally, God enables the donkey to speak, and it tells Balaam about the angel. Then God lets Balaam see the angel who tells him, “I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.” (verse 32b).
Indeed, it was. It was a reckless path because Balaam’s motives were wrong. He was more interested in worldly gain and financial reward than in obeying God. The apostle Peter warns us not to be like Balaam, who “loved the wages of wickedness.” (2 Peter 2:15b).
Are you on a reckless path because you’re disobeying God to pursue worldly gain?
Having begun as a guest speaker in 2005, Dan was appointed Interim Pastor in 2008 and has been serving Maple Root Baptist ever since. As a small group leader and Chaplin for the Connecticut Tigers, Dan has a heart for the lost and the God that saves them.