3.15.11 "Your Donkey's Talking..."

"Your Donkey's Talking..."

Numbers 22:21-23:30
Luke 1:57-80
Psalm 58:1-11
Proverbs 11:12-13

The story of Balaam is one that I always find a bit humorous. I should lay the groundwork:

Balaam is a man who hears from God. He is not of the Children of Israel, but he's well known as someone who communes with God. The Israelites have started conquering territories in preparation for entry into the promise land, and King Balak of Moab sees the vast hordes of the Israelites coming, and wants Balaam to come and curse them.

Balaam checks with God, God says "don't go." King Balak says, I'll make you famous and rich. Balaam says, "let me check w/ God again." Well, for some reason, God says, "you may get up and go with these men, but be sure to say only what I tell you to." (22:20)

"So the next morning he saddled his donkey and started off with them. But God was angry about Balaam's eager attitude, so he sent an angel to stand in the road to kill him. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam's donkey suddenly saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword. She bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat her back onto the road. Now the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road went between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw him standing there, she squirmed past by pressing against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot inthe process. so he beat her again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that the donkey couldn't get by at all.

"So she lay down in the road! In a great fit of temper Balaam beat her again with his staff." (22:21-27)

This is where it gets funny: "Then the Lord caused the donkey to speak! 'What have I done that deserves your beating me these three times?' she asked. 'Because you have made me look like a fool!' Balaam shouted." (vs28 & 29)

Ok, his servants are watching this. Who's making who look like a fool? Balaam didn't say, "did you guys see that? my donkey talks!" He's so frustrated, he keeps thinking about himself. "You made ME look like a fool."

I read the story to my daughter. Her question was profound. "Why was God mad at Balaam?" The answer from verse 22 was "God was angry about Balaam's eager attitude" (remember that it was motivated by wealth and fame.) His motives were impure.

I think the application for our lives is one we shouldn't overlook. Sometimes we find our donkey in the ditch. Sometimes it smashes our foot. Sometimes it just lays down.

But we're doing what we thought God wanted us to do! This must be an "attack" of the enemy!

Hang on a second. Look at your motives. Is it possible that there is impurity in the way you are pursuing the will of God?

I'm not saying that every time your donkey's in a ditch that there's an angel of the Lord trying to kill you, but I am saying that the frustrations of life can ALWAYS be used to refine us. Our prayer needs to be "Lord, use this situation to mould me into who you want me to be." It's not easy, it's not convenient, and sometimes you end up limping for a while.

I'll tell you what. God got Balaam's attention. "Then Balaam confessed, 'I have sinned. I didn't realize you were there. I will go back home if you don't want me to go on.' But the angel told him, 'Go with the men, but say only what I tell you to say.'" Balaam was willing to turn around. That wasn't God's plan, though. He told him to continue on, but constrain himself to only say what God says.

We have to be careful as we live out the call of God on our life. Seeds of impure motives can grow rapidly. On the outside, we're still on the road of obedience, but in the inside we're obeying in our terms. The "Dead Man" of the flesh keeps trying to wake up.

I wish I could say that Balaam ended up a hero of the faith. It's not the case. He's mentioned in Jude & Revelation, but not as an example to us. Jude 11 compares wicked men to Balaam as they "rush for profit".

We must make sure that we recognize God's plan in every circumstance. We must guard our hearts from wandering in times of peace, and submit our hearts to refining in times of conflict.




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Pastor Greg Lathe

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