Talking to a Donkey

  A few weeks ago, I read through Leviticus and Numbers. In between the chapters about regulations regarding sacrifices and laws the children of Israel were to follow, there is the story of Balaam and his donkey.
  Balaam is an interesting character, only appearing in the Bible for these few chapters in Numbers. Other mentions of him in the Bible denote him as an enemy of God and of the people of Israel. Balaam was not a good person. He was not a hero, he was not a saint. Balaam was a gentile and a sorcerer. He knew of God, he even spoke to God, but he did not respect God enough to live his life in honor of his Creator. He was too busy pursuing his own selfish ends to be bothered with obeying God's law. In his career as a sorcerer, God apparently blessed Balaam. Those on whom Balaam pronounced curses were cursed, and those whom Balaam blessed were blessed.
  Because of this power Balaam apparently possessed, the king of Moab called upon Balaam for help. In their journey to the promised land, the people of Israel passed near Moab. Tales of the havoc God had wrought on the Egyptians while Israel was there spread all over the land. Balak feared what might happen to his nation, so he called on Balaam to pronounce curses on the people of Israel so they would be driven from his land. Here is where the story gets interesting. When Balak's men first came to retrieve Balaam, the Lord told Balaam not to go, and Balaam obeyed the Lord. When the first set of Balak's men went back to him, he sent more men to Balaam. And this time he offered Balaam a handsome reward to come and curse Israel. At first Balaam refused Balak's offer, but the moment the Lord told Balaam he could go, he hit the road.
  The Lord put a condition on Balaam before he left: he could only do as the Lord told him. It would seem that Balaam did not set off with the best of intentions, because an angel of the Lord came to speak to Balaam on his journey to the king of the Moabites. Balaam did not see the angel of the Lord. Three times. His donkey did though, and every time the dumb animal saw the angel, it fled. Balaam did not understand the donkey's action and so when his donkey would flee he would beat it. After the third beating, the Lord took pity on Balaam's donkey and let it speak its mind. So Balaam's donkey asked him why he had beaten him three times.
  Here the story becomes funny. Balaam was so intent on pursuing his own selfish ends, and so frustrated with his donkey, he did not stop to think about the fact his animal was talking to him, or that he was talking to an animal. He told his donkey how frustrated he was, saying, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand I would kill you now."
  His donkey replied, "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?"
  Balaam told his donkey, "No." And then it clicked: he was talking to a donkey. Then he saw the angel of the Lord. The angel confronted him about his actions towards his donkey and warned him against the reckless path he was pursuing. Balaam offered to go back the way he came, but the angel told him he could continue on his way to the king of the Moabites, only he must do as the Lord told him.
  The story goes on, and Balaam is commanded by the Lord to bless the nation of Israel, which he does. As I read the story though, the thought struck me, Balaam was so busy pursing his own selfish ambition, he failed to see the incredible things the Lord was doing around him. First an angel of the Lord appeared to him and he was blind to it. Then an animal spoke to him, and he was so angry he did not see the wonder of a talking animal. He just started arguing with a donkey. I can be like that too though. I get so busy pursuing my own self ends and disobeying that I fail to see just how incredible the works of the Lord are. It is important to obey God, not only because it honors and glorifies Him, but because I get to see His wonders when I do so.