TALKING DONKEYS... Sunday

Devotional for 2/9/14

Have you ever kept coming upon difficulties interfering with your plans and wondered why?  Have you attacked someone for getting in your way only to find out later that it was a good thing?

In the Old Testament in the book of Numbers, there is a king of Moab named Balak who wanted to drive the wandering Israelites away from his land. His people feared the Israelites would use up all their resources.

Balak summoned Balaam and offered a reward to him to put a curse on the Israelites so that they could successfully fight them and get them to move elsewhere.  Balaam was a pagan prophet who had the reputation of being able to curse or bless people.  But he apparently was not doing God's will when he finally started to go to Balak, because God stopped Balaam by sending an angel that appeared at first only to his donkey. stopping him from proceeding 3 different times.  Each time, Balaam did not understand why his donkey refused to go forward, so he beat his donkey all 3 times.  Then God allowed the donkey to speak: 

Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam,  “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

   Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

   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.

   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 face down.

   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 it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”  Numbers 22:28-32 (NIV)

So the donkey had actually saved Balaam from being killed by the angel.  But because he was not in tune with God's will, Balaam beat it every time.  Once he understood why he could not proceed and that his life was spared, he confessed and agreed to do whatever God asked:  

   Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize 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 Balak’s officials.  Numbers 22:34-35 (NIV)

If our plans are thwarted, we hopefully will understand that God is trying to lead us elsewhere.  We pray that we will not take it out on others, especially those who are trying to help us.  Hopefully it won't take talking donkeys to get our attention!  May God direct us on the right path and keep us faithful to his purposes.

written by Jan Andersen

Here is a song for today..."Word Of God Speak" sung by Mercy Me