Date: 02-27-2020

Title: If God Can Use A Donkey, Then…

(S) cripture:
    Numbers 22:22-31 (NASB77) But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.

(O) bservation:
    After refusing King Balak’s request to come and curse the Israelites before they overthrow him on a number of occasions Balaam agrees to go. He goes with the stipulation that he will only say what the Lord tells him. The Lord is still angry that he would go and puts an angel in his way to stop him. The donkey he is riding on sees the angel and balks on three occasions and Balaam beats the donkey to keep it going. When the donkey lies down in the middle of the road Balaam beats it again and then the Lord opens the donkey’s mouth and it speaks to Balaam. Balaam then sees the donkey and the Lord also speaks to him and tells him it is the donkey that has saved his life. Here God uses a donkey to speak His truth to a wayward prophet.

(A) pplication:
    This is one of my favorite and also most intriguing stories in the Old Testament. It seems that Balaam gets God’s permission to go and yet God is still angry with him for doing so. God must have known some motives that are not revealed to us in the story. God allows the donkey to see his angel along the way as a warning to stop. After three failed attempts to stop Balaam God has the donkey speak truth to Balaam. I take heart in this passage because it is an encouragement to me. “If God can use a donkey to speak his truth then maybe, just maybe, God can use me.” I really do desire to speak only those words that come from the Lord. Today, I want my speech to be truth and to point people to Jesus and to stop their journey to destruction.

(P) rayer:
    Lord you once used a donkey to speak your truth so today here I am, use me. Amen