WHEN A DONKEY SPEAKS

You have heard the ole reply, "When pigs fly" or "When hell freezes over!" to suggest the impossibility of a happening.  Today in Numbers 22, a donkey speaks.  A reminder that God will use whatever and whomever to intervene and bring about His plan and purpose.  

  You will have to check out the backstory of Numbers 22 and Balaam.  Balaam is more of a ancient fortune-teller who would give his "divination" and then is well- paid for the information. He feigns to be a God worshiper.  Israel is prepared to take more land to enter Moab.  Their reputation has scared the very wits out of the occupants of the land.  The king of Moab decides to hire Balaam for his "insight" and "divination" to develop a strategy against Israel.  Balaam is on his donkey riding to meet with the king, Balak.  God is angry that Balaam has given his disclaimer that "I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God" even for silver and gold.  God, knowing the heart, sends Balaam on his way.  He well knows of Balaam's greed and intervenes to stop Balaam, probably for a heart check.   The donkey sees the angel and stops.  Balaam beats the donkey after three attempts to pass the angel and travel on.  Balaam must have resorted to "fussin and cussin" the donkey.  HERE IT IS in verse 30, the donkey speaks, "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?"  Then the angel speaks, "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 she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her." Of course an angel with a drawn sword and a talking donkey are enough to cause Balaam to admit, "I have sinned."  He is wiling to turn back, but is told by the angel of the Lord to go on "but to speak only what I tell you." 

You and I have not experienced a talking donkey, but we do have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit resident within us if we are a Christ follower.  It is His role to guide and to give us recall of Truth in God's Word.  Not only is He the Truth-Speaker, but He restrains us from going a reckless way if we are willing to read or hear and obey.  A lot of our misery, we have brought on ourselves by our determination to go our own way and do our thing because we want to.  There are consequences for choosing to go outside the restraints of God's Word and will for us.  I am reminded of the definition of insanity:  Doing the SAME thing over and over again, hoping for other consequences. The consequences only get WORSE and more PAINFUL.  A one-liner of a friend of mine speaks: "Only a fool learns by experience."  I realize that depends on the experience.  Some of us may need to post a sign:  TALKING DONKEY FOR HIRE if we refuse to respond to His Truth.  #IHAVETHREESONS