It’s a beautiful thing that God desires to speak to his mere mortal creation. Praise God for His direction and His will in our lives. His voice and instruction is so valuable that we shouldn’t ignore it or take it for granted!
Balaam was a non-Israelite who was known as a prophet. King Balak sought him out to curse the Israelites, but God told Balaam that he is only allowed to bless the Israelites and not curse them.
Then 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?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. Numbers 22:28-31
God was aware of Balaam’s intention to assist King Balak, so He tried to stop him by sending an angel to block him. Balaam did not see the angel but the donkey did. The donkey tried to avoid the angel, who made Balaam angry, so he struck the donkey. After the third strike, God opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam why does he keep striking her?
There are a few things we can glean from this:
Technical Obedience
God instructed Balaam specifically not to curse Israel, but He told Balaam that He could go with King Balak. He was only allowed to bless the Israelites and not curse him. While on the surface it looked like Balaam had done nothing wrong, God knew that Balaam was technically going to be obedient to Him but didn’t have a heart to do what was right. We can be technically obedient to God or others, but if our heart is not set on doing the right thing, we will manage to find a loophole to accomplish what is in our hearts!
A Blind Seer
The fact that Balaam, a seer prophet, couldn’t see the angel but the donkey did is alarming! Most of us don’t own a donkey nor are we going to have interactions with a donkey. However, we will have people or situations around us that seem like they are blocking us to get to our goal. What if God is using someone to block you from your goal? What if your twelve- year- old son says something profound that exposes the condition of your heart? What if a new believer that you have ministered to gives you Godly counsel? What if God uses the mouth of babes to speak something that others don’t have the courage to say to you?
My Pastor tells the story on how a rookie on His NFL football team challenged him to faith. The rookie player told my Pastor (paraphrased), “Don’t you know that God has a plan and purpose for your life? The way you’re living your life, it doesn’t show that you do.” While my Pastor was one of the top players on his team, this rookie was not intimidated to tell him the truth and help him understand there is more to life than being a popular football player. Praise God for this young man! Praise God for all those who are willing to look like a fool but still be bold and courageous for Christ!
Who is blocking you today? What is frustrating you today? Could it be the hand of the Lord moving you in a different direction or trying to give you a fresh perspective on the situation?
I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.