Quit Hitting Your Donkey!

 If you are literally hitting a donkey, then please stop now! But I’m quite confident that most people reading this blog don’t own a donkey, and you are wondering why you have even read this far. But please read on. You might not own a literal donkey, but by the end of this blog, you may discover you not only have a donkey, but you have yelled at, kicked, and been quite angry with it.

With that in mind, let’s look at Balaam and his talking donkey. Now a talking donkey might evoke images from Shrek for many, but thousands of years before Eddie Murphy put words in a donkey’s mouth, God did in the story of Balaam. You can find the story in Numbers chapters 22-24.

The story begins with messengers from a pagan king going to Balaam and asking him to curse the Israelites for a fee. Balaam puts the messengers up for the night and inquires of God about their offer. God clearly informs Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” God’s instructions are clear and indisputable: Don’t go and don’t curse the Israelites.

Balaam informs the messengers of God’s words and they go back to Moab to inform their pagan king that Balaam won’t come and curse the Israelites. End of story. Well…not exactly. The king sends more messengers, princes of great prominence, to entice Balaam to come and curse the Israelites. These princes relay the king’s message, “Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’”

The king’s pocketbook was deep enough to fulfill his offer to Balaam. Balaam, however, knew God’s word on the matter: Don’t go, and don’t curse the Israelites. He relayed that message again to the princes, but the glitter of gold and silver enticed Balaam so he housed the princes for the night hoping God would change his mind. God didn’t change his mind, but knowing Balaam’s greedy heart, God said he could go but with the instructions not to curse the Israelites. The initial instructions were clear, however, “You shall not go with them.”

The story continues in verses 21 and 22, “So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary.” Here’s where it gets interesting. God gives Balaam’s donkey angel vision. The donkey can see this fearsome angel with a drawn sword standing in the path, while Balaam is blind to it. The donkey, seeking to spare its own life and Balaam’s life turns aside off the path. Balaam beats the donkey. The angel moves to another place on the path near a vineyard wall where the donkey again turns aside, avoiding the ominous sword of this supernatural being but in the process presses Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam beats the donkey. The angel moves to a narrow pass with a wall on each side and fills the passageway with his enormous frame offering no way around him. We read in verse 27, When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

Let’s pause here a moment. Balaam beats the donkey three times in this story, but why? From Balaam’s perspective, the donkey is being belligerent and uncooperative. The donkey even caused Balaam some discomfort, perhaps even a little pain when it pinched his leg against the wall. When the donkey lays down underneath him, it’s the final straw. “Balaam’s anger was kindled” we read. From the donkey’s perspective, however, she was protecting Balaam. She avoided this fearsome, supernatural creature wielding death. The donkey’s actions spared Balaam’s life, yet Balaam beat her.

Notice that the donkey confronts Balaam for striking her three times and the angel also confronts Balaam for striking the donkey three times. The fact that he struck his donkey is the issue. Why is that a problem? The inconvenience and discomfort of the donkey’s action saved Balaam’s life, and yet those same actions were what angered Balaam. The donkey had no history of being obstinate or needlessly harming Balaam, yet all of that seemed to be forgotten by Balaam in the moment. The glitter of gold enticed him and he wanted to get moving to his destination; however, his donkey made it quite difficult for him so he struck the donkey. Yet in that anger-motivated action, he attacked his greatest ally, shielding him from death.

How many times have you and I had to endure situations that prevented us from doing what we wanted to do? Maybe we had financial challenges that came up, illness, or simply bad traffic that made us late for a meeting. That ‘donkey’ of a situation might actually be sparing you from something far worse that you can’t see. We can be easily angered when circumstances hinder our plans and maybe even lash out at that ‘donkey.’ In those moments, I must remember that God is faithful, God knows best, and wants His best for me. That donkey of inconvenience or even discomfort may be sparing me from far greater pain that I’m not even aware of.

That donkey can also provide the pause I need to evaluate my plans. Are they in line with God’s plans? Is my heart in tune with Him? Two people had their anger kindled in this story. Balaam’s anger was kindled because his donkey wouldn’t go, and God’s anger was kindled because Balaam did go. Balaam had his desires misplaced. God made clear in the beginning that He did not want Balaam to go and curse the Israelites, but Balaam, enticed by the lure of wealth (2 Peter 2:15), wanted to go and saddled his donkey. Those interruptions and challenges to your plan should give you pause to reflect and evaluate your plans. Are they what God desires? Rather than getting angry at your donkey, examine your heart. That donkey making your life difficult and hindering your plans may be your greatest ally right now and you don’t even know it.

Let’s quit hitting that poor donkey, and instead ask God to open our eyes and see what He wants us to see.