“GOD’S MYSTERIOUS WAYS” Lesson 182

We have all heard and used this old adage; God works in mysterious ways. This short study will show just a peek at how God works and the people He uses. Oh, and do not miss the part where He also uses a talking donkey. I suppose when we, like Balaam, try to go our own way, God has to use something less stubborn and hard-headed than we such as a mule! Have you compared your obedience record with a donkey’s lately? Who won?

When I was a kid, we lived next to a family who had a few little donkeys and the same number of boys and girls. We had free access to these donkeys and the pasture behind out houses. Thing is we only had one saddle. We drew straws for the saddled donkey and the rest of us rode bare back. Off we would go in our caravan across the cactus and mesquite tree infested pasture. We would yell, poke, slap and coax our little steeds to no avail. Take my word for this; when trying to drive or lead a donkey, you might have to be going where he wants to go or trouble is in store. They will balk, dig their heels into the ground, kick, duck and turn in total disobedience to your authority over them. Their pace was slow and resentful, biding their time when they would catch us off our guard and dump us off their backs.

That anticipated upheaval came on our return trek to the barn. Exhausted, tired and thirsty from making our way to the far side of the pasture, we turned our mounts and headed to the lot. Once the little donkeys sensed they were homeward bound, there was no stopping them. Having preserved their energy on the painfully slow walk to the pasture’s end, they had the advantage over the weary travelers. No amount of pulling on the make-shift rope reins deterred their race to the pens, water and freedom from their passengers. The word whoa fell on deaf ears or perhaps it meant something different to a donkey; as in run under a mesquite tree and see if we could be knocked off or scratched severely by the merciless thorns. We abandoned the reins and fell forward on the back of our racing animals, with a tight grip around their necks. Most of the riders would make it intact to the donkeys’ resting place but a few would eventually lose their balance and be left to walk the trail home. You might think the remaining ones were lucky but this is only because you did not witness the “all four feet planted in the ground firmly screeching halt” the donkeys made at the gate, spilling the troops onto the ground. If only those donkeys could have talked!

Balaam’s donkey talked! Moses had been trying to lead the disobedient Israelites across the wilderness. They were moving northward, almost to the plains of Moab across from Jericho, on the verge of invasion and conquest of the Promised Land. The plains of Moab must have been a contested territory (Num. 21:26) because they were apparently under Amorite control at this time though normally they belonged to Moab. Moses asked for permission from King Sihon of the Amorites to go through his country, peacefully and taking no food or water (Deut. 2:26-29). Sihon refused and attacked Israel but was defeated (Deut. 2:31-37) and the Israelites claimed his territory. Although they took the land of the AmoRItes, the land of the AmmoNItes was spared because their border was fortified and they were related to Israel through Lot (Gen. 19:36, 38, Deut. 2:19) so Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.

When Balak, Moab’s king, saw what Israel had done to the Amorites, he and his people were terrified and began to look for a way to save themselves from the inevitable destruction at the hands of the Israelites. Balak knew that Israel was too powerful to be defeated militarily so he decided to seek out and hire a diviner to bring down curses on Israel. There were pagan prophets in the land who were devious enough to pronounce curses and/or blessings in such a way that they were bound to come to pass one way or the other. Balaam was one such prophet among the complex cult of prophets and seers. Balak called on Balaam to come to Moab and curse Israel at least to the extent that she would be weakened enough to be defeated. Balaam answered that he would spend the night seeking the will of the Lord, just in case there were believers of the real and true God in earshot. This was in keeping with the pagans’ general spirit of broad-mindedness and their knowing that each person believed their own god had the greatest power.

In keeping with God’s Spirit, it was not unusual for Him to appear to use what man meant for evil and turn it into good (Gen. 50:20). The Lord appeared to the diviner and warned him not to heed Balak’s instructions to curse God’s blessed people. This convinced Balaam and he told Balak’s messengers to tell their king that the Lord had forbidden him to go out to the Israelites and curse them. Not one to give up, Balak made the same request again but Balaam said that no amount of silver or gold would persuade him to attempt the impossible. However, he promised to ask God once more if he might carry out the wishes of Balak. The Lord granted permission to go but not to curse His people and in allowing Balaam to go God would then reveal Himself gloriously through him. The day of Balaam’s departure the Lord became angry with him, not because of his mission but because of his unspoken motive or intention (he loved the wages of wickedness; 2 Pet. 2:15) contrary to God’s will (Num. 22:32b, 34-35).

The Angel of the Lord appeared to block the road and Balaam’s donkey veered into the field only to get a beating from her master. Being obedient to her human master, the donkey returned to the road only to be stopped once more by the Angel, pressing Balaam’s foot into the wall of the narrow passage. Again Balaam beat the donkey into submission to continue on but finding the now narrow passageway blocked totally by the Angel the donkey lay down. Again the beast was beaten, but this time God opened her mouth to speak the question; “why she had been beaten” (Num. 22:28). Balaam did not act surprised at the talking donkey but was angry at the public humiliation and said if he had a sword he would kill the donkey on the spot. The donkey continued to try and save his rider’s life and soul by asking him to explain just why a donkey could suddenly speak human words, adding that there must be a hidden explanation. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, he saw and recognized the angel with the drawn sword, and fell on his face before the Lord. He acknowledged his sin in opposing the Lord and not seeing divine direction in the donkey’s behavior. Having this little problem settled, the Lord told him to continue his journey but he would speak only what God put in his mouth.

King Balak met Balaam but would not accept that the prophet would not do as Balak directed but would follow the instructions of the Lord. However, Balak, nearly as hard headed as the donkey, moved the sacrificial altars several times trying to change the mind and the seer only to be told by Balaam that he must speak the words the Lord had put into his mouth. Balaam almost seemed to wish that he were one of God’s people. He told Balak directly that the immutable God of Israel had promised to bless His people and would not change His mind. In dismay, Balak, seemingly wanting to back out of his cursing on Israel, pleaded with Balaam to speak neither cursing nor blessing, but Balaam reminded him that he was powerless in the hand of the Lord and could do only as he was told. His eyes and ears had been opened to the truth of God (Num. 24:1-4). Balak, not having his eyes opened to the truth of God, but rather clearly seeing that Balaam would not or could not curse Israel, dismissed him without payment for his services. Balaam showed no surprise but in fact repeated his earlier statement that no amount of money could have made a difference in undoing the will of God. Throughout the remaining verses of Numbers 24, Balaam prophesied in favor of the Lord and in the will of the Lord. Having completed his mission, Balaam returned to his homeland and Balak went his own way.