“So Bil‘am got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Mo’av. But God’s anger flared up because he went, and the angel of Adonai stationed himself on the path to bar his way. He was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of Adonai standing on the road, drawn sword in hand; so the donkey turned off the road into the field; and Bil‘am had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.”-Numbers 22:21-23
Balaam saddles up his donkey and begins heading towards Moab.
However, immediately afterwards, we’re told that God’s anger flared up and he sent an angel to block Balaam’s way.
Now here’s the thing.
Balaam could NOT see the Angel of the Lord but the donkey could.
The irony being presented to us here is so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Think about it.
A mere animal, Balaam’s donkey, could see the Angel of the Lord, but Balaam, the ultra-spiritual sorcerer was totally blind to what God was doing!
The spiritual takeaway here is tremendous.
In spite of his so-called power in the spiritual world, Balaam is utterly and totally SPIRITUALLY BLIND!!!
He’s so blind in fact that his donkey has more spiritual discernment than him.
Do you know anybody like that?
I’m talking about someone who presents him or herself as a high and lofty spiritual person but is utterly blind to God’s Torah and the things of HASHEM.
Let’s move on.
As Balaam continues to go on his merry way, the Angel of the Lord strategically positions himself at a narrow spot of the road sandwiched between two walls of piled stones.
Seeing she can’t go any further, the donkey backs up causing Balaam’s foot to slam against one of the stone walls.
At this, Balaam is now not only thoroughly ticked off but also in pain.
He begins beating his donkey with a stick.
A few more feet later, the path Balaam and his donkey are traveling on narrows to the point where it becomes literally impossible to go any further.
The donkey has no choice but to buckle her knees and plop herself down right there on the spot.
At that, Balaam almost pops a blood vessel in rage and begins to beat his donkey even harder.
In those days, if an animal all of a sudden began acting up in a strange manner, it was taken as sign or omen that something wasn’t right.
The fact that Balaam completely ignored his donkey’s unusual behavior showed that not only was he spiritually blind but also demonstrated just how determined he was to curse Israel for a hefty cash payout.
In the face of such stubborn resistance, the Lord decides to amp up the donkey’s strange behavior.
Next, the donkey begins speaking to Balaam.
“What have I done to you to make you
beat me these three times?
I’m your donkey, right?
You’ve ridden me all your life, right?
Have I ever treated you like this before?”
TRANSLATION: Hey retard, are you so thick-headed that you can’t sense we’re experiencing divine resistance here?!
Balaam gets quiet for a moment and then admits his donkey just might have a point.
What happens next causes Balaam’s jaw to drop.
The Angel of the Lord suddenly becomes visible to Balaam.
Actually, at this point, it’s not just Balaam’s jaw.
His whole body drops to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
The angelic apparition begins interrogating Balaam and asks him why he’s abusing his donkey?
Balaam is speechless.
The Angel of the Lord then tells Balaam if it hadn’t been for the donkey doing the right thing, it would have been him and not the donkey that would have been feeling the edge of the sword.
To be continued…
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