The Donkey Was Wiser

Ever been dead wrong and the last one to know it? Meet Balaam.

I thought I’d start pulling my “verse for the week” from my Bizarre Bible Stories. The first story in book one is called “Talking Animals,” from Numbers chapter 22. Balaam is riding along, about to do something monumentally foolish, when the angel of the Lord plants himself in the road, sword drawn, blocking the way. Balaam can’t see him. His donkey can. So the donkey stops. And Balaam, seeing nothing but a stubborn animal, starts whaling on her.

Here’s our verse for the week:

Numbers 22:31–33 (CSB) Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face. The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

Let that sink in: God would have killed Balaam and let the donkey live. Wow.

Makes you wonder how many times God, in His grace, has stood in our road, and how many times we’ve kicked at whatever stopped us, never seeing why.

I wonder.

Here’s the verse I recommended meditating on at the end of the story in the book:

Psalm 19:12 (CSB) Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Photo by Ansgar Scheffold on Unsplash

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