6, Balaam’s Donkey, III

“ ‘As I live,’ saith the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ ” (Romans 14:11)

The prophet Balaam was instructed by Jehovah to stay away from King Balak and to do nothing harmful to the Israelites, but Balaam disobeyed. With God’s reluctant permission, Balaam went to see King Balak. Here is the story quoted from Numbers 22:

And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him; and the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.

But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.

And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, “What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?”

And Balaam said unto the ass, “Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.”

And the ass said unto Balaam, “Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee?”

And he said, “Nay.”

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, “Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me.”
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The angel became visible to Balaam, who because of the evil and greed in his heart asked the angel to let him continue his journey. The angel allowed Balaam to continue and told him not to say anything to the king that would hurt the Israelites, but remember what Balaam did: he told the king how to conquer Israel not with swords but with beautiful idolatrous women.

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