Balaam and his donkey

1. Balaam and his donkey Numbers 22:21-35

2. Who is Balaam? -Balaam’s name most likely means “devourer” but the etymology of the name is unclear -Possibly the most confusing and debated person within scripture. -Prophet, or not? -Balaam is closely united with Elijah in regards to the method in which the Angel of the Lord visited him -Joshua identifies him as a diviner (witchcraft) -Balaam sought Yahweh, not a generic term for god. -N.T. recognizes him as evil

3. Extra Biblical Sources -Balaam is one of the six Gentile Prophets taught from the Jewish Talmud -Quran makes prophetic reference to the deceit of Balaam -Balaam is the founding prophet of Zoroastrianism -Deir Alla inscription found in 1967 details Balaam’s prophecy in Aramaic dating to 850 B.C.

4. Context of Balaam and his donkey -Israel is finishing up its forty years of wondering -Moabite king Balak witnesses the Israelites destruction of Amorites and Bashons and is taking steps to protect himself -Balak seeks the diviner Balaam to call curses down on the Israelites -God tells Balaam “no” -Balak sends men again to seek Balaam -God says “yes”

5. Numbers 22:21-35 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff.

6. Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.” The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

7. What's the deal with a talking donkey? God can use anyone or thing to make his point. The fact that God used a stubborn, stinky, unintelligent animal speaks to His greatness. The world has often imitated Biblical accounts such as the flood and accounts of giants, the talking donkey is one such encounter Famous talking donkeys -Aesop’s fable of a talking donkey -Eeyor (Winnie the Pooh) -Muhammad has a fable where he encounters a talking donkey -Shrek -Shakespeare “A Midsummer Nights Dream”

8. The deceit of Balaam Jewish scholars long believed that it was Balaam who convince Balak that the Israelites could not be defeated, but they could be seduced Chapter 25 of Numbers records the Israelites seduction into Baal worship stemming from the hand of Balak The New Testament confirms this concept in Revelation 2:14 where we are told that it was Balaam's false teaching and deceit that enticed the Israelites to fall into idolatry Revelation 2:14, Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.

9. New Testament Application 2 Peter 2:13-17 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

10. Conclusion Balaam is an Old Testament example of a New Testament epidemic, false teachers. Christ, Paul, and Peter all warn extensively about the future danger of false teachers. The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick along side it. D.L. Moody