I Brake for Angels

Read Numbers 22:1–25:18

21. The next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials.
22. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,
23. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road.
24. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.
25. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.
26. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. Numbers 22:21-26

Most people have mixed reactions around animals. But no one—even those who love animals—would say that animals should run our lives.

After wandering in the desert for disobeying God’s command to enter Canaan, a new generation of Israelites has grown up. Now they are poised to enter the land, but the Moabites stand in the way. Their king, Balak, tries to get Balaam, a sorcerer, to stop them. Can he do it? Well, yes and no—Balaam’s donkey has it right.

This section of Scripture is brimming with wisdom found by seeing what not to do.

Balaam was a sorcerer, a person called upon to place curses on others (Numbers 22:4-6). The king of Moab wanted Balaam to use his powers with the God of Israel to place a curse on Israel—hoping that, by magic, God would turn against his people. Neither Balaam nor Balak had any idea whom they were dealing with!

Why would God speak through a sorcerer like Balaam (22:9)? God wanted to give a message to the Moabites, who had already chosen to employ Balaam. So Balaam was available for God to use. Balaam’s devotion and motives were mixed. He had some knowledge of God, but not enough to quit his magic and turn wholeheartedly to God. Later passages in the Bible show that Balaam couldn’t resist the tempting pull of money and idolatry (see 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11).

Do not take good feelings and apparent positive results as a sign of God’s blessing on your life. A popular following, a track record of success, a speech about respecting God—Balaam had all of these, yet he still lacked a relationship with God. God was not blessing Balaam but using him in spite of his duplicitous heart.

What will it take to give your whole heart to God? Get rid of anything that would distract you from him.