#196 WHEN GOD MAKES A DONKEY TALK 9-27-26
There are some stories in the Bible that sound almost unbelievable until you remember who God is. That’s the key to interpreting the Bible. God is the Almighty and much confusion would cease to exist if people would keep that in mind. If He is God, then He is all-powerful.
Balaam’s donkey is one of those stories. Numbers 22 tells us that Balaam was riding toward Moab when “the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey,” and the animal spoke to him. Yes, you could read that text and then stop, shake your head, and ask, “Did I just read what I think I read?”
Yes, you did.
But the miracle is not merely that a donkey talked. The greater miracle is that Balaam could see an animal speaking to him while remaining blind to what God was doing right in front of him.
Balaam had been warned by God. He knew exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, but he was being pulled in the direction of self, sin and Satan. Selfishness was imposing upon his heart.
Numbers 22:7-22 reveals the tension between God’s instruction and human desire. Balaam wanted the blessing that Balak was offering, and although God was restraining him, Balaam kept moving toward the opportunity.
Then God put an angel in the road.
The donkey saw what Balaam could not see. Three times the animal reacted to the angel. Three times Balaam struck the donkey. Finally, “the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey,” and the donkey asked why he was being beaten (Numbers 22:28–30).
That is quite ironic, wouldn’t you say? The man who was supposed to be the prophet could not see the angel, while the animal could.
Maybe one of our biggest problems is not that we cannot see, but that we think we can. Only humility can keep us focused on the things of God.
Peter later described Balaam as one who “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Peter 2:15). Jude 11 speaks of “the error of Balaam,” and Revelation 2:14 remembers Balaam as one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before Israel. The talking donkey was not the main point. Balaam’s heart was.
GOD CAN INTERRUPT YOUR DIRECTION
The donkey stopped because God was stopping Balaam. What Balaam considered an inconvenience was actually divine mercy.
Sometimes God closes a door we desperately want opened. Sometimes circumstances slow us down. Sometimes another person says something we do not want to hear. Sometimes the road simply refuses to cooperate with our plans. That happens in all of our lives. And it can be extremely frustrating in real time. But God always knows what He is doing.
We may call it frustration. God may be calling it protection.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” The roadblock may be a blessing in disguise.
GOD CAN SPEAK THROUGH UNEXPECTED MEANS
God used a donkey to get Balaam’s attention. He had spoken through prophets, dreams, visions, angels, and His written word. Here He chose an animal.
Don’t let the one who created the donkey allowing the donkey to talk on this occasion throw you off. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that you will know who it is you are considering.
And if God can use a donkey to confront a prophet, He can certainly use an unexpected person, an uncomfortable conversation, or an ordinary circumstance to confront us.
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). The question is not whether God can get our attention. He can. The question is whether we are willing to listen.
GOD SEES WHAT WE CANNOT SEE
“Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand” (Numbers 22:31).
Balaam finally saw what had been there all along.
That may be one of the most sobering details in the entire account. The angel did not suddenly appear. Balaam simply became able to see what he had previously been unable to see.
We often pray for God to change our circumstances when we ought to pray for God to change our vision. “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
The talking donkey reminds us that God is not limited by our expectations. He can stop us, correct us, humble us, redirect us. He can literally do anything He chooses to do. He may use something dramatic. He may use something ordinary. He may even use someone we would never expect.
But when God puts something in our path, perhaps the wisest thing we can do is stop beating the donkey and start asking what God is trying to show us.
Balaam wanted to keep going.
God wanted him to see.
God looks out for us when we don’t have sense enough to look out for ourselves.
Maybe the greatest miracle is not making a donkey talk. Maybe it is opening the eyes of a man who has forgotten how to listen.
BDD
