Balaam’sDonkey
Let’s look at an event recorded in Numbers 22 and the curious case of a donkey which belonged to a non-Israelite prophet called Balaam. I suggest reading the account for yourself but I will attempt to outline it below.
The event begins with Balak, the king of Moab, being very concerned about the Children of Israel who had pitched in the plains of Moab. Balak and his people were very afraid because of the number of the Children of Israel and Balak had also seen what they had done to the Amorites, defeating them.
Balak calls for the prophet Balaam to curse the Children of Israel but God intervenes and tells the prophet to do no such thing. As a result Balaam refuses the king of Moab’s request.
However, after some more persuasion, Balaam eventually relents and makes his way to see Balak on the back of his donkey. God is furious with Balaam and the Angel of the Lord stands in his way to prevent Balaam from going any further. Balaam does not see the Angel, but the donkey sees the Angel with his sword drawn and turns away into a field to avoid the danger.
But Balaam, who is oblivious to what has transpired begins to beat the donkey in an attempt to get it to do his bidding.
Next, the Angel of the Lord stands in the path between the vineyards, blocking the way once more. The donkey sees this and this time crushes Balaam’s foot against the vineyard wall.
Balaam beats the poor animal again.
Then the Angel of the Lord stands before them in a narrow place, completely blocking their path. The only thing the donkey can do is to fall down. Balaam still doesn’t know what is going on. At this point, Balaam beats the donkey with a staff.
God now brings an end to the cruelty and it is curious how He does this. God could have used any means to stop Balaam from disobeying Him, but God chooses the humble donkey herself to stop Balaam in his tracks. We are told that the Lord, ‘opened the mouth of the ass.’ Numbers 22 v 28.
The donkey began to speak!
She asks Balaam why he had hit her 3 times? She asked what she has ever done to her master?
Notice that the Lord ‘opened’ her mouth. The wording is interesting as it implies that it had been closed or tied down in some manner. Also notice what the text does not say. It doesn’t say that God gave the donkey the power of reasoning or feelings or memory or thought. yet the donkey was able to ask her master why he was beating her?
In other words, she was always a thinking, feeling, reasoning being. It was only her mouth that was opened.
Therefore, laying the idea of animals at one time having the power of speech to the side for one moment, this text clearly shows that animals have feelings and reasoning. She also knows that Baalam was her master. That displays memory and reasoning. She felt pain and she didn't like it and she wanted him to stop.
However, this even gets even more curious.
Balaam replies to the donkey! There is no mention of him being surprised. He may have been, but it is not mentioned. Balaam tells the donkey that he hit her because she mocked him and that if he had a sword he would kill her at that moment!
The donkey replies trying to reason with her master. She asks him that if in all the time she had belonged to him she had ever done anything like this before? Balaam relents and realises she had been nothing other than a faithful servant.
It is at this point God ‘opens the eyes of Balaam’, and only then did he see the Angel of the Lord standing in the way. The Angel then questions Balaam as to why he was beating his donkey, and points out that if the donkey hadn't behaved as she had, that he (The Angel) would have slain Balaam. I find it interesting that the Angel makes the point that the donkey’s life would have been spared.
Yet again, in this event, the Bible reminds us that it is man that sinned, not the animals. Balaam needed his ‘eyes to be opened’ in order to see the spiritual realm. The donkey needed no such thing. She was innocent and had only had her speech tied down.
You can follow the rest of Balaam’s story in Numbers chapters 22-24. but this is the part where the donkey’s story ends.
What Balaam’s Donkey teaches us.
Animals are innocent. The donkey’s life was to be spared.
It is only man that sinned.
Animals can easily see the spiritual realm.
They are thinking, feeling, reasoning, sentient beings. They have memory.
They feel pain.
They have a personality.
They have a soul.
We were to be the animals’ caretakers.
This was God’s original plan.
But is the case of Balaam’s donkey and the events recorded in the book of Numbers an isolated incident? is this the only place in Scripture that animals speak?
We’ll take a look at those questions in the next Blog post.