The old, radio pastor, J. Vernon Magee, observed, “it was a miracle in Balaam’s day when a donkey spoke, but it’s a miracle in our day when one keeps quiet!” Donkeys are still speaking today, but they usually only have two legs. Here in Numbers 22, the backslidden prophet, Balaam, was riding his donkey on his way to pronounce a curse on God\u2019s people, because Balak, king of the Moabites, who feared the children of Israel, offered to pay him to do so. But God had told Balaam not to curse them.<\/p>\n
Normally a donkey is stubborn, self-willed, and just generally ornery; but in this case Balaam\u2019s donkey wasn’t trying to be difficult. What Balaam couldn\u2019t see but the donkey could, was that there was an angel blocking their path, an angel put there because Balaam was still being stubborn and willful; he still hadn\u2019t changed his heart. Balaam was acting more like a donkey than the one he was riding, and he angrily beat the poor animal because it refused to go forward. So, miraculously, the Lord gave the donkey the power of speech.<\/p>\n
This story should remind us all that when God uses us to deliver His message, we shouldn\u2019t get too high and mighty about it; He could just as easily have used a donkey. Nothing is hard for God and He seems to delight in doing things a little differently each time, just to keep us from thinking we have Him all figured out. If it seems good to Him to have a donkey speak to a prophet, He will. If He decides to use us to speak His message to someone, it will be because of His grace. It will never be because He doesn’t have any other options, or because we are such intelligent, gifted people. God chooses to use us because He wants us to enjoy the adventure of walking with Him. He uses us because He delights in watching His kids grow and develop into mature men and women of God.<\/p>\n
“LORD, use us today to speak to others. Fill our mouths with words of life just as You did that humble, dumb animal.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n Numbers 22 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan\u00a0by\u00a0<\/em>Jericho. 2<\/sup>\u00a0And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all\u00a0that are\u00a0<\/em>round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>king of the Moabites at that time. 5<\/sup>\u00a0He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:\u00a0\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail,\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>we may smite them, and\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the\u00a0LORDshall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>these with thee?\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me,\u00a0saying\u00a0<\/em>,\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0Behold,\u00a0there is\u00a0<\/em>a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.\u00a0\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>blessed.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the\u00a0LORD\u00a0refuseth to give me leave to go with you.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. 15<\/sup>\u00a0And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.\u00a016<\/sup>And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:\u00a0\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. 18<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0my God, to do less or more.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the\u00a0LORD\u00a0will say unto me more.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22<\/sup>\u00a0And God\u2019s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the\u00a0LORDstood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>with him.\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0And the ass saw the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0standing 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.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0But the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall\u00a0being\u00a0<\/em>on this side, and a wall on that side.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0And when the ass saw the angel of the\u00a0LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam\u2019s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.\u00a026<\/sup>And the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0went further, and stood in a narrow place, where\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0And when the ass saw the angel of the\u00a0LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam\u2019s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.\u00a028<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0And 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.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0And the ass said unto Balaam,\u00a0Am\u00a0<\/em>not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since\u00a0I was\u00a0<\/em>thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a031<\/sup>\u00a0Then the\u00a0LORD\u00a0opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.\u00a0\u00a032<\/sup>\u00a0And the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because\u00a0thy\u00a0<\/em>way is perverse before me:\u00a0\u00a033<\/sup>\u00a0And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.\u00a034<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam said unto the angel of the\u00a0LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.\u00a0\u00a035<\/sup>\u00a0And the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. 36<\/sup>\u00a0And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in the border of Arnon, which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>in the utmost coast.\u00a037<\/sup>\u00a0And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?\u00a038<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.\u00a039<\/sup>\u00a0And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjath-huzoth.\u00a0\u00a040<\/sup>\u00a0And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>with him.\u00a041<\/sup>\u00a0And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost\u00a0part\u00a0<\/em>of the people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The old, radio pastor, J. Vernon Magee, observed, “it was a miracle in Balaam’s day when a donkey spoke, but it’s a miracle in our day when one keeps quiet!” Donkeys are still speaking today, but they usually only have two legs. Here in Numbers 22, the backslidden prophet, Balaam, was riding his donkey on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5717"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5717"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15977,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5717\/revisions\/15977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}