The Israelites had travelled through the wilderness and were approaching the land of Moab. Their growing numbers and victories over neighbouring kingdoms frightened Balak, the king of Moab. He feared that the Israelites would eventually defeat his people and take their land.
Desperate to stop them, Balak sent messengers to a man named Balaam, who was known for his ability to pronounce blessings and curses. The king wanted Balaam to come and curse the Israelites, hoping that this would weaken them and make it easier for Moab to defeat them.
Balak sent important officials carrying rewards and promises of great wealth. When they arrived, they delivered the king’s message and asked Balaam to come to Moab.
Balaam told them to spend the night while he sought God’s direction. That night, God spoke to Balaam and instructed him not to go with the messengers because the Israelites were a blessed people.
The following morning, Balaam refused the king’s request and sent the messengers away.
However, Balak was not willing to give up. He sent an even larger group of officials, offering Balaam greater honour and riches. They promised that the king would reward him generously if he came and cursed Israel.
Balaam told them that even if Balak offered him his entire palace filled with silver and gold, he could not go beyond the word of God. Nevertheless, he invited the messengers to stay another night while he sought God’s direction again.
That night, God permitted Balaam to go with the men, but gave him a strict instruction: he must speak only the words God gave him.
The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and set out for Moab with the officials.
But God was displeased with Balaam’s journey, and an angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.
Balaam could not see the angel, but his donkey could.
The donkey suddenly turned away from the road and entered a field. Balaam became angry and struck the animal, forcing it back onto the road.
A little further ahead, they came to a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. The angel appeared again, and the donkey moved sideways, pressing Balaam’s foot against the wall.
Balaam became furious and struck the donkey a second time.
The angel then moved further ahead to a place so narrow that there was no room to turn in either direction. When the donkey saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, it fell to the ground beneath Balaam.
Completely frustrated, Balaam struck the donkey with his staff for the third time.
Then something extraordinary happened.
God opened the mouth of the donkey, and it began to speak.
The donkey turned towards Balaam and asked, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
Balaam, seemingly unaware of the extraordinary nature of what was happening, answered the donkey in anger.
He complained that the animal had made him look foolish and said that if he had a sword in his hand, he would have killed it.
The donkey responded by reminding Balaam that it had been his faithful animal for a long time. It asked whether it had ever behaved this way before.
Balaam admitted that it had not.
At that moment, God opened Balaam’s eyes, and he finally saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword.
Immediately, Balaam bowed down and fell face down before the angel.
The angel asked him why he had beaten his donkey three times. He explained that he had come to oppose Balaam because his journey was reckless and displeasing to God.
The angel revealed that the donkey had seen him and had turned away three times. Had the animal not moved aside, the angel would have killed Balaam and spared the donkey.
Balaam realised that his donkey had actually saved his life. He admitted his wrongdoing and offered to return home if his journey was displeasing to God.
However, the angel instructed him to continue to Moab, but warned him that he must speak only what God commanded.
When Balaam finally arrived, King Balak welcomed him and took him to places from which he could see the Israelites.
Balak expected Balaam to pronounce a curse upon Israel, but every time Balaam opened his mouth, he spoke blessings instead.
On several occasions, Balak took him to different locations and instructed him to curse the Israelites. Yet Balaam repeatedly declared that he could not curse a people whom God had blessed.
Eventually, Balak became frustrated and sent Balaam away without giving him the honour and reward he had promised.
Balaam returned home, but the extraordinary encounter between the prophet, his donkey, and the angel of the Lord remained one of the most unusual events recorded in the history of Israel.
Numbers 22–24.
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