Lessons from Balaam and his Donkey Part 2

Recap from last week:

Balak, the leader of the Moabites saw that the Israelites were close to them and he knew that they had just taken out the Amorites and he was scared.

So, he apparently had heard about this Balaam guy who was a diviner...

We don’t really know much about what that means or looks like, but we do know that he does meet with God...

So, Balak sends word to Balaam and asks him to come and curse the Israelites....

Balaam says he needs to meet with the Lord and does through the night. God tells him the Israelites are blessed and that he was not to curse them...

Balak doesn’t like taking “no” for an answer and now sends back higher ranking officials and offers him a nice amount of money....

Balaam again returns to God and this time God says that he can go, but he must only say what God tells him to say...

They begin the journey, and on the way, something happens with Balaam and God becomes angry...

He places an angel in the road to stop him.

Balaam can’t see the angel, but his donkey does and runs Balaam off the road....Balaam beats his donkey...

The donkey then presses against the wall and Balaam beats him a second time..

The third time, the donkey lays down in the middle of the road and Balaam beats him again...

The Lord opens the mouth of the donkey…and Balaam has this conversation with this donkey...

Last week we had 2 main points in the message....

The first was

1. A lesson in Focus

Initially it seemed that Balaam was focused on what God had for Him.

He was willing to meet with God before he responded to Balak’s summons...

But, along the way he gets distracted and can’t see the angel in the road....

The second lesson was

2. God Spoke through a Donkey

We talked about how a talking donkey would be just as crazy in Balaam’s day as it would be in our day....

How God chose to speak through an animal in order to get Balaam attention...

So we asked the question: are we willing to listen for God, even if the means seems crazy?

God wants to speak to His people…are we willing to listen?

So, this week we pick back up on the road…while this conversation between Balaam and his donkey is happening...

Numbers 22:31 NIV

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

The first lesson for us to see today...

1. Balaam Couldn’t see the Angel until God opened his eyes

So, Balaam experiences this supernatural talking donkey, but he still couldn’t see the angel standing there....

Balaam was still blinded....

But, God chose to open his eyes so that he could see the angel....

This isn’t the first time that God opened someone’s eyes so that they could see things in the heavenly realms...

Remember the story of Hagar and Ishmael?

So, basically, Abraham sends Hagar away with Ishmael after God promising that He would still make a nation from Ishmael...

So, Hagar and Ishmael are in the Desert and run out of water

Ishmael becomes thirsty and starts crying…so, like a good mom, Hagar leaves Ishmael in the shade and walks away....

Here is what God does....

Genesis 21:17–19 NIV

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

So, God opens her eyes to see a well there....

The question looming is: was the well already there or did God provide the water?

Well, based on the reading of the text, the well was already there…she just must have missed it.

Was she to focused on her problems to see it?

And another time in 2 Kings 6

2 Kings 6:8–10 NIV

8 Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” 9 The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” 10 So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.

2 Kings 6:11–13 NIV

11 This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” 12 “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” 13 “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.”

2 Kings 6:14–16 NIV

14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

2 Kings 6:17 NIV

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

So, here, again, we have the servant who is blinded and can’t see the armies of God...

Again I ask, was it that they army just wasn’t there or could the servant just not see it?

You see, as with Balaam, there are times when we are unable to see what God is doing until God opens our eyes!

My question this morning is: are we willing to allow the Lord to open our eyes to see the things that He is doing?

Or, are we too caught up in our own circumstances, that we don’t want to see what He is doing?

We are too caught up in our own thoughts or theologies, that we can’t see it....

Now, when I say theologies, I am not just talking about a particular camp of beliefs, I am talking about your belief....

If you believe God isn’t able to speak, or do, what He has done, that is a theology that you have....

Do we get blinded in our own thoughts?

Or, are we willing to step out and say “you know what God, open my eyes to see what you are doing!”

So, the first lesson is that God opened Balaam eyes and he could see the angel…the second lesson is...

2. What Balak meant for evil and destruction, God used for good!

Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites, but God turned it around...

Let’s pick back up at chapter 23 verse 3....So Balaam has reached Balak at this point and they performed some sacrifices and built seven altars....

Numbers 23:3–5 NIV

3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height. 4 God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.” 5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

Numbers 23:6–8 NIV

6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7 Then Balaam spoke his message: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’ 8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

Numbers 23:9–11 NIV

9 From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs!” 11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”

Numbers 23:12 NIV

12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

So, Balak wanted the Israelites cursed, but God has Balaam speak a blessing over them!

This happens two more times and in

Numbers 24:10–11 NIV

10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

Balaam’s response is gold....almost literally

Numbers 24:12–14 NIV

12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”

For time’s sake, I won’t read the whole thing, but jump to verse

Numbers 24:17 NIV

17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.

And who is this star and scepter?

It is Jesus!

In total, Balaam has 7 messages from the Lord...

What Balak meant as a curse, God used to bless!

What Balak meant as destruction on the nation of Israel, God used as a blessing a foretelling of His coming Son and King, Christ!

So, the message for us this morning is that when bad things happen, God is in the business of redeeming them!

When it seems that everything is stacked up against us, God, can and does continue to work...

Are we willing to allow Him to open our eyes so that we can see the work that He is doing?

Are we going to trust that He has a plan, even when things seem to be against us?

Worship Team

The story of Balaam actually takes a pretty bad turn…we might jump into it next week, but go ahead a search it out this week...

As we move into closing this morning, I want us to consider these things...

What is our focus on?

Are we willing to allow God to speak to us however He wants to?

Are we praying that God will open our eyes to see His work?

And, do we trust that even when things seem bad that God is going to use it for His glory?

And if we answer these questions honestly, how can it change our lives?