Talking Donkey

Bottomline: God will use anything to get our attention.

Numbers 22:

-Balaam was international known as a great prophet/seer/sorcerer....

-the king of moab hired him to curse the isrealites

-Balaam in hebrew means “devourer or destroyer of a people”

-Balaam would be the product of a polytheistic world…aka believes in many Gods

-Balaam would be a false prophet

-Balaam meets with the Lord and God tells him not to go with the men to the king

-Balaam tells the men no the first time but with a bit of a door open

-Again, Balaam refuses. However, he tells these messengers to spend the night with him as well, and once again he speaks to God.

-Balaam as the Lord..God says yes but that he will only be able to say what He is commanded to say

-God is angry that balaam went…even though he gave him permission

The way of Balaam is the way of Greed, and Greed and the Gospel are incompatible.

he actually is given reference in 8 books of the bible…59 times his name appears

2 peter 2:14-15

2 Peter 2:14–15 (NIV)

14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.

Talking donkey

The New International Version (Chapter 22)

21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”“No,” he said.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.32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

The New International Version (Chapter 22)

34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

-God uses Balaam to pronounce blessing while the Israelites enemy tries to curse them

-Balaam is used to give 7 messages on the fourth message Balaam actually prophesies a coming king who would be a warrior king/savior…some believe this is pointing to david…some Jesus…some both

God will not be mocked or manipulated.

God’s blessing cannot be manipulated by people.

Galatians

The New International Version (Chapter 6)

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

God will anything to get our attention, even a ______.

1 corinthians

The New International Version (Chapter 1)

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,

When God tells us no, He means it and He has a reason.

Sometime God wants us to say no to a good thing because He has a better thing.

God is just as concerned with our motives as He is with out actions.

proverbs

The New International Version (Chapter 21)

2 A person may think their own ways are right,but the LORD weighs the heart.

Jesus teaching on the sermon on the mount…murder and adultery

God will bless us and protect us, despite our unfaithfulness.