The Blessing And Balaam And His Donkey That Talked
We start with the review today. The Commanded Blessing Part 3 which included some things that activates the blessing for us and six things that may block the blessing. Knowledge and faith in the Abrahamic blessing, faith in the covenants of promise, unity of the brethren is an activator of the commanded blessing, the commanded blessing that comes with obedience. Then there are the blessing blockers: Unforgiveness, offense, affliction, persecution, cares of this world and bitterness.
Today’s study is the story of The Blessing, Balaam And His Donkey Who Talked
Our story is a word of caution right here in the middle of the Blessing An Impartation teaching series. Balaam was considered a soothsayer and a prophet. Along with his paradoxes of titles he also had mixed responses to God. He was known for his power to bless and curse with his words.
Hence the King of Moab (The Moabites were descendants of Lot and his oldest daughter after surviving Sodom and Gomorrah) sought him out to curse a group of people he could see from the mountain top. The Scriptures tell us that he paid Balaam to curse them so he could get the upper hand and drive them out of the land.
King Balak sends for Balaam to perform this task for him. He sent word with a group of his Elders that whoever he blessed is blessed and whoever he curses is cursed. So, they came with payment for divination in their hands.
Balaam told them, stay the night while I ask God about it. I’ll let you know in the morning.
Initially, Balaam asks God about it. He tells him not to go, saying, you should not curse the people for they are blessed. He tells the Moab Elders, “No, I can’t do it. Go back to your land. For God refuses to give me leave to go with you.”
The Elders go back to the King and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Then the King sent yet again, princes, more and more honourable than the previous ones.
Finally, Balak sent word, “Let nothing stop you from coming and cursing these people. I will give you whatever you want and whatever position you want I will promote you.
Then Balaam said, even if the King offered me his house full of gold and silver, I cannot speak beyond what God has said. But wait here, stay another night while I ask God again.
So, God gives him permission this time but reminds him to say only what he tells him to say.
So, Balaam gets up early the next morning and go with the princes of Moab.
God’s anger flared because he went. The angel of the Lord stood in the way as an adversary against him.
He was traveling on his ass (donkey) with two of his assistants. The donkey saw the angel with his sword drawn and went out into the field to avoid it. Balaam struck his donkey and made it go back on the road.
The angel stood in the way again, only between two walls. When the donkey saw the angel again, it pressed up against the wall crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall. He struck her again.
The angel went again and stood in a narrow place on the road with no place to turn either left or right. When the donkey saw the angel, she just sat down under Balaam. Balaam angry now begin to strike her with a staff. The Lord opened the donkey’s mouth. She said to Balaam, “What have I done to you for you to strike me these three times?” Balaam said, “You mock me? If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you!”
The donkey spoke back and said, “Haven’t I served you all these years until now. Have I ever done anything like this? Balaam said, “No.”
Then God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the angel. The angel said, I have withstood you these three times. For your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me. If you had kept going I would have struck you and spared the donkey.
Balaam repented and said, I have sinned for I didn’t know you stood there. I will go back if you want me too.
But the angel of the Lord told him to go ahead and go with them. So, he did. He got there and built seven altars. Three times he went out to curse but could only bless. They went to three different spots or locations but only words of blessing would come out.
Finally, Balak in anger and frustrated, I can’t promote you if you can not curse them.
Balaam to this day is symbolic of compromise in the faith, esteeming personal gain higher than obeying God. He didn’t seem to start out that way. Yet his two best known titles depicted something else. He was known as a soothsayer and a prophet of God. The word of caution is to know riches can be deceitful according Jesus in the Seed &Sower story. Also, Father God all throughout the Bible warns us about putting money or personal gain first.
Four things to learn about the people God had blessed and what it has to do with us in the Kingdom of God (his people). In the New Testament, God’s people especially the grafted in ones are a part of God’s household. Through the spirit of adoption through Christ Jesus, we are reconciled unto Father God. The Holy Spirit bears witness of this, whereby we cry Abba, Father! There’s another confirming scripture in Ephesians 2:12
“You were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world”. -Ephesians 2:12
Then finally, 1 Peter 2:9 we are:
- chosen Generation, 2. holy nation, 3. royal priesthood, 4. peculiar people.
In summary, we review when its God’s command to bless. When God Commands to Bless– When you realize you are a part of that chosen generation, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people who have been translated from darkness in His marvelous light. Numbers 23:20: This verse highlights that God has a command to bless, and He cannot change His mind about it. “I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it”.