If God doesn’t stop you, it doesn’t mean he approves.
Numbers 22:26-35
February 21, 2010
The fool I am
Have you ever had one of those experiences where you were frustrated and embarrassed in the moment but later just amused at your idiocy? As you told the story, the situation that made you very angry became a reason to laugh at yourself for being so foolish.
A few years ago (maybe ten, I don’t remember), I was driving I-85 South from Charlotte to Gastonia. As you know, that stretch of road can be rather clogged at certain times of the day.
I was in the left lane, and apparently not going fast enough for a woman also traveling south. She began to tailgate me in an attempt to move me over. But there was nowhere to go unless I sped up, because a tractor trailer was in the lane next to me. At first I just continued at my speed. But with her car on my tail, I started to get frustrated and angry.
I slowed down a little to try to give her a message. The lane next to us was full, and neither of us was able to move over. I braked lightly but quickly at one point to send a further message, and that didn’t work.
Then things got ridiculous. I rolled down my window and started waving madly in an attempt to get her to slow down. That didn’t work either. Finally in frustration, she slowed down, moved over two lanes around the truck, sped up to get in front of me in the left lane, and slammed on the brakes to teach me a lesson.
I made an a…bsolute fool of myself.
Our story today from Numbers 22 is something like that.
A man named Balaam must have told this on himself. There’s no other way the story could have made it into our Bible.
The Israelites play no active role in the story of Balaam. Moses isn’t in it, and as far as we know the wilderness multitude never even finds out about what happened.
Simply telling the story is self-deprecating for Balaam, especially considering who he was.
Celebrity mystic
Balaam was the Jeanne Dixon of his day. Or Nostradamus. Or John Edward (not to be confused with John Edwards). I don’t know if any of those names mean anything to you. John Edward is a psychic with own TV show on the SciFi Channel, “Crossing Over with John Edward.”
About 20% of Americans believe in some form of the occult, but the numbers are higher in other times and places, and were certainly higher 3500 years ago in the Middle East.
Balaam was a celebrity mystic. Five hundred years after he died, people in the Middle East still knew his name. Imagine that. Whose name do you know from 500 years ago? Gutenberg? Christopher Columbus? Balaam had that kind of legendary status.
He lived near where the Jabbok River meets the Jordan River, a little east of Jericho. A 1967 archaeological dig uncovered some writings from a plaster wall. The writings tell the story of Balaam son of Beor who had a vision at night in which the gods forecast a drought and some rather startling reversals among people and in nature. Darkness overcomes light, for example, and wise sages are laughed at by their students.
This inscription is dated about 800 years before Christ, hundreds of years after the time of Moses. Balaam was called “a seer of the gods,” and was probably a towering figure of his day. People really believed he could not only see the future, but change the future with his words.
Curser needed
As chapter 22 of Numbers opens, the children of Israel have set up camp on the east side of the Jordan River on “the plains of Moab” (1). Even though Israel had skirted Moab (at the southern end of the circled area), the Moabites were terrified (2). Balak, the Moabite leader saw how many Israelites there were, and was intimidated. After all, they had already won a significant victory against the Amorites (2). Balak hates these potential invaders. They make him sick to his stomach (3). He is quite sure they were his plague of locusts.
What to do? Call in Balaam. Balak plans a military campaign against the Israelites (6), but he wants a little divine intervention. He goes in search of the person in his day with the reputation of having the best connection to God. Balaam’s reputation is that what he blesses is blessed, and what he curses is cursed (6). He can certainly bless or curse what you ask him to – for a fee.
So Balak sends along some of his leaders, with what he thinks is an appropriate fee in their pockets (7). Balaam invites his guests to spend the night while he consults with Yahweh, the God of the Israelites (8). (Presumably he will consult with other gods if asked as well.)
That night Balaam and Yahweh have a conversation (9-12), which ends with Yahweh saying to Balaam, “No. Do not curse these people. I want to bless them.” Balaam reports this to Balak’s messengers, and they go home (14). That should have been the end of the story.
It isn’t. Balak sends more delegates, higher in rank, with more money (15-16). “Come and put a curse on these people for me” (17), he pleads. Balaam’s answer, apparently insincere, is “Look, it’s not about money. It’s about Yahweh’s command. But…seeing all the cash you have in hand, let me check with him one more time. We’ll talk tomorrow morning” (18-19).
This time God says, “OK, go. But only say what I tell you.” You get the sense that God knows this man is going anyway if the fee is big enough. So like a parent who reluctantly gives permission for what is clearly against his or her wishes, God concedes (20). Balaam sets out the next day.
Talking beast
But God is angry with Balaam (21). God had been very clear in verse 12 what he wanted.
Balaam takes two servants with him and rides with the princes of Moab toward the Israelite camp (21). Then follows this story that you just need to let capture your imagination. Don’t overanalyze it – just let it grip you.
Here is a proud man with an international reputation for a direct line to heaven riding in this parade with his servants and the princes of Moab. The best parallel I can think of in terms of the overall aura is if Billy Graham (maybe 25 years ago) were summoned to the Kremlin to consult with Mikhail Gorbachev. I’m not comparing Billy Graham to Balaam, just imagining a religious celebrity riding publicly through the streets of Moscow in an entourage with his own people and top Kremlin aides.
Balaam is probably on the best donkey, leading this group, head held high, when his donkey sees something Balaam can’t see. Stop and let that sink in. The guy with the greatest reputation (other than Moses, of course, but these folks don’t know much about Moses) for a direct link with God is incapable of seeing what his beast can see – the angel of the LORD directly in front of him with a drawn sword. The donkey runs off the path and Balaam beats the poor creature (21-23).
What’s going through his mind? “This is really embarrassing. I can’t control my own donkey.” Donkeys are known for being submissive. They’re not hard to break or train. So this big whig can’t keep his animal on the path.
Apparently the donkey submits again, and the angel lets him through. A little further down the road, the path narrows with vineyard walls on each side (24). The donkey sees this threatening angel again, and tries to brush by close to the wall (25). She’s afraid of the angel in front and the man on her back. She should be, because Balaam yells in pain and beats her again (25)! He is humiliated by his inability to control his donkey.
Again, you have to feel this passage. Balaam’s blood is boiling by now. He’s never had this much trouble with this creature before. She’s his best donkey – otherwise he wouldn’t have taken her on this important trip.
Once again, they press on. With walls still on either side, the angel of Yahweh moves a little further ahead and once again blocks the way (26). Remember, Balaam hasn’t seen anything yet. But the donkey sees the angel for a third time, ride in the middle of the path, sword drawn.
What would you do? (If you were the donkey, of course?)
The poor thing does the only thing she knows to do. She can’t run off the road. There are walls on either side. She doesn’t want to try to squeeze by again. That would get another beating. She can’t go straight ahead. So she stops and lies down (27). Livid, Balaam gives her the beating of her life.
You just have to love what the Bible says next. “Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said, ‘What have I done to you that you beat me three times?’ (28)”
I don’t know if that was in a loud voice that could be overheard by the servants and princes or not. The story is even better if they never knew the donkey talked. Now you have this out-of-control internationally known seer yelling at his donkey. “You make me look like an asinine prophet! If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you” (29). Did I overstate his embarrassment or his anger?
Notice the donkey does not tell him about the angel standing in front of him, nor does she ask why Balaam has beaten her. The donkey just answers, “Look, you’ve been riding me all your life. Have you ever known me to do this?” (30)
“No,” Balaam answers (30), probably looking over his shoulder at who’s listening in to his conversation with a donkey.
Yahweh opens Balaam’s eyes to see the angel standing in front of him, and it is the angel who asks, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I am the one who is standing in your way, because your intent is evil” (31-32).
This is where Balaam’s hypocrisy is exposed in the story. He talks a good talk, but what he’s really trying to do is have it both ways. He believes he can do God’s work and still get the dollar. He can have it both ways.
The angel continues, “The donkey saw me three times and tried to stop. You ought to thank her. If she hadn’t stopped, I would have killed you” (33).
“I have sinned, because I didn’t know you were there” Balaam answers (34). In another indication that he doesn’t get it, Balaam continues, “If you want me to go back, I will.” Hmmm. God had already said he didn’t want Balaam to go (12).
“Go on,” the angel answers. “But only say what you’re told.” So Balaam went on (35).
The rest of the chapter records the end of Part 1 of this strange tale. Balak meets him and once again reinforces that it was always about a business deal. “Why didn’t you come the first time? Didn’t you know I’d pay you well?” (37).
Balaam once again feels between a rock and a hard place. He wants the money, but he also knows the angel will kill him for saying the wrong thing. “Look, I’m here. But remember, I will only say what Yahweh tells him to say” (38). Balak apparently still believes that ultimately the lure of wealth will get him his way.
Next week we’ll find out if it does.
Submitting to the Holy Spirit
For now, as my mother used to say, let’s put a semi-colon in the story. And let’s make a few observations.
The main take home points from this text have to do with listening to God. Two months ago, our church leaders chose a congregational priority for 2010 that we have yet to develop, at least in preaching.
The priority for 2010 at Corinth is “submitting to the Holy Spirit.” Both as a congregation and as individuals, we’d like to learn a little more this year about what it means to go where the Spirit guides.
Here are a few thoughts.
First, check your motives. Do you really want what God wants. Or are you just trying to get him to put his stamp of approval on what you want? I believe God guides us when we are sincere in wanting to please him.
Money in the equation will always complicate things. Always. As the Apostle Paul said in 1 Timothy 6, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” So especially when there is financial profit or loss involved, if you’re really trying to please God, slow down, get counsel, and beware.
Second, if God doesn’t stop you, it doesn’t mean he approves. When we pray for guidance, we like to assume that’s the case. “Lord, I really want to buy this new car, make this new investment, take on this new responsibility.” If it’s not of you, please stop me.
It’s not that options like that are automatically bad or self-serving. Sometimes we are genuinely open to going either way, and we eventually make the decision. But sometimes, let’s be honest, we know the decision is a bad one. And we’re just asking God to rubber stamp what we wanted.
Third, God speaks to us in surprising ways. I preached last week in Charlotte at Reformed Theological Seminary about Elijah on Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19). He was expecting to meet God on the same mountain where Moses met the Lord. There was an earthquake, a wind, and a fire. But God was not in any of those.
Instead, the Lord spoke to him in “a still, small voice,” or “a gentle whisper,” which is best translated “the sound of silence.” We want visions or voices.
God speaks more gently, more subtly, through people and situations we would prefer to ignore and overlook. He sometimes uses people we don’t even like. Ten years ago God used a crazy female driver to tell me that I was the fool.
Amen.