Balaam's Donkey
"Jesus said to them, 'This is what I meant when I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:44-45
In addition to direct prophecies, the events and lives of people in the Old Testament contain prefigurative features of the life of Jesus. I vividly remember when I first heard about this as a young student in a Bible study group. At that moment, Joseph came to mind, and the colorful stages of Joseph's life passed before me like a film strip, gaining a new meaning. There are indeed many parallels between Joseph's life and Jesus. For example, both were sold for money, both suffered innocently, and both had two fellow prisoners, only one of whom was saved.
A similar experience was repeated last October when The story of Balaam (Numbers 22) was told in the morning devotional. If you wish, you can look up the passage. Balaam was a Mesopotamian seer. He also acknowledged the God of Israel as his own God. Balak, the King of Moab, had asked Balaam to curse Israel. After much persuasion, Balaam agreed to go to the king.
20. That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you." 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 as he was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. 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." 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.
It is strange in this story that God first gives Balaam permission to go, but then stops him. In this way, God perhaps wanted to make Balaam understand how IMPORTANT it is to act rightly. At Balak's side, the temptation to curse Israel would have been great. From the next chapter, we see that instead of cursing, Balaam blesses Israel. Our text is therefore an example of how God uses adversity to lead us.
The stopping of Balaam reminds us of Paul being stopped on the road to Damascus. Balaam was on his way to curse Israel. Paul was on his way to persecute Christians. As a result of being stopped, Balaam blessed Israel. Paul, in turn, became a founder and nurturer of churches. When we compare these two events, it is clear that the angel of the Lord whom Balaam met was Jesus. Jesus also appears in the story in another form. Let us consider that next.
Our Bible study group has been eagerly studying Luke all winter. We read from chapter 19: Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying: "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here." This passage relates to when Jesus rides into Jerusalem, which we remember during Advent and Palm Sunday. The fact that the donkey had not been used depicts the sinlessness of Jesus. Thus, the donkey itself represents Jesus.
When I asked the group members how the donkey relates to Jesus, I received a new kind of answer this time: the disciples found the colt just as the shepherds found the child Jesus. Indeed, in the Christmas Gospel we read: "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And here: "you will find a colt."
Let's return to the story of Balaam. Balaam's donkey is also a foreshadowing of Jesus. At least four things point to Jesus: (1) The donkey was humble and faithful. (2) The donkey had supernatural abilities: it saw the angel and could speak. (3) The innocent donkey was beaten three times. The innocent Jesus was fixed to the cross with three nails. (4) The donkey saved Balaam from death, just as Jesus saves us from death.
I return to the morning devotion I mentioned at the beginning, where our text was read. The speaker focused on the difficulty of seeing the angel and did not refer to Jesus with a single word. But to me, the text spoke only of Jesus at that moment. This incident has spoken to me. God can touch the listener regardless of the speaker.