Why Did You Hit Your Donkey?

Numbers 22:33
The donkey saw me (God) and turned aside from me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.

There are times in our lives when things don’t go our way. We are constantly trying to move things back into alignment with our sense of direction not knowing that sometimes we are fighting against God.

We must be careful not to curse what God is blessing, or to reach out in anger when we are inconvenienced because it could be God trying to save you.

Balaam was a diviner who was hired to curse Israel on their way to the Promised Land because Balak was intimidated by their success. He was afraid they would, “lick up all the land.” Balaam told the King no matter how much money you give me I can’t say anymore or any less than what God tells me.”

Nevertheless Balaam went with them. On the way there, the money must have started to look good to him, and God saw something in Balaam he doesn’t like. He was going to stop him one way or the other from cursing Israel.

Balaam was riding a donkey and an angel of the lord with a drawn sword was standing in the Road and the donkey left the road to avoid the Angel. Balaam struck the donkey and made him get back on the road. Then the angel stood in a narrow path between two walls, the donkey tried to avoid the angel and crushed Balaam’s foot into the wall, so Balaam struck the donkey again. The third time the Angel of the lord stood in a narrow place and there was no room for the donkey to go to the left or to the right so the donkey just lay down underneath Balaam and he struck the donkey over the head.

God gave the donkey the ability to talk and the donkey said, “Why you hit me? Have I ever acted like this before?” Then God spoke. God asked, “Why did you hit your donkey three times? I had an angel with a sword, if your donkey had not moved you out of the way I would have killed you but let the donkey live.”

There are times in our lives where what looks like a detour or an inconvenience is really God trying to save our lives.

1. The first time he went a direction he didn’t want to go, but it was the donkey trying to save his master’s life because the Angel wanted to kill him. The angel of God was determined to stop Balaam from going to put a curse on Israel because God already told him that Israel was a blessed nation. You can’t curse a blessed people no matter how much you don’t like them.

2. The second time he got hurt, the donkey was on a narrow path and tried to avoid the Angel with the sword and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall but his life was spared. There are times in life where you are on a narrow path and get hurt, instead of striking your donkey, maybe you should stop and ask God, “What are you showing me in this?”

3. The third time, he ran out of room to run and everything stopped, but had the donkey kept going he would have died. What is it in your life that has shut down, but it really could be for your good? There’s a reason your car stopped and you didn’t get there on time, there was an angel with a sword trying to stop you from going against God’s will.

Be still and know that he is God. Don’t be in a hurry and strike what is really saving your life.
Dear God give me the wisdom to know when you are trying to get my attention. Help me to go only when you want me to go and say only what you want me to say.

In Jesus Name,
Amen.