The Biblical Donkey You Never Hear About
Numbers: 21:34 (verse 13 of 145)
God said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid of him. I’m making a present of him to you, him and all his people and his land. Treat him the same as Sihon king of the Amorites who ruled in Heshbon.”
I realize the title of this post and the verse above don’t match, but please bear with me.
This “Don’t be afraid” verse, as well as a series to come, are about the Israelites in battle against their enemies. It’s followed by confirmation that Israel wipes them out. I don’t find it comforting. In fact, it’s hard to find relief from fear in this part of the Old Testament, where God is alternately ready to blast the wayward Israelites or decimate their enemies.
So I’m going to skip this particular passage and dwell instead on a story that comes immediately after it in the Bible about a talking donkey. If you have not heard of this story, you aren’t alone! It never came up in a single sermon in years of church attendance or in any Sunday School lesson, though children would love this story, which has all the elements of a fairytale.
Here’s the condensed version: the other kings who are about to be destroyed by the Israelites are in genuine terror. They know they don’t stand a chance, so one of them, Balak, decides to enlist a man called Balaam to curse the Israelites. Some Bible translations describe Balaam as a sorcerer, some as a non-Israelite prophet. In The Message translation, Balaam has a relationship with God. So when Balaam is promised a big sum of money to curse the Israelites, he consults God first. This story is full of twists and turns. God agrees to let Balaam go when he’s summoned by Balak, but then God changes God’s mind. The Angel of the Lord appears along the journey to block Balaam’s progress as he rides on his trusty donkey.
The donkey, a female, sees the Angel of the Lord and stops or veers off the path. This happens three times. Balaam doesn’t see the Angel, and he grows increasingly angry at his donkey and beats her. Here’s the part that is wonderful and magical: God gives the donkey speech. She tells Balaam about the angel, and then Balaam finally sees the angel, too, and is full of remorse. He’s ready to go back. But God changes God’s mind again and agrees to let Balaam go meet with Balak.
In the drama that follows, three times Balak prepares offerings and asks Balaam to curse the Israelites as they are camped down in the valley. Three times the words that come out of Balaam’s mouth are actually blessings—not curses. Eventually Balek gets fed up and sends Balaam back home. Depending on the Bible translation, there are variations on the ending.
As I write this, we are days away from celebrating Christmas, when another donkey brought a young, expectant mother to Bethlehem. It’s a time of year when it’s so incredibly easy to become so busy, we miss what is right before us, as Balaam did.
The Bible story of Balaam’s talking donkey is like a scene from a movie that cuts away, giving us information the lead character can’t possibly know. Moses knew nothing about this drama playing out with Balek and Balaam while he led Israel. There were mighty forces working against him that should have prevailed, but didn’t. There were mighty forces like King Herod working against Mary’s baby, the Christ child, that should have prevailed, but didn’t.
That’s the thought I want to hold to my heart this Christmas. It’s where I find comfort against fear.
