The Bible story of Balaam and his talking donkey recorded in the book of Numbers has always mystified me, and it seems like the more I think about it, the more I find mystifying.
My initial problem comes in what appears to be God changing His mind. Here’s the background. The king of Moab wants Balaam, evidently a prophet of God, to come and curse Israel, the people of God, as they are making their way to the Promised Land.
OK, we can overlook the king’s ignorance, I guess, assuming instead that he hadn’t put two and two together—that the God who was protecting and blessing these people was the same one Balaam consulted for his prophetic words.
But on to the story. When the envoy from the king arrived, Balaam said, let me see what God has to say about this. He came back to them and faithful reported God’s word—no, I’m not to go with you, I’m not to curse them.
Perhaps the king had been spoiled as a child because he didn’t take no for an answer. He sent his representatives to Balaam a second time. The prophet said he’d check with God to see what else He had to say. And this time God told Balaam to go with the men but to speak only that which He told him to.
Off they go, accompanied by two of Balaam’s servants. And Balaam’s faithful donkey which he’d ridden all his life.
Along the way, an angel of the Lord lies in wait for Balaam with drawn sword in hand. The donkey sees the angel and avoids him. Three times.
Balaam, apparently frustrated by his wayward donkey, beats the animal. And then the second miracle—the donkey asks Balaam what he did to deserve the beatings. Balaam says he would have killed the donkey if he’d had a sword because the animal was mocking him.
The donkey asks if Balaam has ever known him to act this way before, and when the prophet admits he has not, his eyes are opened and he sees the angel.
The angel says to Balaam, why did you beat your donkey seeing as he saved your life?
Balaam then repents, says he sinned, and that he’ll return home if that’s what the Lord wants. The answer? No, go ahead and go, but speak only what God tells you.
Besides the God-changing-His-mind issue, I saw for the first time this week the God-versus-God aspect of the story. The angel of God stood with a sword to kill the prophet of God, but a miraculous talking donkey saved him. Who but God opened the eyes and the mouth of the donkey? So God saved His prophet from His angel.
Now I have to admit, I decided to post these questions because often times in writing things down, I see more clearly. And I think that might be true here.
Apparently there is something Scripture doesn’t give us in these verses—Balaam’s decision to say something he wasn’t supposed to say.
Consequently, in the same way he viewed his donkey as wayward and beat the animal and would have killed it, God stood against Balaam with sword in hand as the prophet went, apparently wayward in his heart, to meet with the king.
Except God had mercy on Balaam and gave him a second chance—well, actually three chances, as it turns out, because that’s how many times the king took Balaam to a place where he could overlook Israel and where he offered sacrifices as a way of seeking God’s curse.
Three times. The same number of times the donkey saved Balaam’s life. Coincidence?
Now, about that God-changing-His-mind issue … 
God doesn’t change his Heart or Character, but He does change his mind. Ask Jonah. Or Abraham (not about Isaac but about saving anyone from Sodom and Gormorrah). Where His mercy concerns the saving of souls, He’s all over open hearts. JMO.
I’d agree that God changes His mind, but in the case of Abraham, it was at the behest of a righteous man, which brings to mind the second half of James 5:16 (“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”). I’m not sure I’ve ever come across an example of God changing His judgment except where there was an intercession or repentance.
As for Jonah, and Balaam, I see it as a case of God testing the men, rather than changing his mind. Notice that the words God gave Balaam to say never differed from His original decision.
What God did was give Balaam (and Jonah) opportunities to repent. Balaam’s heart wanted the riches offered by Balak, so much so that he consulted God for a “second opinion” after he already knew what the answer was, and he was willing to sell the souls of Israel by telling Balak to tempt them with women so that God would curse them. At each point, Balaam had the opportunity to choose serving God over himself, but he failed to make the right decision.
It would be difficult for me to call Lot “righteous” or Jonah either for that matter, but I would agree in part that God gives opportunities for man to repent and welcomes serious/honest repentance as life-changing, which in these cases extended the earthly and potentially the eternal lives of the individuals. God was sick enough of mankind to rid the earth of them except for Noah’s family. And we all know how they “celebrated”. Sin nature.
A satellite appears stationary, but is actually moving with the earth to stay in position. Likewise, the sun is stationary, but appears to move across the sky, because we’re moving, and it’s staying in the same place. Likewise, God is stationary, but we are not, so his position can appear to change relative to ours.
oh, as an aside, you might not call Lot righteous, but the bible does, see 2 Peter 2:7-8 or:
http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/3608
Yes, indeed, Andrea, you are correct!
Even more curious, Balaam was Moabite (I think), and it’s never said that he’s a prophet of the Most High, just that he was a prophet/seer.
To those discussing Lot: I feel the same way. Scripture calling him righteous simply baffles me. The guy tried to con his uncle, offers his daughters to be gang raped to protect the two angels from getting the same treatment, and gets drunk enough he doesn’t realize both his daughters have slept with him. Moreover, Abram prayed for the righteous to be spared, and Lot, with his daughters, is spared. Obviously, there’s more to the story than was written down.
In the OT the “righteousness” was based on faith in the One true God. When Lot demonstrated he would follow God’s instructions in fleeing, he indicated his faith in the Most High. That’s the best I can come up with, Kaci. Baffling, I agree.
This story is designed to express the difference between God’s Perfect will and His Permissive will. He did not want Ba’laam to go with the men and made it clear this was His desire. However, as we often do, as humans who think we know what’s best, Ba’laam wasn’t happy with God’s decision and tried to rationalize to get his way.
In v. 19, after the people of Balak made a better offer, Ba’laam told them to stay the night and he would see what the Lord said. He ALREADY knew what the Lord wanted him to do, which was NOT to go. But, because of Ba’laam’s greed, God exercised his Permissive will and told him he could go. He was giving His servant a chance to redeem himself, come to his senses and forfeit his greed. But Ba’laam was stupid.
Rebecca, How about writing a story based on the story of Balaam? For us writers, that may be the best way to learn the answers to tough questions.
Wow, thanks all for the great discussion! Ken, I like your suggestion.
As to the rest, I think I’ll address your comments in today’s post.
If you have any further thoughts, I’m eager to hear them.
Becky