Bible Study 1: The Talking Donkey
I’m going to ease you into the Bible through one of its oddest tales.
Balaam’s Donkey (Numbers 22:21-35)
The Bible has a lot of stories, but have you heard this one? A prophet named Balaam begins a journey on top of his donkey. The animal sees the angel of the Lord blocking the road ahead with his sword drawn. It reacts to the angel three times: first it veers off the road, then it crushes Balaam’s foot against a wall, and finally it lies down. Balaam beats his donkey repeatedly as this happens.
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?”
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.”
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.
This is all the donkey says. Balaam finally sees the angel and is told that the donkey has saved his life.
It’s important to note that Balaam was on his way to a king named Balak who wanted him to curse the Israelites, God’s chosen people. The prophet was offered a rich reward, but he was going against God’s will by agreeing to visit this king. This gave God the reason to send the angel to delay the journey. And it was probably Balaam’s impatience for the promised money that might’ve also caused him to act cruelly toward his donkey. It was something like Bronze Age road rage.
What Does It Mean?
What in the world could be the moral of this story? Consider this verse in 1 Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Balaam was about to perish by the angel’s sword, but he was saved by his lowly donkey. It could see what the prophet didn’t because that was God’s will. Similarly, the message of the cross may seem foolish to some, but to others it is very powerful indeed.
Once during Bible study group a friend said, “If God could use a donkey to do his will, imagine what he could do with you!” I thought that was true. We don’t need to be prophets, pastors, or saints to be used by God. All we need is a mouth that tells the truth and a heart that loves God and neighbor.
There’s also something to be said for Balaam’s lesson. As a prophet, he was probably held highly above other people. As a result, his being saved by his donkey must’ve been extra humbling. It could be said that he was being justly disciplined by God because though the angel had drawn the sword, divine intervention caused his life to be saved. He even was ordered to continue on his journey to king Balak’s land. This time he was to bless the Israelites instead of cursing them.
This story stood out to me because it sounded silly, but there really are lessons to be drawn from it.
I plan to continue this series once a week, God willing. The intention is to spark interest in the Bible whether you’re a Christian or not. Ask questions or tell me if this story interested you in the comments below.