Balaam is a Mesopotamian diviner, back in the days when Israel is wandering around in the wilderness, circa 1200 B.C.  Which is to say, Balaam is a pagan prophet.   And apparently quite successful. What Balaam blesses, God blesses, and what Balaam curses, God curses.   The Israelites are slowly getting their act together. They are on their way to the Promised Land, which requires crossing over the land of the Moabites. This makes the king of Moab, named Balak, nervous.

 

So King Balak sends the following message to Balaam, the pagan prophet for hire:  "I want you to know that a whole nation has come from Egypt; its people are spreading out everywhere and threatening to take over our land.  They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them.  Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.  I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, people are cursed." (22:6)

 

Balak sends this message to Balaam along with some money in order to encourage Balaam to take the job.  Balaam says no, in an earlier passage we did not read this morning, informing Balak that the Lord would not like this, for God intends to bless the children of Israel, not curse them, proving Balaam's prophetic powers even if he is a pagan. He will have no part of Balak's plan.

 

Balak then sends bigger messengers along with bigger bundles of money as a way of successfully begging Balaam to reconsider.  Which is where we take up our text for today.

 

"So Balaam rose in the morning, and mounted his donkey, and went with the messengers of Moab.  But God's anger was kindled because he went..." (21-22) and thus begins Balaam's bad day, not unlike the bricklayer in Barbados.  Here's what happens...

 

Balaam is riding along on his ass towards Moab (sometimes  when telling Bible stories it is more effective to use the good ol' King James Version), riding his ass towards Moab, no doubt rehearsing his prophetic incantations, when his donkey veers off the road into a field.

 

Unbeknownst to Balaam the donkey has seen an angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword persuading the dumb animal to detour.  But Balaam beats his ass back to the path, and continues on down the road.

 

For a second time the donkey sees the angel of the Lord before them.  This time as they are passing between two stone walls. The donkey bolts and bashes Balaam's foot against the wall.  For a second time Balaam beats his beast, and motions him towards Moab.

 

For a third time the angel appears, this time on a narrow path where there is no room to pass, so the ass simply lies down in the grass and refuses to move.  Any of you ever encountered a bullheaded burro?   I understand llamas can be worse.

Balaam dismounts and for the third time takes his staff and beats his beast.

 

At which time the Lord says "Enough!" and intervenes to save Balaam's ass.  Here's what happens: "The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey..." (28) or in other words, the donkey turns Mr. Ed. By the way, this is a Hebrew folktale.

 

It was not taken literally by the children of Israel. They understood this to be a folktale with a truth.

 

So the talking donkey says to its master, "What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?"  Balaam responds, "You have made sport of me.  I wish I had a sword in hand, and I would slay you."

 

The animal says to Balaam, "Am I not your ass, upon which you have ridden all your life?  Have I ever treated you like this before?"

 

Balaam confesses, "Well, uh, no," at which time the Lord opens Balaam's eyes, and he now sees the angel of the Lord standing before him with sword in hand. Balaam bows and buries his fool's face in the floor.

 

The angel then explains to Balaam how it was he, the angel, who barred Balaam's way, and how the angel would have slain Balaam had not Balaam been saved by his ass.

 

Balaam, as if hit in the head with a ton of bricks, repents and offers to turn around. The Lord relents and allows Balaam to continue his travels to Moab, provided Balaam does as the Lord instructs which is to prophecy blessings for Israel rather than curses.  Which Balaam does,to the betrayal of Balak, his patron.

 

So Balaam gets the message.  Sometimes when there are big blocks before us, it means we are not intended to go that way.  The obstacles (or closed doors) are there for a reason.

 

God prevented Balaam from going to Moab - because it was wrong.  The wrong way, the wrong reasons, serving the wrong master.  God insisted Balaam stop and turn his ass around, for his purpose was not pleasing to the Lord.

 

Balaam, a far sight denser than his donkey, got the message.  May we.  Let us serve the Lord and not our lusts.

 

A New Testament equivalent.  It's the big act in Acts:  Paul's Damascus Road conversion experience.  I mean, the story is told three times in Acts, so you know it's huge.

 

In its final telling (ch.26), Paul is describing his experience before King Agrippa.  Paul confesses his earlier life as Saul, a fanatic Pharisee and persecutor of Christians.

 

You see, Paul was on his way to Damascus to do in more Christians, not unlike Balaam going to Moab to curse the Israelites.   When an angel of the Lord, described as a bright flash of light, blocks Paul's path and knocks him from his high horse.

 

Lying there on his back, Paul hears a voice from heaven saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Why do you kick against the goads?"   Which is a phrase we would do well to remember, "Why do we kick against the goads?"

 

Goads are sharp sticks shepherds use to encourage their flocks to move in the right direction. The shepherds "goad" their sheep along.  Unlike donkeys, we all know how dumb sheep are.  They are often stubborn and stand still or wander off in the wrong direction.  Therefore they get the goad to prod them along.

 

In annoyance the shallow sheep will sometimes "kick against the goads," which hurts even more, and proves the final persuasion for the lazy lamb to get on board.

 

The Lord says to Paul, "Why do you kick against the goads?" Why do you, Paul, insist on going a different direction, or going to Damascus for the wrong reasons? Don't you realize you are being as dumb as a sheep? Let me help you.  I will goad you along that you might get the message.

 

Lying there blind on the ground as if bricks were bombing his head from heaven above, Paul gets the message. He "respectfully requests the day off" and regroups in Damascus, regaining his eyesight not as Saul, persec- utor of Christians, but as Paul, servant of the Lord.

 

Paul kicked against the goads, and got the point.

May we get the point.  It is a good time of year to do so.