Listen To Our Ass

When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of a man whose eye is true. The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes unveiled: 

How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel! They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the LORD. His wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within reach. His king shall rise higher, and his royalty shall be exalted. 

Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true, the utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes unveiled. I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel. (Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17)

We hear about Balaam in this reading.  Frankly, I read Numbers about the same amount of time as I spend reading Shakespeare.  Not too much, if at all.  My only recollection about Balaam is two-fold.  First, the last line of this reading states: “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel.” Gospel writers felt this passage was about Jesus: star and staff.  Secondly, this reading reminds me of Balaam’s talking donkey found in Numbers (22:22-35).  It reads:

“…But now God’s anger flared up at him for going, and the angel of the LORD took up a position on the road as his adversary. As Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants, the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with sword drawn. The donkey turned off the road and went into the field, and Balaam beat the donkey to bring her back on the road.

Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow lane between vineyards with a stone wall on each side. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD there, she pressed against the wall; and since she squeezed Balaam’s leg against the wall, he beat her again. 

Then the angel of the LORD again went ahead, and stood next in a passage so narrow that there was no room to move either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD there, she lay down under Balaam. Balaam’s anger flared up and he beat the donkey with his stick.

Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you beat me these three times?” “You have acted so willfully against me,” said Balaam to the donkey, “that if I only had a sword at hand, I would kill you here and now.”

But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have always ridden until now? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way before?” “No,” he replied.

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, so that he saw the angel of the LORD standing on the road with sword drawn; and he knelt and bowed down to the ground. But the angel of the LORD said to him: “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come as an adversary because this rash journey of yours is against my will.

When the donkey saw me, she turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, you are the one I would have killed, though I would have spared her.” Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned…” 

Who have we thrice “beat” today because we didn’t understand their intent entirely in keeping with our welfare?  Sometimes we hurt the one we love and who loves us.

Is it possible an angel of the LORD has taken up a position on the road as our adversary, or do we assume that is the case.  After all, an angel brandishing a sword is suggestive.  An angel with a sword would seem to be a better protector than one that would fend off our adversaries with flapping wings.  Let us visual St. Michael the Archangel with his sword.  Now there’s a defender!  We all have angels who protect us although some seem to do a better job than others.

The LORD said to Balaam, “I have come as an adversary because this rash journey of yours is against my will.”  God’s message to all of us is we must do God’s will.  We must not be rash with our decisions leading us away from love, compassion, truthfulness, and decency.  Those decisions make us God’s adversary.  Let us bow and kneel down; otherwise, listen for the swinging sword sealing our fate.

Deacon David Pierce