Donkeys and Discernment

I just wouldn’t feel right moving on from Numbers without talking about Balaam.

You know: the guy with the talking donkey. (Balaam’s “ass” in the King James Bible, much to the delight of church youth groups everywhere.) We first meet Balaam in Numbers chapter 22. The King of Moab is afraid of the Israelites, and so he sends a message to Balaam:

Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse. (22:6)

As it turns out, Balaam has so much success with blessings and curses because it’s the Lord who works through this foreign prophet. Of course, when the Lord hears Moab’s request, God tells Balaam not to curse Israel, “for they have been blessed!” (22:12) Eventually, the prophet does return to Moab with the king’s messengers, though, which leads to the donkey incident. (If you want the full story and Balaam’s conversation with his donkey, check out Numbers 22.)

The King of Moab tries three times to get Balaam to curse Israel. The first time (23:1-12) and the second time (23:13-26), seven altars are constructed and seven bulls and seven rams are offered to God, then the Lord gives Balaam the words to speak.

The third time (23:27-24:13), things go a little differently. The altars are built, and the sacrifices are made. But then, it says, “Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless the Israelites, so he didn’t go as the other times to seek omens.” (24:1) Apparently, before he had been looking for signs of God’s will, like someone reading palms or tea leaves. But he didn’t have to check for all that anymore. Balaam could already see what God’s desire was. And that’s when

 the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly…” (24:2-3)

Balaam’s gift for prophecy has transformed from a matter of asking to a way of seeing. He is so familiar with God’s will, from regularly asking and listening, that he doesn’t even have to ask now. He has become a man “whose eye sees clearly"—and that has to do with his connection to God’s Holy Spirit (24:2). Because of that connection, he sees the world differently.

I think Balaam here gives us a great picture of discernment. Discernment is the ability to recognize God’s will, the best course of action in a situation. When you are discerning, you see the world differently. And this’s rooted in love, knowledge, and insight (Col 1:9) and in transformation and renewal (Rom 12:2).

I don’t think Balaam is special. Frequently asking and listening, and staying open to the Holy Spirit, will make any of us more discerning people. But that connection with God and that clear-sightedness shouldn’t be taken for granted. When we first met Balaam, he can't see as well as a donkey, and the next time we hear about him, in Numbers 31, he’s killed after plotting to lead the Israelites away from the Lord (see 31:7-16). Every day we have to recommit ourselves to seeking the Holy Spirit if we want to see the world differently, see the world from Christ's point of view.

So, what you are doing to listen for God’s voice and to open yourself up to God’s Spirit today?

You can listen to this week's devotional here: