Donkey Vision

Verse of the day: Numbers 22:23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.

To read this account of Balaam and his donkey is quite amazing when we stop and think about it. Here is a man, who is a prophet, a pagan one at that, whom God speaks to, and has the ability to reason; yet, his donkey was far wiser than he was. Balaam was greedy, self-centered, and lacked the vision to see the danger that was ahead of him because his sin blinded him to God’s presence. Balaam chose to disregard God’s instructions not to go with Balak’s messengers. Now, he travels on a path that God initially told him to avoid, but because of his obvious desire for filthy gain, God has set him on a path to his own destruction. Along the way, the Angel of the Lord meets him to take his life. Balaam is so determined to gain fame and fortune that he does not see that he is opposing the One Person who can not only take his life, but also destroy his soul. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” On the other hand, we have Balaam’s donkey. Unlike Balaam, this donkey has spiritual vision that all of us need to strive for. We live in a world of spiritually blind people. They do not see Christ for who He is. They do not believe the Word of God, and mock those who believe it. The devil blinds them, and if they continue in their rebellion, God will give them up to their blindness. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Romans 1:28 tells us, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting”. Note that the donkey’s eyes were opened only because God opened them. It is no different for us. The only way to have our spiritual eyes opened is for God to open them, and this can only happen in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 clearly tells us, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” In Luke 24, Jesus joined two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus as they discussed the events that took place regarding Jesus crucifixion and the empty tomb. All the while that He was with them, they did not recognize who He was, neither did they understand what the Scriptures said about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, until He opened their eyes. Luke 24:45 reads, “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” As born again believers, we must avoid being like Balaam, and model our spiritual walk to resemble that of the donkey. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she perceived that danger lie ahead, and sought another way. When Balaam brought her back around to the same path, she persisted in trying to find a route that would not go against the Angel of the Lord. Note also, that the donkey’s attempts to follow God’s direction earned her much persecution. The meekness of the donkey was quite admirable as well, as she could have turned around and bit Balaam when he continued to strike her for the third time. We, as God’s children, need to pray that God will open our spiritual eyes so that we can see what He wants us to do, and where He wants us to go. When He reveals it, we must not be like Balaam who try to go against what God warned him not to do. We must be like the donkey who refused to oppose God when she realized He stood in her path. When we choose to walk the path God has chosen for us, know that there will be persecution from the world, and even worldly Christians. Finally, when that persecution comes, we must not react as the world would, and we must not seek to retaliate (Romans 12:14-20). Instead, we should love, and pray for, those who stand as our enemies (Matthew 5:44). In the end, the donkey behaved more like a child of God than Balaam did. His greed, pride, and self-absorption, caused his spiritual blindness, while the donkey’s spiritual eyes were wide open. I say we all strive to gain donkey vision!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).