Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Donkey's Resistnce (Num 22:22-30)


1/31/2009 9:55 AM



SPIRITUAL DIARY



My Worship Time                                        Focus:  The donkey’s resistance



Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Numbers 22:22-30



            Message of the verses:  “22 ¶  But God was angry because he was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.  23  When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way.  24  Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.  25  When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again.  26  The angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left.  27  When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick.  28  And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"  29  Then Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, I would have killed you by now."  30  The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?" And he said, "No.’”

            As I said in yesterday’s SD this is one of my all time favorite passages in the entire Bible because in most cases in life this animal that was carrying Balaam was more obedient to the Lord than those who claim to know the Lord in a personal way. 

            I guess that the fair question here is why was not Balaam surprised whenever his donkey began to speak to him in a human voice?  Dr. Wiersbe points out that because Balaam was a professional soothsayer that perhaps he had heard voices like this before through the power of Satan after all Satan spoke through a serpent when speaking to Eve.



            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have said for a long time that I would like to be as obedient to the Lord as Balaam’s donkey was, as obedient as the sea was when Jesus spoke to it, and obedient as the wind was when Jesus spoke to it.



My Steps of Faith for Today:



  1. To get to know the Lord better each day and be willing to obey Him better and better.
  2. To lean to be content.
  3. To learn to trust the Lord to guide my path each day.
  4. To continue to memorize Romans chapter six.



1/31/2009 10:13 AM

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