Numbers 22:1-24:25. Balak the king of Moab summons Balaam to curse the people of God. While Balaam is traveling by donkey to obey Balak’s commands, Balaam’s donkey sees an angel and takes evasive action to protect Balaam.
God opens the donkey’s mouth so that he talks to Balaam, and Balaam then sees the angel.
The angel of the Lord says to Balaam, “Do only what I tell you.”
Balaam had been asked by God in the beginning not to go to King Balak.
Background Reading:
Balaam’s Donkey – only part of the story of Balaam and the Balak the King of Moab
22:20 God came to visit Balaam that same night and told him, “If the men come to call on you, get up and go with them, but be sure to do only what I tell you to do.” 21 The next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started to leave, accompanied by the Moabite officials.
Balaam’s Donkey Rebukes its Owner
22 At this, the anger of the LORD flared up against Balaam, because he was leaving. So the angel of the LORD stood in the way to oppose him. As Balaam was riding his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants, 23 all of a sudden the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand! The donkey turned off the road and went into an open field. Balaam started beating the donkey in order to turn her back to the road, 24 but the angel of the LORD stood on a narrow path that crossed the vineyards. It had walls on both sides of the path. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she squeezed herself so close to the wall that Balaam’s foot was pressed to the wall. So he beat her again!
26 Then the angel of the LORD went along a little further and stood in a much narrower space, where it was impossible to turn either right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam. As a result, Balaam got so angry that he started to whip the donkey with his staff.
28 That’s when the LORD enabled the donkey to speak. She asked Balaam, “What did I do to you that you would beat me in the space of only three footsteps?”
29 “Because you’re playing a dirty trick on me,” Balaam answered the donkey. “If only I had a sword in my hand! I’d kill you right now!”
30 But in response, the donkey asked Balaam, “I’m your donkey that you’ve ridden on in the past without incident, am I not, and I’m the same donkey you’re riding on right now, am I not? Am I in the habit of treating you like this?”
“No,” he admitted.
31 Then the LORD enabled Balaam to see, so he observed the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand. So he bowed down and prostrated himself on his face.
32 Then the angel of the LORD asked him, “Why did you beat your donkey in the space of only three footsteps? I’ve come to oppose you, because I say that what you’re doing is perverted. 33 The donkey saw me and turned in front of me in the space of those three footsteps. 34 If she hadn’t turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!”
At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the LORD, “I’ve sinned! I didn’t know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back.”
35 But the angel of the LORD told Balaam, “Go with the men, but deliver only the message that I’m going to give you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
Numbers 22:21-35
The full Bible reading Numbers 22:1-24:25.
Other slides in this module:
- Life of Moses – Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy
- 300-year gap between Joseph and Moses
- First 40 years of the life of Moses
- Thutmose I, the Pharaoh or king of Egypt
- Miriam kept eye on Moses after he had been placed as a baby in a boat
- Second 40 years of the life of Moses
- God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush
- Moses was asked to take off his sandals by God
- The third 40 years of the life of Moses
- Aaron’s Staff becomes a Snake
- The ten plagues of Egypt
- 1st Plague – Blood
- 2nd Plague – Frogs
- 3rd Plague – Lice or Gants
- 4th Plague – Dung beetles
- 5th Plague – Pestilence
- 6th Plague – Boils
- 7th plague – Nut – Egyptian Goddess of the Sky
- 8th Plague – Locust
- Ninth plague – Darkness
- Tenth plague – Firstborn die
- Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt
- Moses the friend of God
- Pillar of Cloud by Day
- Pillar of fire by night
- The Chariots of the Egyptian army
- Moses crosses the Red Sea
- Moses’ older sister Miriam sings a song
- Waters of Marah and Elim
- Manna means ‘What Is It?’
- Water from The Rock at Massah
- Moses at Mount Sinai
- The Ten Commandments or Ten Words of God
- The Three Annual Feasts of God
- The Feast of Passover
- Feast of Weeks or Pentecost
- Feast of Trumpets or Feast of Shofars
- The Golden Calf, the idol made by Aaron
- Moses with the New Stone Tablets
- 1st five of the Ten Commandments
- 2nd five of the Ten Commandments
- Ark of God
- The High Priest of Israel
- Tabernacle of God
- Aaron and Miriam oppose Moses
- Exploring Canaan by 12 spies
- 37 years in the wilderness
- Aaron’s Rod that budded
- Speak to the Rock “Give Water”
- Death of Aaron
- The Bronze Snake
- Balak Summons Balaam
- Six cities of Refuge for Israel
- Daughters of Zelophehad
- Moses Blesses the Tribes with Three Sermons
- Moses lived for 120 years
- Caleb was the son of Jephunneh
- Joshua – The Fall of Jericho
- Questions and Answers 1-16
- Questions and Answers 17-32
- Questions and Answers 33-49
- Time Line for Life of Moses
- Background Information – Life of Moses
- Next Module – Judges or rulers of Israel
- Resources – Life of Moses
- The Jewish Festival of Sukkot
- Yom Kippur, means “Day of Atonement”
- Rosh Hashanah or Yom Teruah (The Day of the Sounding of Shofar)