Numbers 22:20,21 “And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.”
The more you look at this passage about Balaam and his interaction with Balak, the more you will notice the compromises he made. The above verse reveals the second one he made. The first one can be found here.
God gave Balaam some instructions in verse 20 that were clear. He was only to go with the men if they came to call on him. There is no evidence in the account of this event that they ever did. It seems this time that he had become very interested in the riches that Balak offered and that he was not about to see it disappear over the horizon a second time.
Balaam made sure that he was up on time to go with Balak’s representatives. He knew what God had told him – but he callously brushed it aside and was determined to fulfill his own will.
In the very next verse, it says that “God’s anger was kindled because he went.” His deliberate disobedience is not going to be tolerated. God sent an angel to punish him.
The donkey that he is riding on sees the angel and moves aside to avoid him. The way becomes narrower and the third time the donkey has no choice but to fall down to avoid the angel – and death. God miraculously opens the donkey’s mouth to speak to Balaam. Balaam is furious because he is desperate to get the riches promised but his donkey is giving him trouble. He does not seem to notice the unusualness of a donkey speaking to him. Balaam responds to the donkey by saying if he had a sword he would kill it.
The wayward prophet apparently cannot see what is happening. Balaam wants to kill his donkey for what he perceives to be disobedience, but he cannot see his own disobedience toward God’s commands. Then, God lets him see the angel (vs. 31).
In desperation to save his life, Balaam admits his waywardness and says, in verse 34: “I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.” From his words, it is evident that he knew he had done wrong in God’s eyes.
When thinking about this passage of Scripture, it seems that many believers are in this same position. At some point in their life, which is known to them, they veered out of God’s chosen path for them. Now, they have no blessings, can no longer sense God’s presence, and they are just drifting through life – joyless and fruitless. Suddenly, God will get their attention – one way or another.
If this is you, dear reader – saved, but out of the will of God, God reminds us that, although He is patient, He does chastise His children (Hebrews 12). Why not take a few minutes right now and talk to God, confessing sin and getting right before He must take drastic measures to get your attention – or take you Home to glory? Once you make that decision, and start to serve Him again, you will again be in a position to see His blessings again.