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Numbers 22:22
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20 aAnd God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but bonly the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.”  
21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam, the Donkey, and the Angel

22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, aand the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.  
23 Now athe 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.  
24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord aopened 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 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have1 abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, afor now I would kill you!”  
30 aSo the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever1 disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”  
31 Then the Lord aopened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.  
32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out1 to stand against you, because your way is aperverse before Me.  
33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, a“I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it1 displeases You, I will turn back.”  
35 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, abut only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.  
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Numbers 22:21   Numbers 22:23 >>

What Does Numbers 22:22 Mean?



Numbers 22:22

God was angry because Balaam went when He had specifically told him, "Don't go unless they come to you and ask you." Nothing in God's Word says that they did. Instead, it says that Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and off he went.

God gave conditional permission. The condition was only if he was asked again, but he was not asked again yet went anyway. Balaam was one of those people who, if you give him an inch, he takes a mile. If he was not specifically told, "You shall not go," then he thought that meant he could go ahead and leave.

In like manner, there are those who think, "Well, because the Bible doesn't say 'Thus saith the Lord,' it's okay!" We can see many things in Balaam's character that are similar to what many people today mimic due to the fact that they are not listening to God either. God was very specific with Balaam, but all he heard was, "Go ahead!" He tuned out the part that began with if.

This is why God was angry with him. He was so angry that He came out against him, to stand in his way. Maybe the most intriguing detail here is that the word adversary is, in Hebrew, satan, which means generally "adversary, enemy, foe." God came out against Balaam the same way that Satan comes out against us, when God allows him to do so. God set Himself up as Balaam's enemy.

In reality, by leaving without fulfilling the conditions, Balaam chose to join Satan's side. God, then, visibly to the donkey but invisibly to Balaam, set Himself up as the adversary to Balaam.

Balaam showed God that he would do what Balak wanted him to do. In counterpoint, God will do something to try to get Balaam to change, to turn. God does not come out against Balaam as a normal enemy would—to do him harm—but to turn him around and give him a chance to repent. But Balaam would have nothing to do with that. He had set himself up as an enemy of God, and he never turns himself around.

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Balaam and the End-Time Church (Part 2)

Related Topics: Adversary | Balaam | Balaam's Sin | Balaamism | Conditional Permission | Enemy of God | Loopholes | Presumptuousness | Satan




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Numbers 22:22:

Matthew 21:1-7


 
<< Numbers 22:21   Numbers 22:23 >>

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