Balaam

“Great Prophet, we come from Midian and Moab in the name of King Balak to seek your help.” The dusty soldiers bowed their faces to the ground.

Balaam looked at the carved boxes full of money to pay for his services. “Stand and tell me why you’ve come.”

“King Balak has heard that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are doomed. A huge hug crowd of people has arrived from Egypt. King Balak fears that they will harm him and his people. The king asks that you come and curse them so that bad things will happen to them. Then perhaps King Balak will be able to drive them from his land.”

The Israelites! Balaam had heard stories about these people and their God, who had opened the Red Sea so that they could walk across on dry land. He was afraid of the Israelites, but he was more afraid of their God.

Baaam looked at the money boxes. He thought of everything he could buy. “Stay here overnight,” he told King Balak’s soldiers.”In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.”

That night, God spoke to Balaam. “Do not go with these men. You are not to curse the Israelites, for I have blessed them!”

Balaam was upset because he would love to have had the money the men brought. However, he did not dare go against God. The next morning, he told the men so. Balaam watched the soldiers load the money boxes on their camels and ride away.

The king of Moab sent more soldiers! “King Balak said he will pay you well and do anything you ask of him if you will curse the people of Israel.”

Balaam thought about what he could buy with all that money, but then he thought about what God had said. “Even if King Balak were to give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I am not able to do anything against God. But stay here one more night to see if the Lord has anything else to say to me. Balaam hoped God would change his mind. After all, a man had to make a living, didn’t he?

“Since these men have come for you,” God said that night, “get up and go with them. But be sure to do only what I tell you to do.”

Balaam could not be more pleased. He got on his donkey and set off, eager to curse the Israelites so that he could earn the money King Balak had offered. But God was upset with Balaam.

As the prophet rode along, his donkey suddenly left the road and ran down into a field. “Whoa!” Balaam shouted, “Whoa, you stupid animal!”

The soldiers laughed.

Balaam was angry because the donkey had made him look foolish. He beat the donkey with his walking stick. “Get back up on the road, you stupid beast!”

The donkey moved so tightly along the wall between the road and the field that Balaam’s foot scraped against the wall and was crushed. “Move over!” Balaam beat his donkey again, harder than before.

The donkey began to shake beneath him. When the donkey lay on the ground, more people laughed. 

Balaam was so angry he climbed off and beat his donkey a third time.

The donkey cried out at the blows and then looked at Balaam with sad eyes. “What have I done to make you want to beat me three times?”

Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword, I would kill you!”

“But I am the donkey you always ride. Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No.” And then Balaam thought to himself, ‘A donkey doesn’t speak!’ Balaam’s anger turned to fear as he looked up and saw someone wonderful but terrifying on the road, his hand holding a sword up high. Balaam let out a scream and bowed before the angel of the Lord.

“Why did you beat your donkey three times?” the angel asked.

Balaam was too terrified to answer. 

“I have come to stop you, Balaam, because I am not pleased with what you are doing. Three times the donkey saw me and tried to get away!”

“I have sinned!” Balaam said. “I did not see you standing in the road. Do you want me to go back home?”

“Go with these them, but you may only say what i tell you to say.”

King Balak was waiting for him. Balaam told the king to build seven altars and give offerings to God. The king did so while Balaam went to the top of a hill. God came there and said, “Go back to Balak and tell him what I told you.”

Balaam went to the king. “You brought me here, King Balak, to curse the Israelites, but how can I curse those God has blessed? All I can do is what God tells me to do!”

The king still did not give up. “You can curse some of the people at least.” But Balaam would not do it.

King Balak was very angry. “Go back home!” he shouted. “I had planned to give you a lot of money. But you chose to listen to God, so you won’t get it.”

 

 

 

Balaam was promised money to say bad things that would hurt the Israelites. He would have liked to have the money. But God had a different plan. God told Balaam to say kind words that would bless the Israelites. Balaam knew that even if he wanted to curse them (to tell about bad things that were going to happen to them), he could not say anything God did not want him to say. Why did Balaam want to curse the Israelites? Why did he choose to bless them instead?

 

Have you ever wanted to say mean things about someone to hurt that person? What happens when you choose to say nice things instead? Even though you can’t see God or his angels around you, can you think of a time when God may have helped you say or do the right thing?