The Guard Donkey

An Unlikely Guard 

I find it interesting that God used a donkey to instruct a disobedient prophet.  In today’s time donkeys are often used to guard livestock.  What I find interesting is that they dislike dogs, coyotes and foxes but will also chase bears, strange livestock, and other intruders.  Donkeys also have exceptional hearing, a keen nose and excellent vision.  Because of their excellent vision they are able to see great distances and therefore protect livestock.  Donkeys have extremely hard, small hooves and are amazingly accurate in where they place them.  They have strong necks, jaws and teeth and when they move away from predators it leads the predator to believe they are retreating but really they are encouraging the predator to attack them from behind.  To the predators dismay a well place kick can send them flying.  Donkeys are often used to protect sheep and cattle and if raised with them will be extremely protective.

In Balaam’s case his donkey was smart.  Apparently smarter than Balaam in many ways.  God sent an angel to warn Balaam and also allowed the donkey to see the angel but not Balaam.  God was trying to warn Balaam that his path was a reckless one before God.  The other interesting thing is that God told Balaam that if the donkey had not turned away each time the angel stood in front of him that he would have killed Balaam but spared the donkey. 

I don’t know about you but sometimes I am hard headed and don’t listen and often don’t even try to hear God speaking to me.  I wonder if I would have been just like Balaam trying to go my own way and not paying any attention to what God wants me to do.  I think I do that sometimes to my own detriment.  God would surely have my attention if a donkey talked to me but if you read further, instead of Balaam thinking that it was a miracle that the donkey was talking to him Balaam talks back to the donkey.  Then the donkey said to Balaam “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?   “No,” he said.  Numbers 22:30

It took the Lord opening Balaam’s eyes for him to see the angel and know that it was the Lord speaking to him. 

I think if a donkey spoke to me or any other animal for that matter, especially one speaking in Hebrew, God would have my attention.

Prayer for the Day:  Father, I am guilty of not listening when you try to speak to me.  I often think I am in control when I am not.  I pray that if you ever try to speak to me through a donkey or any other animal, that I would be wise enough to shut up and listen. 


Scripture: Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.  But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.  Balaam was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.  When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field.  Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.  Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides.  When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it.  So he beat the donkey again.  Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.  When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff.  Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and it said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"  Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me!  If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."  Numbers 22:21-29