What Happened with Balaam's Donkey — Meaning Explained

The story of Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22 is one of the most extraordinary narratives in the Bible. Balaam, a pagan prophet hired by Balak king of Moab to curse Israel, set out on his donkey to meet the king. But God was angry with Balaam's greedy motives and sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the way as an adversary. The donkey saw the angel with a drawn sword and turned aside into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. The angel moved to a narrow place between two walls, and the donkey pressed against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot. Balaam beat her again. The angel moved to an even narrower place where there was no room to turn. The donkey lay down under Balaam, who beat her with his staff. Then 'the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?' Balaam, amazingly, answered the donkey as though speaking animals were normal: 'Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.' The donkey replied, 'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?' Balaam admitted, 'Nay.' Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel standing with a drawn sword. The angel said, 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.' The donkey, a mere beast, had more spiritual perception than the prophet. She saw what he could not see and obeyed what he would not obey. Balaam, the one with the reputation for supernatural insight, was blind to God's messenger. Peter later uses this story to warn false teachers: 'the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.' The story teaches that God can use any creature to accomplish His will. It warns against beating those who see danger we refuse to see. And it humbles human pride — the prophet was less perceptive than his donkey.