Have you ever been confused when you read the account of Balaam in Numbers chapters twenty-two through twenty-four? I have. The narrative is too long to write in a blog post, so you might want to take a couple of minutes to read it. In this passage, Balaam beats his donkey three times. After the third time, his donkey speaks to him. His spiritual eyes become open, and he sees the angel of the LORD standing on the path in front of him with a drawn sword, ready to kill him. After a dialogue, the angel then tells him to go on but only say what God tells him to say. So why did God let this disobedient prophet live? The angel could have struck Balaam down any of those times he beat his donkey, but He didn’t. Why? I believe it was because Balaam needed convincing as to who was in charge. Balaam was someone who sold himself to the highest bidder. God made a point of getting Balaam’s attention and showing him what could have happened. That tactic worked because as the account unfolds, we see Balaam only saying what God tells him. God used a situation to make sure Balaam’s eyes focused on Him. I know He does the same thing with me. God sometimes uses adversity to make sure I focus my sight on Him and not on anything else. I’m glad He does!