In Numbers chapters twenty-two through twenty-four, we find the story of Balak, Balaam, and a talking donkey. For those of us who don’t remember this story, Balak wants Balaam to curse the Israelites but, God will not allow him to do so.
When I read this event, part of it bothers me. In Numbers chapter twenty-two, God tells Balaam to get up and go with king Balak’s men but to only do what He has told him to do. Next, we read that God’s anger is kindled because Balaam went. In verse thirty-five, we find that after the angel of the Lord stood in the path to kill Balaam and Balaam’s donkey laid down on the road then spoke, Balaam is once again told to go with Balak’s men and only say what God tells him to say. So why did God say “go” in verse twenty, then try to kill Balaam, and then direct him to go again? The answer is this, to impress on Balaam that he needed to follow what God said. Balaam was not an obedient prophet. Balaam used God for his own gain, and God wanted to impress on Balaam how important it was to do what He (God) told him to do.
There are times we use God for our own gain until He brings circumstances into our lives or allows things to happen that halt us and make us ready to submit to him. When this happens, our response needs to be one of humbling ourselves, asking for forgiveness and following God’s path. Following God’s way and submitting to him is not easy, but it is something we can do