Contemplative Bible Reading

Numbers 22:21-31 (New International Version)

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. ²² 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. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat her again.

²⁶ 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. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. ²⁸ Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

³⁰ 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.

³¹ Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

This is one of my favorite histories from the Old Testament – Balaam, his donkey, and the angel of the Lord.

I hate to have general conclusions about things, but sometimes I do. It seems that animals can see angels. Look at the verses again.

verse 23: When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD…

verse 25: When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD…

verse 27: When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD…

Maybe this is a one-of-a-kind event. Maybe animals don’t normally see angels of the Lord. I tend to think that animals do see angels. Here is why:

The donkey didn’t speak until the Lord opened its mouth (verse 28).

Balaam didn’t see the angel until the Lord opened his eyes (verse 31).

I don’t see where the Lord did anything to allow the donkey to see the angel. The donkey just saw the angel all the time.

So maybe animals see angels all the time. Maybe animals, like the donkey here, wonder why people don’t see angels all the time. It is something I consider from time to time. God is magnificent, amazing, and a wonder to me. He does things that at times don’t make any sense to me.