In our daily meditations over the past few days, we have discussed the unseen spiritual realm intersecting with the Earth. This realm is where God's unseen angels are active. When the Israelites traveled from Egypt to the land God had promised them, they had to pass through Moab, whose king was Balak. Balak needed help to try to defeat Israel, so he summoned Balaam, the seer, to curse Israel so he could overpower them. Balaam was able to enter the spiritual realm and pronounce curses on people. God initially told Balaam not to go, but Balaam refused to listen and pleaded until God allowed him to go, on the condition that he only speak what God told him. Along the way, however, his heart was tempted by the promise of great reward and how he could obtain it (2 Peter 2:15). To protect His people, God sent an angel to stop Balaam. When Balaam’s donkey saw the angel blocking the path ahead, it tried to reroute to avoid him, crushing Balaam’s foot against a wall. Balaam couldn't see the angel and beat his donkey twice. As we begin the story:
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26Then 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 the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28Then 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?" 29Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now." 30The 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. 31Then 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 (Numbers 22:26-31; emphasis added).
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Overcome by greed, Balaam remains unaware of what his donkey did to save his life. God mercifully enabled Balaam’s donkey to speak to him and rebuke him. The Lord would not allow His people to be cursed. If Balaam succumbed to greed, the Lord was prepared to give His angel permission to harm him. Like Balaam, we often rush into ministry or work situations where unseen spiritual forces are at play. If we are not spiritually sensitive to God, we can be influenced by demonic forces (Matthew 16:23). How merciful the Lord was to speak to Balaam through his donkey. Wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the wall watching Balaam having an angry conversation with his donkey?
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This story is another example of something happening in the unseen realm that humans (Balaam) were completely unaware of. It is interesting to note that the donkey was more aware of the invisible realm than Balaam was. Many of us who have dogs or cats have noticed our pets looking around the room at something we cannot see. Animals are known to sense spiritual things. They may be looking at angels that constantly watch over believers. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them (Psalm 34:7). If you know the Lord through what Christ has done on your behalf, you have angels watching over you. Keith Thomas
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This shortened meditation is from The War Against Satan and Demons series. The study is 1. The Hidden World Beyond Our Reality