Starting Right
Starting Right is a 5 minute Day Starter to help keep you motivated, encouraged, and focused throughout your day. DannyMac is a pastor, teacher, motivational speaker, husband, and father. His years of leading and training people have given him vast experience in helping individuals to accomplish change in their lives and meet their goals. He can help you set the course for your day by offering practical advice from God's Word in a positive and fun way. There is no better way to begin your day than by Starting Right with DannyMac.
Starting Right
When God Speaks Through Unlikely Messengers.
Ever wondered what would happen if your pet suddenly started talking back to you? In the Bible, one man found out—and surprisingly, wasn't even shocked by it.
Welcome to a fascinating journey through one of Scripture's most unusual encounters: Balaam and his talking donkey. This curious tale from Numbers 22 reveals powerful truths about listening to God's direction that remain startlingly relevant today. As we unpack this ancient story, we discover a prophet who could hear God's voice but struggled to follow divine guidance when money and prestige entered the picture.
How might God be trying to get your attention today? Are there "talking donkeys" in your life—unexpected messengers or circumstances trying to redirect your path? Join me as we explore how to recognize divine guidance and respond with genuine obedience rather than Balaam's half-hearted compliance.
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right. I am Danny Mac and I'm going to be here every Monday to Friday to help you get a great start to your day. So grab your cup of coffee, sit back and relax for the next five minutes as I help you start your day by starting right. Today, I want to talk once again about one of those characters in Scripture that they sort of appear for a short period of time and then disappear for most of the rest of Scripture. This is one of those guys, and the thing that most people remember about him was really kind of unusual. You see, this guy's become known as the donkey guy. He actually had an argument with a donkey and the donkey won.
Speaker 1:The man, of course, is Balaam, who was a diviner, a non-Israelite prophet, who somehow was still able to hear from God but really was not all that keen on following what God had to say. His story is found in the 22nd chapter of the book of Numbers. The story tells of the Israelites as they were moving into a land that was ruled by the Moabites. Now Balak, who was the king of the Moabites, called upon Balaam to go and to curse Israel so that they could not come into the land and that Israel would not be able to move ahead. Balaam said he first had to talk to God about it, and God told him have nothing to do with Balak, because the Israelites were blessed. So when Balaam went back to Balak he was offered a huge sum of money, but Balaam refused to curse the Israelites. Then Balaam had a dream and in that dream God told him to go with Balak, but to only do what God told him to do. So the next morning he saddled his donkey and went with them, and God was furious with him for going. That particular contradiction has puzzled theologians forever. The usual interpretation is that God knew in Balaam's heart he was doing it for the cash.
Speaker 1:Verse 21 picks up the story and it says Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went and the angel of the Lord stood on the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road and into a field and Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards with the walls on both sides, and the donkey saw the angel of the Lord. It pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot. So again he beat the donkey.
Speaker 1: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 left or to the right. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam and he was angry and he beat it with his staff. Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth and it said to Balaam what have I done to you to make you beat me these three times? Balaam answered the donkey you have made a fool of me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now. 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. 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 face down.
Speaker 1:Make no mistake, there are serious things that are going on here, but along the way, balaam has this talk with his donkey. What gets me is that when the donkey first spoke to him, balaam answered him back, and not only that, the conversation went back and forth at least a couple more times. It's interesting that what happens next in the story is that Balaam says to God I'm sorry, I've sinned. I'll go back home if you want me to, but tell me what you want me to do. And God says, no, you go on, but you say what I tell you to. So Balaam goes on and instead of cursing Israel, he actually blesses Israel, which really ticks off Balak.
Speaker 1:Here are a couple of important lessons for us. The first thing is that God wants to have this personal relationship with us where he speaks to us and sometimes, if we are not willing to listen to what he has to say to us within our spirits, to teach us and to guide us, he will do something unusual to get our attention. Someone or something will come along and something will happen, and God will use that to bring our attention back to Him. And what really is important. I doubt very much you'll wind up talking to a donkey, but there are circumstances that God will use to get your attention, to help you understand how to get back on track and get you going the way you need to go again. And secondly, when God gets your attention, listen to Him. Listen to what he has to say. Don't try to barter with him. Don't try to make a deal with him. Listen to what he has to say. God will help you to know what to do. That is right and that's important.
Speaker 1:Balaam never learned this lesson. Later on, after he blessed Israel, balaam went to the king of Moab and told him how to destroy the Israelites. He said get your women to go in there and corrupt the men. And for this Balaam is remembered twice in the New Testament, in the book of 2 Peter and in Revelation, where he is condemned for what he did and used as an example of someone who destroys the work and power of God. So there we go. That's the story of the donkey guy and one of the strangest conversations in the Bible. Make sure you're listening to God today, as he's directing you and guiding you and just loving on you. Have a great day, my friends. We will talk again tomorrow. Thank you for listening today and I invite you to join me Monday to Friday. Right here on Starting Right, with Danny Mac.
