Weekly Update – 11th May

The Donkey’s Perspective

Recently, I found myself thinking about donkeys after seeing on TV, the cutest donkeys I’ve ever seen, Mediterranean Miniature Donkeys. They looked exactly like a normal sized donkey, but the only difference is, they were smaller and a bit cuter than their larger relatives. The foals were adorable, cute bundles of fluffy donkey-ness. So, I started to think about donkeys in the Bible. God made sure donkeys were a major and significant part of the stories that we have come to know and love. Jesus’ story had donkeys in key roles, his birth and the final week of his life before the cross, there they were, donkeys, carrying the Son of God. Baby or adult, they were on duty for the Saviour, faithfully delivering safe passage and transport.

 

I want to look at a donkey tale (sorry about the pun) that is not as well know as the Christmas and Easter donkey tales. In this Old Testament passage in the Bible, we see a donkey’s perspective where God’s powerful use of the ministry of a humble donkey, was outrageous, daft and not without potential disbelief at the silliness of it all. Look at Numbers 22:21 –39. Balaam was a “see-er” and “diviner” who served King Balak of Moab. The King sent Balaam to go and put a curse on the Israelites as they didn’t like them and this made God really angry, so He sent His angel to block the way and stop Balaam’s mission of evil intent!

 

Balaam’s donkey saw the angel and stopped and refused to go forward. His master beat him but the donkey still refused to go in the direction of the angel. The donkey could see but Balaam could not. Ironically, Balaam was famous as a “See-er” but at this moment it was the donkey who could see and not him. His brand of evil meant that he was blinded. There were multiple attempts for Balaam to try and get the donkey to go forward and each refusal meant the donkey was punished repeatedly. Still the angel stood, scary and foreboding and would’ve kill them both had the donkey continued towards him.. Balaam just kept on beating up the donkey until suddenly, the donkey had enough, turned around to his master and spoke to him in a voice he could understand saying words to the effect of, “Hey! Master! Can you please stop beating me up! I’m trying to save your life because there is a huge angel standing in the way who will kill us! Please stop hitting me! I’m trying to help you!”

 

That’s daft! Donkeys don’t talk! What a load of rubbish!

 

Ok, but people who are paralysed don’t normally get up and walk. 5,000 people are not usually fed by a few fish or loaves of bread. Also, the ocean doesn’t just part so that God’s people can walk through to the other side without getting their feet wet, does it? We could go on and the list of unbelievable miracles in the Bible would keep on going and to the eyes of some one who isn’t saved, they would seem impossible. Miracles don’t happen. It’s all nothing more than a bedtime story! Isn’t it?

 

The donkey’s perspective was the essential view that saved his master’s life but Balaam could not see the truth and and God used a donkey to help him. Balaam saw the angel and was humbled.

 

Balaam’s perspective was changed, thankfully God used the miracle of a faithful donkey. Do you need to change your perspective on something in your life that isn’t going the way you want it to, and you can’t see the reason why? Instead of praying about changing the situation, pray that God will change you, change your perspective for what’s going on. Asking God to show us things through His eyes and His will for us is an essential part of our growth and faith walk. Ask God if it’s you that needs to change and please would He help us to do that?

 

Have a blessful week. Jackie