I want to show you three pictures this morning and I want you to tell me what they have in common, so look closely and think hard.
[Picture #1 – Francis the Talking Mule] [Picture #2 – Mr. Ed] [Picture #3 – Donkey from Shrek]
We’ve got Francis the mule, Mr. Ed the Palomino and Dunkea the donkey. What’s the common theme here?
Right! Each of these four-footed beasts talks, or at least they appear to do thanks to the special effects magic that we enjoy in television and the movies.
How many of you are old enough to remember the movies that featured Francis the talking mule? When I was a kid those films were always a Saturday afternoon TV favorite! Tonight our children’s choirs are presenting a wonderful musical called Donkey Tales and, as is our custom here at Redland, I’m using my sermon this morning as a preview. I’m praying that God will use my words to whet your whistles for the powerful musical message our children will present to us tonight.
The musical we’ll hear in this room at 6PM is a compilation of three donkey tales and they are all true. They’re not fictional “tales.” They are actual stories from the Bible that tell of the ways God used three of these four-footed beasts to further His eternal purposes. Unless you want to stick around another hour or so, I won’t be able to deal with all three donkey tales this morning so I’ve borrowed just one from their musical, and am using her story as the subject of my message.
The donkey in this tale is unlike Mr. Ed, and Francis, and Dunkee from Shrek in three ways. First, this donkey is a she, not a he. Second, as I already said, this donkey is not a work of fiction. His is a real, live, absolutely true donkey tale and the final and most important distinction is that this donkey really did talk. In order to get Mr. Ed and Francis to move their mouths so as to appear to speak, their handlers had to give them peanut butter a very cheap special effect! And of course Dunkee is just a computer-animated little hoofer whose mouth movements are synced with the voice of Eddie Murphy. But the talking donkey whose tale that we are studying this morning, and singing about tonight, required no such tricks because the Bible tells us that God actually made him talk.
If you have trouble believing that this part of the Bible is true, then remember, our God is all-powerful! He is the God of miracles, and His book is full of them. The Bible contains true stories of bushes burning but not being consumed and of seas parting to allow the Hebrew nation to cross on dry ground, stories of ax heads floating and a man being swallowed whole by a huge fish and then vomited out onto dry ground, still very much alive, three days later, stories of the blind being healed and storms stopping on command and of 5000 hungry men and their families having their stomachs filled with the contents of a little boy’s lunch box, culminated of course in the story of God’s Son being born to a virgin and given the name Jesus and then dying on a Roman Cross 33 years later as payment for the sins of all mankind rising from the dead on the third day.
If you still have difficulty believing a donkey could talk then I would say the basis for believing this and all the Biblical accounts of miraculous events is summed up in this statement: “If you can believe the first verse of the Bible where it says, ‘In the beginning God created…’ then believing the rest of the Bible is a piece of cake.” Let’s face it, if God can make everything out of nothing, then making a donkey speak a few words is child’s play. In any case, believing this story is true is a choice and I for one choose to believe the Bible is literal when it comes to these things. I believe God gave this particular donkey the power of speech, and did it for a reason. I mean, it seems to me that this little fellow talked so that you and I could hear some very important truth.
The text of our donkey tale is Numbers 22-24 and we don’t know this little sure-footed beast’s name but her owner was a man named Balaam. Go ahead and open your Bibles to Numbers 22 and keep them open so you’ll be ready as we study this account together but I thought the best way to hear this true story first would be for Aaron to sing it to us and that’s what he’s going to do. I want you to know that the song he’s going to share with us is not in the children’s musical tonight. Those songs are written by Kathy Hill and Melody Morris. Aaron’s song was written by a man named Don Francisco. Any Don Francisco fans here this morning? You’ll notice they are about the same age as fans of the Francis the talking mule! Don’s father, Clyde Francisco was my Old Testament professor at Southern Seminary. He was also my favorite professor and his son Don was very popular back in those olden days for the ballads he wrote and sang based on Biblical texts. I’m sure many of us have heard his song, He is Alive at an Easter Sunrise service at one time or another. So, listen now as Aaron, sings us the story of Balaam and his donkey-based on Numbers 22.
[AARON SINGS]
Thank you Aaron, I’m sure Don Francisco couldn’t have done better!
With your Bibles still open, let’s take a closer look at this strange, but true, story. The events that are recorded, starting in the 22nd chapter of the book of Numbers, come about as Israel is in he final stage of completing its 40 years of wilderness wanderings. As our story begins, the Hebrew Nation is approaching the Promised Land along its eastern border. In their journey to this long-awaited home they have overcome every army that opposed them. For example, they beat the forces of the Canaanites, and the Amorites, and as they neared the borders of Moab, Balak, the king of this pagan nation became terrified. Look at Numbers 22:2-3 where it says, “Balak saw that Israel had done to the Amorites and was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.”
Balak didn’t need to be afraid because the Hebrews had no intent of attacking Moab. But Balak didn’t know this and he expected to be overwhelmed. In verse 4 he said, “This horde is going to lick up everything around us as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” He knew he could not defeat the Israelites militarily. They obviously outnumbered his troops, so he decided to use another tactic. He reasoned that the only way to successfully do battle with Israel would be by attacking them with pagan divination. In other words, he determined to use magic, the dark arts and to do this he brought in a “hired gun” a man named Balaam whom I would refer to as a “fortune-telling, curse-casting sorcerer.” Balaam made his living off of people who paid him to place curses or blessings on other people, and apparently he was quite good at this.
As Francisco puts it in his song, “He had a reputation in all those parts for bein’ on the line to power and when Moab’s king heard Moses was comin’ he called him in his needy hour.”
Thanks Aaron.
Please don’t get the idea that Balaam as a Godly man, because he wasn’t. Religion, or more accurately religions were his business not his lifestyle. Balaam’s skill lay in knowing all about the various religious beliefs in the region and his knowledge enabled him to manipulate the “gods” to do his will, or more accurately the people who believed in these false “gods.” In any case, Balak sought to secure Balaam’s services. In verse 6 he sent word saying, “Come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.” Or as Fransico put it in his song, “Balaam come and curse these Israelites. If you do I believe I could beat ’em in a fight!”
Thanks again Aaron.
To make his job offer tempting Balak sent lots of cash along as well and when the delegation arrived, Balaam invited them to stay the night, but when he began to make his plans God came to him and told him not to curse the Jews, because He had blessed them. (Verse 12) To Balaam’s credit, the next morning he told the delegation from Balak that he could not do what they asked, but Balak didn’t give up. He figured that Balaam was just haggling over the price, holding out for more money. In verse 15 it says that Balak sent more distinguished men from his court, and as you can see in verse 16 he had them plead with Balaam to come and in essence said, “Name your price Balaam, here’s a blank check, you write in the amount.” Once again Balaam invited Balak’s delegation to stay in his home and when he had them settled in their quarters he asked God what to do.
This is the place where, if I were God, I would have said, “Balaam, what part of ‘no’ didn’t you understand?” Balaam knew what God had said, but he also knew he wanted the money Balak offered. That blank check is burning a hole in his pocket. Perhaps he thought, “This will set me up for life! No more fake seances. No more shrunken heads. No more pretending to read messy animal entrails. I can built an estate on the Mediterranean and retire there in luxury!” The fact that he invited the delegation to stay another night in his home shows this waffling on his part. He knew what God had said but he also knew he wanted that cash! Like many people Balaam wanted his way to be God’s way rather than the other way around.
Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever tried to figure out some way to get God to agree with what you wanted to do? Have you ever tried to justify what you knew was rebellion and sin? No need to raise your hands because it’s not important that I know. However, it is important for you to know that God knows!
In answer to Balaam’s inquiry God said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.” I think that God said this angrily. I think thunder claps sounded as he uttered these words. Maybe the ground even shook. In my mind at this point our Heavenly Father felt the way we feel as parents feel when we have told our kids, “No” and they find a way to force us to say “yes.” For example, we tell them they can’t have some of their friends over to spend the night, but they invite them in anyway and we’re forced to be the good host. We say, “Okay. You can have your party but I’m not pleased so you better behave! And, we’ll talk more later!” I think this is a similar situation. God had already told Balaam no, and Balaam brings it up again. Plus, God of course knew what Balaam was thinking. He knew he was trying to figure a way to disobey His command and still keep this potential jackpot of cash. You and I would do well to remember that God does know the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts. As I inferred a moment ago, nothing is hidden from Him. Psalm 69:5 says, “Our guilt is not hidden from God.”
In talking about people who embrace Balaam’s kind of sinful, rebellious attitude, 2 Peter 2:15 says, “They have gone off the road and become lost like Balaam, who fell in love with the money he could make by doing wrong.” This verse from Peter’s epistle and others like it explains God’s anger. God knew that Balaam was embracing a sinful, greedy, disobedient, conniving heart. The next morning Balaam saddled the star of our story, his donkey, and rode off with Balak’s delegation, unaware that God knew his intentions and had sent an angel to stop him. In fact, verse 23 says that the angel was sent to kill him, but our gracious God decided to give Balaam one more chance. First, He gave the donkey the ability to see the angel he had sent and when she did, she wisely bolted off the road into a field. Balaam responded by beating her until she went back on the road.
Then the angel moved to stand at a place where the road went between two vineyard walls and the donkey squirmed past by pressing against the wall crushing Balaam’s foot in the process. So, he beat her again. Then the Angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place so narrow that he donkey couldn’t get by at all. So this time she lay down in the road, refusing to move, and in a fit of temper Balaam beat her a third time with his staff. He probably said something like, “You good-for-nothin’, stupid-lookin’ mule! I’ll kill you and make you into glue you ignorant piece of junk!” And then God worked the main “donkey miracle” in this true story. He gave the beast the ability to speak! The donkey’s words are recorded in verse 28. She said this to her master, “What have I done that deserves your beating me these three times?” Balaam replied, “You have made me look like a fool! I wish I had a sword with me, for I would kill you!” The donkey replied, “Think Balaam. Have I ever done anything like this before in my entire life?” And Balaam said, “No.”
Isn’t this cool! The donkey reasons with the man about why she’s getting whipped but what is really interesting is that Balaam answers her. In fact, he doesn’t even miss a beat. He doesn’t seem surprised at her ability to talk. He must have seen some of those Francis the Talking Mule movies! But seriously, the donkey talks and he talks right back! Why didn’t Balaam say, “Wh…..wait a minute….did you just talk?” Apparently he was so ticked, so embarrassed to have this happen in front of the dignitaries from King Balak, that he didn’t think about his donkey’s new talent. Be honest, have you ever “talked” to your car in a fit of anger when it wouldn’t start? At the moment when he might have cooled off enough to realize that a donkey actually talked, God opened his eyes and he saw the angel standing there with a drawn sword. Balaam responded by falling on the ground in abject terror.
If anyone tells you that God is not an animal lover, show them Numbers 22:34 because the first words out of the angel’s mouth are concern for the donkey. He says, “Balaam, why did you beat your donkey those three times? I have come to stop you because you are headed for destruction. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away from me; otherwise I would have certainly killed you by now (and here’s the real animal loving part), and spared her!” That’s most of the story. A somewhat humbled Balaam goes on to meet King Balak but every time Balak tried to get him to curse Israel Balaam blessed them instead. In fact, in his fourth oracle God used Balaam to issue one of the prophecies of the coming of Jesus. We read this in Numbers 24:17 where Balaam said, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel…”
In the end, because of the Moabites continued efforts to seduce the people of Israel to disobey God’s laws, Moses commanded them to attack Moab. They did and Numbers 31 tells us that greedy old Balaam was killed in the battle. If you’re like me at this point one question is on your mind. Why did God use this Balaam guy in the first place? Why use a wicked, greedy, demonic individual like him to bless the Hebrew people and even prophesy about the coming of the Messiah? I can think of at least two reasons.
A. First, He did this because God loves all PEOPLE….
Even the sorcerers of the world, even the greedy people of the world, even the selfish people of the world, even the people who seem to make it their goal in life to make your life miserable. God loves all people from Adolph Hitler and Osama Ben Laden to you and me. As 2nd Peter 3:9 says, God, “…is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” So, God spoke to Balaam and through Balaam our Heavenly Father revealed Himself to this evil man to give him an incredible opportunity to get his life on track. But unfortunately, tragically, Balaam blew it. The Bible records the fact that He chose the treasures of this world instead of a relationship with the one True God.
B. And the 2nd reason I believe God used Balaam is to show that He is all-SOVEREIGN.
Now “sovereign” is a word that many of us may be unfamiliar with so let’s go to the dictionary for help. Webster defines “sovereignty” like this: “…above or superior to all others; chief, greatest, supreme…independent of all others.” So, when we say God is sovereign, we’re saying He’s the Boss. He calls the shots and has the authority. What He says goes. No one tells Him what to do. He is over and above all things, good and bad. There is no such thing as partial sovereignty. To be sovereign is to be absolutely superior to everyone and everything.
The phrase I like best when it comes to this attribute is this: “God is in control.” In other words, His hands are on the wheel of my life, and I don’t know about you but that thought is such a comfort to me. Whenever I am confronted with a close friend wrestling with a terminal illness, or the death of a loved one or worries about our nation and where it’s going, or stress in child-rearing or worries about personal finances, no matter how rough life gets, when I remind myself, “God is in control”, I feel much better! And this conviction that my completely faithful, all-wise, all-powerful, loving Heavenly Father is sovereign is based on the clear teachings of Scripture.
Here’s just a small a sampling of texts that proclaim this comforting truth:
Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s will that prevails.”
Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Proverbs 21:30, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:37, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?”
Revelation 3:7, “No one can shut the doors that God opens and what He shuts no one can open.”
And one more. Job 42:2 says, “I know that You, [Oh God,] can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.”
All these texts proclaim the consoling fact that nothing will enter our lives that our loving Heavenly Father does not either decree or allow. His will is always done. His Message will be proclaimed. Nothing can stop that! Do you remember what Jesus told the religious leaders on the first Palm Sunday when they complained about their singing His praises? He said, “I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out!” (Luke 19:40, and He wasn’t referring to Mick Jagger and his aging rock band). We can see God’s sovereignty here in Numbers 22 in the way that He used even a pagan sorcerer to do His will. And I don’t know about you, but for me that is a source of confidence. Because if God can use the likes of Balaam, and if God can speak through a donkey, then think of what He can do with you or me!
There’s a song in the musical tonight that goes like this: “God can use me…God can use me…If God can use a donkey my friend then wouldn’t you agree? Balaam couldn’t see the angel God had sent so God spoke through a donkey and got his attention. If God used a mule, then do I need to mention, God can use me?
Here’s a simple rule: if you will just obey, God takes what you do and He takes what you say then He pours out His power and spills out His Spirit…
…and you’ll want to shout for the whole world to hear it! God can use me!”
Think about it friends, what would it be like if you let God use you!? How would your car pool change, how would the environment in your office or home or neighborhood change, How would your marriage change or your parenting change if you simply said, “Use me God. Speak through me. Work out Your eternal purposes through me.” What else can we learn from this particular donkey tale? What can we hear God saying to us through the speech of this little nameless donkey?
I want to quickly point out three things.
(1) First, this donkey tale says that when temptation comes, we must RUN!
Balaam would never have had to be saved from the angel in the first place if he had closed the door on temptation when Balak’s second delegation knocked on his door. In fact, once he knew God’s ruling on the matter he should have locked his door and thrown away the key but instead he pridefully, greedily invited these delegates in for a second night. It’s not wrong to be tempted, but it is wrong to flirt with temptation the way Balaam did.
James 1:14 says, “Temptation is the pull of your own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil actions.” So, when temptation comes, get away from it. Run from those thoughts! As one old farmer put it, “If you don’t mean to go into the house, stay off the porch.” Remember, James also warns us about the end result of embracing temptation. In verse 15 he says, temptation “…desire gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown, gives birth to death.” So, whenever you are tempted, run. To help quicken your pace, remind yourself that temptation leads to desire and desire to sinful actions and sinful actions to pain and destruction.
I’m reminded of the true story of Yussif, the Terrible Turk, a 350-lb wrestler who won every fight in Europe before coming to America to grab more glory at the beginning of the 20th century. Yussif challenged Strangler Lewis, our 200-lb champion grappler to a match and the Turk tossed the strangler around like a teddy bear. Here’s a pic of Yussif. Then Yussif, the new world champion, picked up what he loved the most, money, 5,000 dollars of it, which he demanded be paid in gold. He crammed it all into the money belt that he wore around his huge circumference before setting sail back to Europe on the SS. Burgoyne but many miles out at sea, the ship began to sink. Yussif went over the side with his bulging belt full of gold still strapped around his enormous frame. The added weight was too much even for the terrible Turk to stay afloat. Before the lifeboats could reach him, he plunged straight to the bottom of the Atlantic like an oversized iron cannon, never to be seen again. His tragic end reminds me of Proverbs 11:4 where it says, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath.”
Friends, I don’t know what is tempting you. It could be wealth and acclaim like Yussif here but whatever it is remember if we let it temptation will drag us where we don’t want to go. So listen to this donkey tale and when temptation comes, run.
(2) Another thing we can learn from this story is that when God talks, we should LISTEN!
And God does indeed talk to us in many ways. For Moses He used a burning bush; for Elijah it came as a gentle whisper. For Obadiah and others it was through a vision. For Joseph and Mary it was an Angel. For Balaam it was through a donkey. But the fact is, History shows that God is always speaking to people like you and me, guiding us through life in ways that allow us to know His will. In Isaiah 58:11 it says, “The Lord will guide you continually.” In Psalm 32:8 God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.” One of the verses I have clung to in life is Isaiah 30:21 where it says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”
There’s a beautiful song in tonight’s musical that underscores this powerful truth. Its words go like this:
“The voice of God speaks in wondrous ways. The Word of God appears on every page, …and if you’ll listen, you’ll hear the message true: ‘I love you, My child. I love you.’
Listen closely, listen closely. Can you hear it in the breeze, in the rustle of the trees? What’s He sayin’?
In a rainstorm, in the thunder’s roar, in the rushing of the wind, in the peace you feel within, when you’re prayin’? What’s He sayin’?
Creation shouts His glory; the Bible tells His story…the voice of God speaks in wondrous ways,
…The word of God appears on every page and if you listen, you’ll hear the message true. ‘I love you My child. I love you!'”
This morning I want to bear witness to the fact that I have enjoyed the blessing of hearing God speak to me in numerous times in my own life: I heard Him say “I love you Mark” when I was seven, and I responded by giving Him my life. But I’ve heard God’s voice at other times down through the years: as He told me what vocation He wanted me to pursue, and who He wanted me to marry. Each week He helps me prepare a message. And, when I face difficult counseling sessions and don’t know what to say, if I ask, He always gives me the wisdom and words I need. I’m not sure I can explain how God talks to me, but He does!
Now, it’s not usually an audible sound. In fact it’s better than that because I hear Him speak in my innermost being. He communicates His intent to me, even in the midst of turmoil when I might not be able to hear audible sound. I’m saying that since I am a Christian, God has a direct line into my heart. And friends, it has come to the point that I yearn for His voice. I can’t imagine having to guess at what I should do or say in life.
I don’t think I could bear the loneliness of feeling that I could only talk to myself. The words to that old song are so very true, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there none other has ever known.” If you are a Christian who has learned to rely on God’s spoken guidance and companionship, then you know what I mean. There is nothing more fulfilling than hearing God’s voice.
And the reverse is also true, there’s nothing more foolish than ignoring it, so when God talks to you, listen.
This leads to a third thing I think we can “hear” in this donkey tale:
(3) When God commands. OBEY!
Remember? God gave Balaam a very clear directive in verse 12. He said. “Don’t go with them. You must not put a curse on those people because they are blessed.” Understand, God did not stutter here. He gave His instruction in a way that Balaam could easily understand. There’s no question about what God meant. Balaam didn’t get into trouble because God didn’t give good directions. No, he got into trouble because he didn’t follow them!
There wasn’t a problem with misunderstanding or misinterpretation. There was a problem with obedience! You might say, “Well, pastor, he did obey eventually-he refused to curse the Israelites.” And you would be right to say that. But, as other texts in the Bible that mention Balaam tell us, his problem was his obedience was not complete. He tried to both obey God and also obey Balak so as to get all that cash. As one of the songs in the musical puts it, Balaam was “riding the fence.” Listen to the words:
“Are you sitting on the fence? Giving God part but not all your heart doesn’t make sense.
You gotta give Him your all or you just might fall. You can’t serve two masters. You gotta make a choice. If you listen to the bad buy you can’t hear the Good Guy’s voice.”
The late Ron Mehl writes,”Everything God does on earth has its genesis in the obedience of His children. Everything of blessing and victory in our lives begins with obedience. Scripture shows us again and again that simple acts of obedience are always followed by mighty acts of God.” And Mehl is right. You can build an ark but only God can make it rain. You can offer your little lunch of loaves and fish but only God an multiply them to feed a multitude. You can fight the Amorites to the best of your ability and the limits of your strength but only God can make the sun stand still until that victory is complete. Obedience is the pathway to blessing and success in life.In November 1964, anarchy broke out in the Belgian Congo. Assemblies of God missionary J. W. Tucker knew he was at risk, but obediently stayed where God had placed him. One day, a mob attacked Tucker with sticks, clubs, fists, and broken bottles, killing him. Then they took his body, threw it in the back of a truck, drove a good distance, and tossed it to the crocodiles in the Bomokande River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Think of it. Tucker had obeyed but it seemed a waste.
However, 30 years later, John Weidman, a close friend of Tucker’s, was in the country (by then known as Zaire) and learned how God used that missionary’s sacrifice. The Bomokande River flows through the middle of the Mangbeto tribe, a people virtually without the gospel. During a time of civil war, the Mangbeto king became distressed with the violence and appealed to the central government in Kinshasa for help. The central government responded by sending a man called the Brigadier, a well-known policeman of strong stature and reputation who came from the region of Isiro. By the way, Tucker had won the Brigadier to the Lord just two months before he was killed. The Brigadier determined to reach the Mangbetos with the gospel realizing it was the only way to peace. Being a relatively new Christian, he did his best to witness, but he was met with no response. Then one day he heard of a Mangbeto tradition that said: “If the blood of any man flows in the Bomokande River, you must listen to his message.”
This saying had been with the Mangbetos from time immemorial. The Brigadier called for the king and all the village elders. They gathered in full assembly to hear his address. He said, “Some time ago a man was killed, and his body was thrown into your Bomokande River. The crocodiles in this river ate him up. His blood flowed in your river. But before he died, he left me a message. This message concerns God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to this world to save people who were sinners.Jesus died for the sins of the world; He died for my sins and your sins. I received this message, and it changed my life.”
As the Brigadier preached, the Spirit of God descended and people began to fall on their knees and cry out to the Lord. Many were converted. Since that day, thousands of Mangbetos have come to Christ and dozens of churches have opened. All this stemmed from the obedience of the man whose blood flowed in the Bomokande River.
I don’t know what God may be asking you to do this morning. Whatever it is, it’s probably not as dangerous as the task Tucker was given. But I do know that when we die to self and obey God, He blesses our lives and the lives of others, many times in ways we won’t fully understand until we get to Heaven.
Would you pray with me? “Father God,
Thank You for inspiring Moses to put this particular Donkey Tale in the Bible. Help us to remember its lessons and apply them to our lives.
Lead us away from temptation so we don’t make Balaam’s mistake.
Speak to each of us-guide us so that we know what to do when it comes to the decisions that face us.
And now command us Father. Tell us what You want us to do in order for us to be in the very center of Your sovereign will. AMEN.
As we sing, come as God leads. Obey His commands.