Advent calendar 2020

Advent 18 - Thursday 19th December 2020

Don’t beat up the messenger!

Our reading today must rate as one of the most curious stories in the Bible – Balaam and his talking donkey

Numbers 22: 21-35a

Balaam’s Donkey
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 in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on 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 into a field. 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 walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
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. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and 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 facedown.
The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”
Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.”

Reflection

Angels appear throughout the Bible, especially in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. These mysterious heavenly beings, unseen to the human eye, are frequently depicted as God’s messengers who interact with humanity. Their appearances, often at times of great crisis, remind us how far God will go try and get our attention. But note one of the key lessons in the story above. The donkey could see what Balaan could not see. His eyes were closed until opened by the Lord.
 
Rev Sean Swindells
Cruden Parish Church

The Very Rev Albert Bogle, former Moderator of the General Assembly offers these thoughts:

The account of the donkey speaking to Balaam is a reminder to us that often we can be blind to the presence of God’s messengers in our midst while the animals and the rest of creation recognise the power and presence of the creator.

Balaam had a huge angel standing in front of him, however all he could do was beat up on his donkey. He missed the glory because he was inconvenienced.

As we approach Christmas and all the wonder of the meaning of this season let us be careful that we don’t miss out on the messages and messengers that God will bring across our paths. The scripture tells us that some have entertained angels and been unaware that they were doing so. One more thing: we may not have donkeys in our lives but we often have people we take for granted. Sometimes they are the ones who tell us the truth even when we abuse their loyalty.

Don’t beat up on your angel viewing donkey. Listen to them even if they talk back to you.

PRAYER:

Lord,
Forgive me
When I take true friendships for granted
When I’m so focused on winning
That I end up losing
When I ignore the signs
And flog the donkey
Only to discover I’m out of touch
Confused
And exhausted
Turn my eyes from self
To see and hear the messenger
You send across my path
Give me the humility
To listen to and thank the ‘donkeys’ in my life.
Amen

From Sanctuary First

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