One of the most prevalent forms of pride. . . .

Talking donkeys & Presumption

32 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. 33 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.”

34 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.”

Numbers 22: 32-35

Balaam and his story in Numbers is one of the strangest stories in the Bible; from talking donkeys to kings paying the price for trying to curse the people God blessed, this story is one with so much gold and mystery. I have to confess, though, that this story for me has been such a help in teaching people to hear God’s voice!

“If God can speak through a donkey, He can do it through you!”

As I read this story, the above quote stuck out to me. Balaam saw the angel of the Lord’s sword drawn, ready to kill him for his presumption, and Balaam responded with the phrase, “I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way.” This first part, where Balaam the prophet said, “I didn’t realize,” reminded me of Samson’s story in Judges when his hair was cut and trying to get free like all the other times could not break free, and the Bible says, “Samson did not realize that the spirit was not with him.”

I read Balaam’s account, and the thought came to mind that as a Nazirite’s power lies in his hair, a prophet’s power lies in his ability to not move in presumption. Joy Dawson, a prominent prophetic voice that had a major impact on my life, passed away in the last two weeks, and she says of presumption:

“One of the most prevalent forms of pride is manifest in the sin of presumption; it is the lack of seeking God in detail.”

In this last season of my leadership, I feel the Lord has spoken to me about how to be careful of thinking that because the donkey doesn’t want to move, there is something wrong with it, but rather to ask God are you standing in my way? With our first second-year school this season, we had five speakers canceled because of COVID-and travel related issues, and I almost started “Beating the donkey.” Still, more and more, I realize that the speakers that the Lord brought in the place of our usual speakers were precisely what our school and community needed in this pioneering season! As I talk about this idea of presumption, I feel that this is a place we need to take special care of when we say that we believe we hear the voice of God. The sin of presumption clouds our ability to hear God’s voice in the detail. Lastly, I would end with this quote from Henry T. Blackaby, which is a good reminder “Some people can be so disoriented to God that when he begins to work around them, they actually become annoyed at the interruption!”