Balaam
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earnestly for light. But God will not be trifled with. He often permits
such persons to follow their own desires and to suffer the result. “My
people would not hearken to My voice.... So I gave them up unto their
own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”
Psalm 81:11,
12
. When one clearly sees a duty, let him not presume to go to God
with the prayer that he may be excused from performing it. He should
rather, with a humble, submissive spirit, ask for divine strength and
wisdom to meet its claims.
The Moabites were a degraded, idolatrous people; yet according
to the light which they had received their guilt was not so great in the
sight of heaven as was that of Balaam. As he professed to be God’s
prophet, however, all he should say would be supposed to be uttered
by divine authority. Hence he was not to be permitted to speak as he
chose, but must deliver the message which God should give him. “The
word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do,” was the divine
command.
Balaam had received permission to go with the messengers from
Moab if they came in the morning to call him. But, annoyed at his
delay, and expecting another refusal, they set out on their homeward
journey without further consultation with him. Every excuse for com-
plying with the request of Balak had now been removed. But Balaam
was determined to secure the reward; and, taking the beast upon which
he was accustomed to ride, he set out on the journey. He feared that
even now the divine permission might be withdrawn, and he pressed
eagerly forward, impatient lest he should by some means fail to gain
the coveted reward.
But “the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against
him.” The animal saw the divine messenger, who was unperceived by
the man, and turned aside from the highway into a field. With cruel
blows Balaam brought the beast back into the path; but again, in a
narrow place shut in by walls, the angel appeared, and the animal,
trying to avoid the menacing figure, crushed her master’s foot against
the wall. Balaam was blinded to the heavenly interposition, and knew
not that God was obstructing his path. The man became exasperated,
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and beating the ass unmercifully, forced it to proceed.
Again, “in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the
right hand or to the left,” the angel appeared, as before, in a threatening
attitude; and the poor beast, trembling with terror, made a full stop,