Sermon – “The Talking Donkey”

22 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. 2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. 5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: “Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! Numbers 22:6-19 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the diviner’s fee in their hand, and they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak. 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 So Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.’” 12 And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go back to your land, for the LORD has refused to give me permission to go with you.” 14 And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me; 17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’” 18 Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. 19 Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will say to me.” Numbers 22:20-33 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” 30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

Morning just add a little bit to what Karen was just saying. Stake in the meaning that second course that we were saying and so is when you are down he will pick you up. It’s he that will pick us up not we ourselves to many times we try to do it ourselves when we are down he is the one that will pick us up give us strength be work with us in our local races be with us when we get in that dark place where we try to get out. We need him he will pick us up Amen amen. Let’s begin this morning with prayer. Heavenly Father this thank you and praise is so much to bless us to be able to come into your house and to worship you in T. to hear from you to hear from your spirit. I just pray that your spirit would just continue to bless us to open our ears and our hearts to all that you have force and biologists pray to help us to be faithful or let every word be spoken the day before your glory for your praise and be for the edification the building up of your people and I just thank you Lord. Again just to be able to come in and worship you and this prayer would this be completely open to what you have forged today and every day Lord help us to be open to what you have force in Jesus’ name amen. Like the welcome those may be watching on line I’m not sure Sharon was going to be online this morning her children are in this weekend and but anybody that might be watching and welcome you into the Full Gospel seventy Baptist churches morning. Amen. I titled my message this morning. The talking donkey children have you ever heard an animal talk. For real I’m talking now I don’t mean T.V. Now if you’re old enough as some of us in here you might remember Mr Ed the talking horse. But you know and I know there’s another Disney movies where there’s been. All of your cats talk but that’s on T V. In But the days passed and today’s story is about real donkey that got opened its mouth allowed to talk through in a very very interesting passage we’re going to look at today and you know I’ve read this passage a number of times over the years and always thought it was very unique how God uses animal to rebuke a woman you know sometimes I just most of the time I’ve just read it as a casual reader just thought it interesting and I’ve never really studied it out. But since I’ve had to study it out to use it because I thought about using this many times for a sermon just really I just didn’t I don’t know I just didn’t but I studied it out and I thought wow I have a different understanding of this passage and I had just casually reading that there’s actually I said four but there’s five main characters in this passage are going to read today. There’s bail like he is the king of the mobile stairs Bay alum. There’s of course the donkey that talks there’s God And then there’s a mighty angel. So there’s five main characters in this passage and they get the whole gist of this meaning of this passage is a lot of scripture so I’m breaking it up in little bits today so you can go easier to follow along it’s easier for me to sew and begin with the first five verses numbers twenty two and first verses one through five says then the children of Israel moved and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Bale like the son of the poor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites and Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel. So Moab said to the elders of Midian. Now this company will lick up everything around us as an art licks licks up the grass of the field and bale it the sun is up. The poor was king of the mobile right at the time. Then he sent messengers to bail on the son of a B. or at best or which is near the river in the land of the sons of his people to call him saying look a people has come up from Egypt. See they cover the face of the earth and are settling next to me. So we’re going to stop there now this bailiwick and the people of Moab. They were a mountain people they lived up on the mountain so they can look out over the plains and see all this this great nation that has come out of Israel. Well they hadn’t come directly out of Israel they’ve already wandered in the wilderness here they are there at the promised land. For the second time they’re on the cusp ready to enter in to receive their inheritance. So the king and all the people of Moab they look out over the plains and they see this great nation in the word. Word has come to all the forces that they have defeated. They heard how they defeated them our kites they heard how they had defeated king of a red they faded the Amorites they defeated the forces of Alben the king of Bashan I mean God was with Israel they they defeated many follows. So they heard word of this and they seen a great number so they was very fearful. Verse five said that they cover the face of the earth. This is fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. God told a brim in Genesis thirteen versus fourteen to sixteen he says and the Lord said Abrams after lot had separated from him if you remember Abraham and Lot his nephew they were traveling together and Lot had his sheep and his people and neighbor him had his and it was all together they were so great and numb. Or Abraham says we need to separate because we’re two too many. So you choose. He says I’m going to be generous you choose which way you want to go. So he looked and saw this nice green a large land he says I want that. So he says OK go ahead. So then God says that Abraham he says Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are. Look northward southward eastward and westward he says for all the land which you see the idea of to you and your descendants for ever. I want to emphasize here this for a moment this for ever. God gave it to them that land that Israel possesses today is theirs and it is theirs forever because God gave it to them. It doesn’t belong to the Palestinians it belongs to the nation of Israel. And he says I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth so that if a man could number the dust of the earth then your descendants also could be numbered. So there is why when they looked out over the plains they were fearful because God has made them as the dust of the earth. They were great and mighty people a great army. They were many a number but little did the people of Moab know that they would not have had to fear Israel at all. They need not fear but they did not know that because God has instructed this realm not to attack them in Deuteronomy two verse nine it says then the Lord said to me do not harass my web nor contend with them in battle for I will not give you I will not give you any of their land as a possession because I have given all our to the descendants of lot as a possession. You see God blessed lot and his family also they were relatives of the Jews since they were descendants of lot. They had nothing to fear. But here’s a problem if they had been. Praying to the One True God instead of worshipping Bale they may have known this but they did not know that because they were not worshipping the One True God they were following the ways of bail they were worshipping bail but God still honored it and they wouldn’t had to fear but they did anyway. So now let’s pick up with verses six through one thing still the message is sent into the bale and he says Therefore please come at once. This is the message from Baylor to bail and he says Come at once and curse this people for me for they are too mighty for me. He says perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land for I know that he whom you bless is blessed and he whom you curse is cursed. So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with a divine mercy in their hands and they came to bail him and spoke to him the words of bailiwick and east and he said to them lodge here to night and I will bring back word to you as the Lord speaks to me. So the princes of Moab stayed with bail and then God came to bail him and said Who are these men with you. So Bayham said to God they elect the son is a poor king of Moab has sent to me saying look at people has come out of Egypt and they cover the face of the earth. Come now and curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out. And God said the bail you shall not go with them you shall not curse the people this is key you shall not curse a people for they are blessed so bail them rose in the morning and said to the princes of Baylor go back to your land for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you and the princes of Moab rose and went back to bale I can said Baylen refuses to come with us then bail again sent princes more numerous and more. We’re on a board and they and they came to bail them and said to him thus says bay like the son of the poor. Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me for I will certainly honor you greatly and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come curse this people for me then bail I’m answered and said to the servants of Bailey the bailiff were to give me his house full of silver and gold I could not go beyond what the word of the Lord my God to do less or more. There now therefore please you also stay here to night that I may know what more the Lord will say to me. Must stop again. They were a blessed people they like KNEW THEY LIKE knew that if he attempted conventional warfare against Israel that there was no way there was no way that he was going to defeat them. They were too great an army. So we’ve already discovered they were as as a dust of the earth. But it seems that they only knew something that many Christians colorize or don’t want to admit is out there today. He knew this then that there is a spiritual war going on around us because he’s calling a diviner to come. He’s someone in the devil with you will to call down a curse upon his people. He’s he’s trying to get the spiritual good into the spiritual realm and speak a curse against the nation of Israel. If I could just get a curse upon them I think I can beat them because he knew that they were blessed efficient six twelve tells us for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against a principle it is against powers against the rulers of darkness of this age against us. Spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places is I said if you would just casually read this passage you might read this and come away thinking will bail them is actually a pretty faithful man he’s a man of God You might think that if you just casually read this you will find sayings in this passage like I will bring back word to you as the Lord speaks to me. Now this does reveal that Baylen did know that Israel was a warship or the one true god. Verse eighteen he said I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God. So you read it but it was a pretty good God right he’s faithful he’s a righteous man though he might sound like a righteous man. He might know that God is the true God but he’s also been a worshipper and you can’t have it both ways. He might a new in his mind that God was the one true God he might have known his mind a god was a God of the Israelites. He might have said that I’ll bring back the word of the Lord my God but in his heart he was little more than a sorcerer or a divine or for hire. That’s who Bale him was he had a reputation and he was good at what he did. Calling on the evil spirits because Ballard sent word he said please come he said because I know that he whom you blesses blast and he him you curse is cursed. It was a four hundred mile trek from Moab to where Baylen was four hundred miles they sent for bail so bail except for the best in the land to speak this curse his true heart was revealed in the fact that he invited them to stay the second time the second time they came he should’ve said no I’ve already given the word I cannot speak a car. But no he said come on in. Or stay here tonight and I’ll see what more the Lord might the Lord might have the say so what you’ve got to read or What’s he say it might see it the Lord might have changed his mind and you might allow me to go and curses people that reveals his true heart his true heart was he wanted the money he wanted the honor he wanted that great honor that ballot was going to bestow upon him with his lips he might seem to obey the Lord but in his heart he wanted the money. He tried to circumvent God’s blessing upon the nation of Israel verses twenty three thirty three. And God came to bail him at night and said to him if the men call come to call you rise and go with them but only the word which I speak to you that you shall do so bail him rose in the morning saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab then God’s anger was aroused because he went and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him and he and he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. Now the donkey saw the angel the angel standing in the way with a SORN with his drawn sword in his hand and a donkey turned aside out of the way went out into the field. So here’s mailroom right in Iraq along on his dumpy kids and the donkey sees the angel and he turns and goes off the road out into the field so bad on struck the donkey to turn her back on to the road. Then the angel Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyard with a wall on this side and a wall on that side and when a donkey saw the angel of the Lord she pushed herself against the wall and crossbones foot against the wall. All so he struck her again. Then the angel the Lord went further and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn neither to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord she lay down under a bale I’m so Balan’s anger was aroused and he struck the donkey with a staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and she said Baylen What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times and Baylen said to the donkey because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand for now I would kill you. So the donkey said the bail I’m not your donkey and what you have ridden ever since I became yours to this day. Was I ever disposed to do this to you. And he said no then the Lord open Balan’s eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand and he bowed his head and bowed his head and fell flat on his face and the angel of the Lord said to him Why have you start your donkey These three times. Behold I have come out to stand against you because your way is perverse before me donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If he had not turned aside from me surely I would also have killed you by now and let her live. The donkey saved his life. The donkey spared his life. The angel would have killed him had she not turned aside. But this obey God God told him. I don’t know if you picked up on that he said. If these men come to call on you in the morning if they come to call on you in verse twenty he says then you shall rise. As in go speak but only I tell you. But they’ll Ahmed says he rose in the morning so I was don’t be in when I didn’t say they came the call. He was so anxious to get there and see what kind of honor he would get or how much money he would get that He rose before they even came before they were woken said Come on where you go with us. He was ready to go Saudis donkey and was ready to go. He disobey God That’s why God was angry with him because he was perverse. Before the Lord is before the Lord our God you imagine riding along your donkey or your horse or whatever and our thoughts are now things start speaking to you know some people call animals dumb animals but I believe in this case the animal smarter than the passion you’re right much smarter much smarter because it’s full isn’t is to go against the will of God isn’t it. But how often do we go against the will of God. Peter even speaks of Bales’ foolishness and second Peter chapter two it says they have for saken the right way and gone astray following the ways of Babylon the son of the or who loved the wages of unrighteousness but he was rebuked for is an equity a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrain the madness of the prophet he love the wages of unrighteousness that reveals Balan’s true heart. Doesn’t he one worried about being faithful to God He knew that he couldn’t go speak a curse but he was hope and somewhere along the way that he get permission to speak a curse on Israel. There are two vital lessons that we can learn from this scripture. First you can see God’s divine sovereignty at work all over this. God uses a wicked sorcerer. So that you cannot bless. Curse those that I blessed he uses a sorcerer to carry out his plans and his purposes. He can use wicked man if he chooses to because he is sovereign. He is completely sovereign. He can use anyone or anything he can use a donkey if he chooses to. He might use your cat or your dog he chooses to because he is sovereign and secondly that Israel’s blessing was irreversible. It is irreversible when God makes a covenant promise it cannot be broken. God’s promises are true and they are forever. His promises cannot be broken. He is faithful and He will do what he says he will do a man he will not go back on his word. Now that is not to say that he never disciplined is Israel. We know that he disciplined them many times just as he disciplines his children today. But discipline this because they receive discipline doesn’t mean that their blessing was taken away because many times we look at blessing we think blessing we are automatically things material things but the blessing here was the inheritance the inheritance was the promised land. The ad heritance was a promise that through you all the nations of the OR SO be blessed the blessing the promise was that the Savior would come to Abraham and it happen he never removed their blessing. Nations have come and gone but Israel through much adversity through much trial throughout history has survived and they have been blessed not only with material blessings. But they have been blessed with divine protection. God bless them that day with divine protection in the form of a mighty angel with a sword needs a hand. He has blessed them with spiritual blessings and he blesses his people today with spiritual blessings. Romans nine says verses three thru five for I could wish that I myself were cursed from Christ for my brother and my countrymen according to the flesh who are Israelites to him pertain to the adoption the glory the covenants the giving of the law the service of God in the promises of whom are the fathers and from whom according to the flesh Christ came. See there’s the promise of Christ King who is over all the terminally blessed God amen. So what does this mean for us today. Will believe us today are God’s Chosen People are we not. So what the word tells us the visions. Chapter one says Blessed be the godfather of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. We are blasting Christ those who are in Christ who have received Christ you are blessed just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him and love have to have three destined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ himself according to the good plays of his will in Romans eleven it speaks of how the Gentiles have been grafted in so you see we are grafted into that same root so we need to have that same promise that same blessing. We are his chosen people. Plus three three says For you died. Your life is hidden with Christ in God and believers are his special people. First Peter chapter two says coming to him as to a living stone rejected indeed by men but chosen by God and precious. You also as living standards are being built up a spiritual house a holy priesthood to be all to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. To bring this whole thing around. Baylen was called to go and speak a curse upon Israel. He was not permitted. He was not permitted to do it because they were blessed because they were God’s chosen people. The church is God’s chosen people. In Galatians three verses thirteen through fifteen it says Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us for it is written Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree that the blessing of Abraham. This is this is it this is a key that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus. You see the same blessing is ours. It is our inheritance that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. The blessing is the inheritance. It’s not the Earth it’s the inheritance it’s a promise of life eternal life with him. My friends the curse is gone. The devil cannot speak a curse against you when you are in Christ because there shall be an angel standing there if you will with a sword drawn. You’re a child of the Living God You need not fear because you are child of the Living God you have the promises of God Amen. And they are true and faithful no one can take that away from you. They might be able to kill this body but they cannot take your blessing they cannot take your inheritance. We the Church must stand on that. Don’t let the devil steal your joy. Open your eyes and see that angel standing there because God protects his people. You shall not be cursed the curse is gone and we need to live like that that we are a blessed people and no curse shall be upon you because Christ became our curse Amen amen.