As we lick the wounds of a brutal election season, we might learn from the lesson of Balaam. The story of how the prophet Balaam was spared destruction by a talking donkey is one of the most whimsical in the Hebrew scriptures.  Readers are apt to consign it to folklore, rather than history, but there is a profound message in the story that history often neglects.

The backstory was an invasion of Moab by the rising nation of Israel.  The prophet Balaam was called to the court by Moab’s king to place a curse on the army of Israel (Numbers 22:1-14). The prophet was warned by God not to proceed with the journey, because Israel, not Moab, was blessed. Although Balaam sent word he would not be coming to court, the king persisted, so God allowed Balaam to begin the journey, but with a warning to heed His directions.

As Balaam came to a narrow passage on the road, an angel of God stood in his pathway with a sword drawn. The donkey saw the angel and balked, but Balaam did not see the angel and struck the donkey three times to try to get him past the narrow walls that lined the road. A dialogue ensues between Balaam and the donkey:

D: What have I done to you that you have struck me three times?

B: Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand. I would kill you right now.

D: Am I not your donkey that you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?

B: No.

“Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face.”  The angel says to Balaam, “If it had not  turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.” (Numbers 22: 28-33)

In the denouement Balaam proceeds to the court, but refuses to curse Israel. In fact he stands up to the King of Moab and blesses Israel.

In this extended narrative a donkey not only speaks to a prophet, but proclaims his loyalty much like the loyalty of God himself.  It is easy to make the inference that the donkey has become the mouthpiece of God. We could read this dialogue as one of the most comic passages in the Hebrew scriptures.

But the angel makes a point of warning Balaam that, but for the donkey, he would have been killed while the life of the animal would have been spared. The donkey is clearly the hero of the story, and Balaam has made an ass of himself.

The story reminds us that the truth can come from unexpected sources. Balaam goes on to fulfill his role representing the God of Israel in defiance of the Moabite king. His undoing is prevented by a beast of burden.

Whatever the credibility of this story, it suggests that God is greater than our circumstances, and we should be prepared to hear the truth from any source, including an ass.  Balaam thought he was following the word of God on the road to Moab, but he was stopped in his tracks by an ass suddenly made vocal. The marvel of a donkey speaking was lost on him. In his frustration he actually threatened the donkey for obstructing him.  Eventually he saw the menacing angel in the road, but not until God revealed it to him.

You can’t debate with an ass, but you can sometimes find the angel of God on a narrow road. Pay attention and be content to take some direction from an ass. The ass you save may be your own.