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.
Numbers 22:23 (NIV)

The world has always had spiritual gurus willing to take your money in exchange for blessing you with their presence and insight as they bask in the wealth and fame of their personal spiritual empires. In the days that the Hebrews were making their way through the wilderness to the Promised Land, the spiritual guru was a man named Balaam.

For any who think that Balaam is simply cute Sunday School myth, it should be noted that in 1967 a Dutch archaeologist unearthed an inscription in Mesopotamia written in a mash-up of semitic dialects that reads, “Warnings from the Book of Balaam son of Beor. He was a seer of the gods.” The inscription is dated to the 8th-9th century B.C. The context that it adds to today’s chapter is that Balaam was a famous spiritual guru of his day who played the field. He moved in and through all the cults, religions, and deities of that day. I find it easy to read the story and sense that he might have been a believer in Yahweh, the reality is that he was a believer in every god. He made his fame and fortune as a guru for hire no matter what religious persuasion his clients came from.

In today’s famous chapter, Balaam is riding his donkey to meet his newest client, the King of Moab who wants Balaam to curse the Hebrew tribes camped near his city. Three times (I don’t think that number is a coincidence) the Angel of the Lord stands in the way. The donkey sees the Angel of the Lord and moves to avoid him. Balaam doesn’t see the angel and beats his poor donkey mercilessly. God grants the donkey the ability to speak to its master and promptly asks why he’s being beaten when he was trying to save his master’s life. Balaam’s eyes were then opened and he saw the Angel of the Lord, too.

As I meditated on the story, what struck me is the fact that the great spiritual guru of his day was actually spiritually blind. His own ass could plainly see into the spirit realm and see the Angel of the Lord, while the famous guru could not. Balaam was happy to spiritually contort himself for profit and honor. His poor beast of burden, however, recognized the truth of the situation and was steadfast in responding to that truth no matter the pain and injustice it caused him to have to endure.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself reminded to be discerning and humble. Those with enough spiritual insight and hubris to earn themselves fame and fortune does not mean that they see or perceive simple Truth. In the grand scheme of things, I’d rather be an ass who can at least see the Angel of Lord when appears right in front of me, and has the sense to doggedly heed that reality no matter the consequences.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.