When it comes to talking donkeys, I’m probably not the only one who thinks first about the Shrek movies.
Eddie Murphy’s voiceover for Donkey is Hollywood brilliance.
Donkey: “Okay, let me get this straight: you gonna go fight a dragon and rescue a princess just so Farquaad will give you back your swamp, which you only don’t have ’cause he filled it full of freaks in the first place. Is that about right?”
Shrek: “You know what? Maybe there’s a good reason donkeys shouldn’t talk.”
(Photo herein via Donkey’s page on wikipedia)
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There’s another talking donkey however.
In the Bible.
And he gets abused too.
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The story of Balaam and his donkey is from Numbers 22:21-39.
Balaam was a prophet who recognized the Lord’s power but was led astray by his love of money.
In this part of the story, Balaam kept beating his donkey because it could see the angel of the Lord on their path.
But Balaam could not.
So he took out his frustration on the poor donkey.
Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times? ”
Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now. ”
The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
(Numbers 22:28 – 31)
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The point of the story.
The donkey saved Balmaan’s life but made him look foolish.
I know I can relate.
We probably all can.
We lash out at innocent people in our path even when they’re right.
Often this reaction occurs in our own households.
The Lord works through others to break us too and save us from further destruction.
We are being made fit for use.
“Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”
(2 Timothy 2: 21)
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For cross reference, Balaam’s fate is also mentioned by the Apostle Peter in the New Testament:
“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer,who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.”
(2 Peter 2:15 -16)
And by the Brother Jude:
“Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.”
(Jude 11)
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How do you recognize the discipline of the Spirit in your own life? What is your typical reaction?
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When our loved ones correct us in something we are being stubborn about, is their correction out of love? Are they saying the words only to benefit themselves or are they working to help us become who God want us to truly be? Sometimes love may seem harsh when it is going against what we want and if for what we need.