The Bible Said What? The Talking Donkey

Have you ever read something and thought to yourself, “Did I really just read that?” It’s almost as if you had to do a double-take on what you just read. Now, have you ever had that happen while reading the Bible? The Bible is full of stories and passages that, on any given day, can make us pause and say, “The Bible said what?”

So, being the naturally curious person I am, I decided it was time to dive a little deeper into some of the things I’ve read in the Bible that make me do a double take. Today, we’ll start with the story of the talking donkey—yes, you read that right—in the Book of Numbers. 

Let me set the scene for you — because if you are anything like me, the Book of Numbers isn’t high on your Bible reading list. The Israelites are on their journey to the Promised Land and have taken camp near Moab. The Moab King, Balak, caught wind of this and feared the Israelites because of their strength. So, he sought supernatural help to curse them—enter Balaam. Balaam was a non-Israelite prophet known for his spiritual influence. Balak hoped he would curse the Israelites so that the Moabites could defeat them. So, Balaam saddled up his donkey and went. 

We pick up the story in Numbers 22:22 — 

“But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.” 

God warned Balaam not to go, but Balaam did anyway. So, God sent an angel to block his path. The passage tells us in verses 23-30 that the donkey saw the angel of the Lord [even though Balaam could not] and tried to avoid it: 

1️⃣ The donkey turned off the path into a field. 

2️⃣ The donkey pressed Balaam’s leg up against a wall. 

3️⃣The donkey just laid down in the road. 

Balaam—not understanding what the donkey was doing—struck it each time they veered off the path. Then, in verse 28, the craziest thing happens: the donkey speaks.  

“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 made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.’ 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?’ And he said, ‘No.’” 

Can you imagine if a donkey just started talking to you? The animal lover in me thinks I’d love it, as if I were living out a Cinderella dream story.  The reality? I’d probably freak out. What gets me about this story is that instead of thinking it’s weird or strange that his donkey was talking, Balaam began arguing with his donkey! That must have been quite the scene to witness. It was then that the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw what his donkey had been trying to warn him about.

“Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell 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 oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.’ 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.’ 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.’ So, Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.” 

This is one of the weirder stories in the Bible — to me, at least. You have a guy who is on his way to curse the Israelites, and then suddenly, his donkey prevents him from being killed. The donkey literally saved his life. The donkey was more spiritually perceptive than he was. The fact is that God used a donkey to change the course of history. WHAT?!

After the initial shock of this story had worn off, I realized that as funny or strange as the story may be, there is a lot it can teach us. For the sake of time, I’m just going to focus on three major takeaways:  

1️⃣ Divine interventions come in unlikely forms. God can use anything, even a donkey, to communicate His will and get our attention. Now, I’m not sure if God will be having donkeys speak to us anytime soon, but we cannot assume that He wouldn’t. God will use whatever means necessary to get our attention. 

2️⃣ We have to ready to see and hear God’s message. Balaam’s blindness to the angel caused him to almost lose his life. If it wasn’t for God using the donkey—by giving it spiritual perception—the angel of the Lord would have struck Balaam dead. We need to be alert and ready to see or hear God’s message and respond. 

3️⃣ Remember: God has sovereignty over human plans. Balaam intended to curse Israel, but God turned him into an instrument of blessing, showing His ultimate control over all things. We so often forget that God is in control of all things. This story is a beautiful reminder to us of that. 

This story is memorable because of its humor and the unexpected nature of God’s intervention. It challenges us to consider how God might be trying to reach us, even by surprising or unconventional means. It’s a reminder that God’s plans prevail, often in ways that leave us saying, “The Bible said what?!”