Balaam and the Talking DonkeyNumbers 22 to 24
re-told by Debbie Dunn
Story Highlights:
Tale: Balaam and the Talking Donkey
Balaam
was a prophet who lived during the time of Moses.
Question: What is a prophet?
Answer: A spokesperson for God
Balaam wasn't the good
kind of prophet. He was the bad kind of prophet because he was greedy and
sometimes used magic to go against God's will.
King Balak was
terrified when he realized that thousands upon thousands of Moses' Israelite
army was heading toward his country of Moab.
Why was King Balak so
scared? He heard that the God of Israel helped the Israelites win the fight
with the Amorites by sending down gigantic icy hailstones to crush the heads of
a bunch of them. God also allowed the sun to shine extra long so the Israelites
could see to kill many more of those Amorites.
That frightened king
decided, "I'd better send for Balaam, that prophet-for-hire. I will pay
him lots of money to curse the Israelite army for me. That way, I have a better
chance of beating the Israelites in a fight."
Greedy Balaam tried to
say no, but King Balak refused to take no for an answer. Finally, Balaam said:
BALAAM: Okay, I will saddle
up my donkey and set out on my way.
There was a huge
problem. God was angry with Balaam for agreeing to go. He sent an angel,
holding a sharp sword, to block Balaam's path.
Balaam could not see
the angel, but his female donkey could.
To avoid the angel
killing Balaam, the donkey ran from the road into the field. Balaam beat her.
When she saw the angel
blocking the way between two stone walls, she tried to squeeze by and
accidentally crushed Balaam's foot. Balaam beat her again.
When she saw the angel
blocking a narrow path, she lay down and refused to get up, even though Balaam
beat her a third time.
Suddenly, God allowed
that female donkey to speak out loud. She said:
DONKEY: Balaam,
Hee-haw, what have I done to you that deserves you beating me 3 times?
BALAAM: You have
made me look like a fool! If I had a sword, I would kill you!"
DONKEY: But I am the
same donkey you have ridden all your life. Have I ever done anything like this
before?
BALAAM: No, you have
not.
At that moment, God opened up Balaam's eyes. When he saw that angel
holding a very sharp sword, he fell to the ground in fear.
ANGEL OF THE LORD: Balaam, why did you beat your donkey 3 times? Look! I have come to
block your way. If your donkey hadn't protected you, you would be dead right
now.
BALAAM: Oh, Angel of
the Lord, I have sinned. I didn't realize you were there, blocking my path. I
will return home if you are against me going.
ANGEL OF THE LORD: Go with these men. But you are ONLY to say what I tell you to say.
When Balaam reached the country of Moab, King Balak impatiently said,
"Balaam! I need you to curse the Israelite army for me so I have a
better chance to beat them in a fight and drive them away from my land."
Balaam said:
BALAAM: King Balak,
even if you offer me a palace full of silver and gold, I can only speak the
message that God puts in my mouth.
Three times, Balaam told King Balak to build 7 altars. While he
sacrificed a young bull and ram on each altar, Balaam would go to a lone hill
to speak to God.
Each time, Balaam felt forced to bless the Israelite army rather than
curse them. King Balak yelled:
BALAK: Balaam, I
called you to curse my enemies! Instead, you have blessed them three times. Now
get out of here! Go back home! I promised to reward you richly, but the Lord
has kept you from your reward.
Before returning home,
Balaam prophesied that the future Messiah would be born to the Israelite
people.
Question: Who was the Messiah?
Answer: Jesus
Question: here is only one other Bible story with a talking animal. What was that animal?
Answer: Snake aka Serpent
Question: Who did that animal talk to?
Answer: Eve and Adam
Question: What was the name of the garden where Eve and Adam originally lived?
Answer: Garden of Eden
Question: Are there any questions or comments?
Please note: These are Bible stories we use with the girls at our Wednesday night Youth Outreach program sponsored by West Highland Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. The pastor uses his own material when working with the boys. I also use these Bible stories with the Youth Sunday School class I co-teach.
Please note: These are Bible stories we use with the girls at our Wednesday night Youth Outreach program sponsored by West Highland Baptist Church in Athens, Alabama. The pastor uses his own material when working with the boys. I also use these Bible stories with the Youth Sunday School class I co-teach.
Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:
Free PDF download of Balaam and the Talking Donkey.
Do you want more stories about Moses and the Children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years? If so, visit the MOSES chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.
Click here to get more stories about Moses.
My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about
- Creation, Adam, & his Descendants
- Noah, the Ark, & the Flood
- Abraham & Sarah
- Isaac & Rebekah, Esau & Jacob
- Jacob & his 4 wives
- 12 sons of Jacob who became known as the 12 Tribes of Israel
- Moses who was from the line of Levi
- Joshua who became leader of Israelites after death of Moses
- 12 Judges of Israel including Deborah, Gideon, & Samson
- Kings of Israel including Saul, David, & Solomon
- 4 Major Prophets of Israel: Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
- 12 Minor Prophets of Israel
- More Prophets of Israel: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, & Elisha
- Women from Old & New Testament
- Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Lord, Savior, & King of king
- 12 Disciples of Jesus
- Apostle Paul & other Significant Followers of Christ
- Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
- The Free Gift of Salvation & The Sinner's Prayer
- About Website: Explore Bible Story.org
- About the author: Debbie Dunn
