What do we know about donkeys? Wikipedia tells us that donkeys are 1) known for their stubborness; 2) are used a lot in lower-income countries as pack animals; and 3) that some people have miniature donkeys for pets.
In the 80’s there was an arcade game named Donkey Kong.
The donkey is the symbol of the Democrat political party.
We have probably all played “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” at some time in our lives by being blind folded and spinning around and placing the “taped tail” several inches from its proper location!
There are a lot of uses – both real and fiction – for donkeys.
In the Bible, there are hundreds of references of donkeys. But one of the most interesting stories I have read in the Bible was the “Talking Donkey” found in Numbers 22:21-41.
Background to the story: Balak, a Moabite, was fearful of the Israelites when they were traveling through Moab. He sent for Balaam to come and put a curse on the Israelites. God told Balaam not to go because the Israelites were blessed people. Balak did not give up and sent princes to get Balaam. God gave in and told Balaam to go on with these people but to only do what He said. Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and left to go to meet Balak, and God became angry.
He placed an angel of the Lord in the road to oppose him three different times. Only the donkey could see the angel with the sword, so it first turned off the road into a field. The next time it saw the angel, it pressed close to the wall to avoid the angel as it passed by but crushed Balaam’s foot. The third time the angel with the sword appeared, the donkey layed down. Balaam beat the donkey with a staff each time and on the third time, the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth and it spoke to Balaam!!!
The donkey spoke: “What have I done to you to make you beat me three times?” Balaam said, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey responded, “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?” Balaam answered, ” No.”
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord and bowed down. The angel scolded Balaam for beating his donkey and explained that the donkey was just protecting Balaam because if it would not have turned away each time it saw the angel with the sword, the Lord would surely have killed Balaam.
How many times do we get angry because things don’t go our way? Our “donkey” (vehicle) breaks down at the most inopportune time. We get stuck in traffic and get impatient. We have to wait on the elevator. The drive-thru line at the bank is too long. There aren’t enough check-outs open at the local market. We hit every stoplight red on the way to work.
The next time these things happen, think before you get angry. Thank God for the intervention. Maybe God has given you a “dynamic donkey” to protect you. Stranger things have happened. It could be a Talking Dynamic Donkey.
