"Listen To Your Ass"

Numbers 22: 21-35
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again. Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she 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 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. The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her." Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back." The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.


I’m sure this title made you think I was losing my mind, let me assure you that I'm not, just wanted to get your attention. In today’s blog I want to talk about being a leader that listens. Just like Balaam all of us have been down a road that was leading us in the wrong direction, it’s critical that we don’t become so blind that we fail to see that God is using those around us to get our attention. We have to be open to the fact, that God can use anyone and anything to get our attention.

In this story God choose to loose the tongue of a donkey. As leaders sometimes we think we can’t hear from anyone under us, but this story should put that mindset to rest, especially when your life is depending on it. The angel said in verse 33 if the donkey had not turned away Balaam would have been killed. This is why we have to be sensitive to Gods warnings signs.

Woodrow Wilson is quoted saying "The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people." Great leaders listen more then they speak. Today’s blog is designed to help you to examine those under you and also help you realize that God can use anyone to speak a Word. So the next time you are going down the wrong road and you can’t seem to see what’s ahead of you do like Balaam and LISTEN TO YOUR ASS ;-)

Peter also quoted from this story in 2 Peter 2:16
But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey, a beast without speech, who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

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