I don’t enjoy freaking out “Gail Google.” You know who I mean. That earnest woman who directs you when you drive using google maps. When you pull into a gas station or convenience store, or realize you have not been following her directions, with a politely worried voice, she says, “proceed to the route,” or “rerouting”, not, “What is wrong with you, you doddering idiot?”
And in the Hebrew Bible book of Numbers, Balaam’s donkey tries to do the same non-verbally at first. When Balaam, reputedly a diviner capable of casting a curse on people, appears to obey God by going with the Moabite king to curse Israel (also for a huge amount of $), it appears that he’s simply riding his donkey obediently, following the Old Testament version of google maps. But as he is riding down the road, the donkey inexplicably turns aside into a field. As it turns out, the donkey sees “the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand.” Apparently Balaam doesn’t see it, and in anger, Balaam beats the donkey back onto the road.
Shortly thereafter, as Balaam is riding down a walled path through a vineyard, the donkey turns into the wall, crushing one of Balaam’s feet. Yup, there’s that angel again with the sword directly in front of them on the path, but Balaam doesn’t see it or refuses to, so again he beats the donkey.
And this happens a third time, and this time there is nowhere to turn. The sword wielding angel stands in a kind of alleyway or ditch with no detour option. The donkey beholds the angel and in terror, simply lies down. Predictably, the spiritually blind Balaam beats the donkey with his staff. And since the angelic appearances don’t seem to get Balaam to take an offramp or do a U-turn, God turns the donkey into a prophet, who addresses Balaam this way: “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
And apparently assuming this is part of normal discourse, Balaam answers; “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand I would kill you right now!” (BTW, I have never threatened Gail Google in this way). And since no one (including the angel) is asking the donkey about his miraculous new gift of speech, the donkey makes its case: “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?” And with this reminder of the donkey’s excellent job performance, Balaam simply answers “No.” And at that moment, Balaam sees the angel who warns him that his way is “reckless,” and that, had it not been for his donkey, the angel would have killed him, to which Balaam answers, “I have sinned.”
The angel then instructs him in altering his course, not geographically, but spiritually. And the correction amounts to this; don’t say what the political powers that be tell you to say for a bribe. Don’t curse the people for a huge payoff. Speak my blessing on the people and thwart those in power.
I’m a slow learner and a late bloomer (to quote the great Canadian songwriter Ron Sexsmith), and I have often needed my “donkey” to scrape my feet against a wall dozens of times, but most of the time I eventually see “the angel” and turn. Perhaps you have a similar sense of somewhat clouded spiritual vision which suddenly clears. But right now, there are dozens of U.S. Congressmen and Congresswomen, Cabinet members and judges that have refused to take the warning from their “better angels,” refused to take dozens and dozens of offramps. They have cursed the American people and participated literally in the unnecessary deaths of many here and abroad. And there is a point at which both Gail Google ceases to speak and the angel becomes all too visible.