The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day?

Numbers 22:21-38

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 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, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it 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 only 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?”

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 Balak’s officials.

Why?

The Lord let Balaam go with the Moabites officials, for the Lord has arranged the angel on the way and let the donkey say to Balaam and warn Balaam.

The donkey is doing good to her master Balaam, but Balaam does not know and beats her three times. Sometimes we don't know our friends or angels of the Lord make some trouble to us to remind us don't do the sins. But we did not know it is good to us.

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驢三次看見，對應巴蘭卻沒有看見，巴蘭只看到滿屋的金銀，因此神任他看不見，反而驢子看見。眼睛昏暗當然就看不見，這不是服事神而是服事瑪門。驢子順服神，巴蘭還是不明白。

神讓巴蘭去，但是又隔天攔阻他。似乎矛盾，神任由人執意走自己的路。

任何的神秘經歷，我們可能不曉得，卻無時無刻，神都在保護我們。

很多時間不順利，其實神要救我們。驢子為了閃躲天使，以免被殺，其實在保護巴蘭。巴蘭並不知道。驢子的倔強脾氣、在艱難中展現毅力，溫柔中有倔強脾氣，困難中還是要過去，因此前面有攔阻就會改變行進路徑，巴蘭卻不知道要改變，依然抱著一絲希望，想要改變神。因'此人剛硬的心有時候連動物都不如。

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How?

Listen to the word of the Lord and do not add any personal mind to it. For the word of the Lord is perfect to his people.