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    Strugggling for survival?

    Watching others struggle and not sure how to help?

    Then READ ON . . .

    This extract is taken from 'How to Survive in the Pharisee Church'  chapter 25, pages 229-
    231

    The chapter is titled 'Listening to Donkeys'

                             THE BALAAM PRINCIPLE

    They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who
    loved the wages of doing wrong, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke
    with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

       There are few stories in the Old Testament quite as charming as that of Balaam and his
    donkey.  In the story, God places an invisible angel with drawn sword across Balaam’s path to
    prevent the prophet and his donkey from making a journey that God has forbidden. Three
    times the donkey refuses to cross the angel, and in so doing, three times saves the unwitting
    prophet from certain death. Finally, God opens the mouth of the donkey to speak in human
    language. Balaam’s eyes are opened to see the angel and the nature of the imminent danger,
    and Balaam is forced to bow to God’s rebuke from the mouth of his own animal.

       There’s a serious lesson for us in this story, which is that God can speak through anyone.
    Balaam was a spiritual leader of high repute. He had a high opinion of himself and of his own
    spiritual gifts, and as a prophet he naturally expected to be God’s spokesman to others. God
    decided differently.

       In terms of absolute spiritual gifting and depth of knowledge, Balaam was clearly way ahead
    of the donkey. But God, who is no respecter of persons, was not impressed by Balaam’s office
    and didn't see him as deserving of special treatment. To bring him down to earth and deflate
    his foolish pride, God looked around for the most menial, insignificant messenger he could find,
    and he chose the donkey.

       God is not limited to using those with greater knowledge, experience, and status to teach
    those with less. He can, and often does, reverse the roles.

       For those who identify with the self-styled spiritual leader Balaam, the message is: Listen to
    everyone, no matter how menial or inexperienced they may seem to you. You never know who
    might be the next donkey in your life, sent by God as a bearer of wisdom to keep you on track.
    For those who identify more with the donkey, the message is: You may lack experience,
    wisdom, or natural talent, but it doesn’t matter. God can still use you as his chosen instrument
    to speak his word to those older and more experienced. Be ready for it, and don’t be surprised
    or resist it if it happens. It may even involve wisdom beyond your natural capabilities. Balaam
    knew a lot more about angels than the donkey, who probably knew nothing at all; but that didn’t
    stop God from providing the donkey with a single, blinding flash of supernatural wisdom to set
    his master straight.

       We may feel, like the donkey, that we are condemned to be instruments in the execution of
    other people’s plans and agendas forever. This is not at all what God wants for us. If that’s how
    we see it, we need a thorough reordering of our own self-image as well as of our God-image.
    This can take time and patience. As we navigate this process, it can be useful to remind
    ourselves occasionally of the story of Balaam.

       There’s a final lesson, or warning, here. When we critically appraise the leaders in our
    churches, we need to ask ourselves the question, “Where do they stand on the Balaam scale?”
    A true spiritual leader will always have an eye open for the donkey in his life. He won’t limit God,
    and he will always keep himself open to hear the opinions of those younger and less
    experienced than himself. He should be happy to have God rebuke or correct him through such
    a one.

       Many leaders will not pass this test. These are men in whom the character of God is
    improperly formed. Their sensibility of their own status makes them incapable of seeing a
    donkey as anything other than a convenient means of transport. We need to be wary of such
    men. It doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily in the wrong place or position—God has room for
    imperfect men at every level. It does, however, mean that many of their responses will be
    determined by fleshly rather than spiritual considerations, and so we need to treat them with
    caution.

       Hierarchy is deeply ingrained in the church, and we will probably be taught that God wants it
    that way. We may be told that it’s wrong to question, to express opinions, or to follow God’s
    leading in our lives without approval from above. It’s lucky that Balaam’s donkey didn’t think that
    way and didn’t feel the need to ask Balaam’s permission before opening his mouth—otherwise
    history might have turned out differently.

       The story of Balaam and his donkey is a warning against excessive pride and willfulness, and
    a warning against excessive or inappropriate humility. We should never put a limit on what God
    can do through us—to do so is to insult him. I may have a low opinion of myself, but I can hardly
    go any lower than Balaam’s donkey, and I should never use my own human limitations as an
    excuse for limiting what God can do through me.

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