Readings for today: Numbers 21-24
When I first became a Christian, I started eating at a little pit BBQ place in Boulder. It was owned and operated by an amazing man named Bruce. Bruce was the son of the famous “Daddy Bruce” who served the homeless of Denver for so many years, making sure they got a full Thanksgiving dinner. Bruce Jr. was cut from the same cloth as his father. He not only served the homeless of Boulder well, he also was a strong believer in Jesus Christ. I don’t know that I’ve ever met someone quite like him. He literally could quote you chapter and verse from the whole Bible. He would quiz me every time I came in before he would make me any food. He would tell the best stories about how God had worked in his life. One day, he was sharing with me his frustrations with how biblically illiterate Christians tend to be. He was a black Baptist preacher and could preach with the best of them. I still remember the crescendo of his sermon that day...“Doug, when I’m in need, don’t you give me Footprints in the Sand! I don’t need no Prayer of Serenity! Tell me about the donkey that spoke! Now that’s in the Bible!” I still chuckle every time I think of it!
Today we read a story about a pagan fortune-teller named Balaam and his donkey. To set the scene, Israel is marching towards the Promised Land. God is fulfilling His promise to Abraham. But taking the Promised Land won’t be easy. The land is already occupied. There are forces arrayed against them along the way. Nations and tribes and cities whom they will have to fight in order to claim the promise as their own. Arad. Amorites. Bashan. All fall before Israel. All are put to the sword. Now it’s Moab’s turn. One can almost imagine living in Moab in those days, receiving word of a new superpower rising from slavery, defeating the Egyptians, overrunning all who oppose them. Fear and trembling seize the Moabites. And Balak, their king, sends for Balaam. His hope is that Balaam will use his magic to put a curse on Israel, weakening them so they can be defeated. Balaam refuses to come at first but eventually relents under the pressure and promises Balak sends his way. So he mounts his donkey and begins his journey. It’s not long before the donkey freezes in its tracks. It can see the angel of the Lord blocking their path. Balaam, in his blindness both physically and spiritually, is unaware. God opens the mouth of the donkey and speaks to Balaam. The net result of all this is that Balaam will indeed go to Balak but will only speak blessings over Israel.
So what are we to make of these things? Magic? Fortune-telling? Donkeys that speak? The point is that God uses all things to accomplish His purposes, including our pagan superstitions. Remember when Jacob peeled poplar and almond trees in order to breed a specific kind of goat and sheep in Genesis? Does anyone actually believe the power was in the trees? What about the bronze serpent on the pole? Is it really the talisman that saved Israel from the poisonous snakes that were killing them? Think about the superstitions we live with today. The “invisible hand” of Adam Smith from his famous book, Wealth of Nations. The notion that democracy is transcultural and can be universally applied. The idea that we can choose to reject scientific realities like the laws of physics or biology. The truth of the matter is we too believe in magic. We too believe in myths. They may be couched in more sophisticated language or political, economic, and social theory but they are fairy tales nonetheless.
So what’s a Christian to do? We have to push past our superstitions and look to God. We have to push past the “bronze serpents” we create and stop looking to “fortune-tellers” to show us the way. We have to dig deep into God’s Word. We must fix our eyes on Jesus.
Readings for tomorrow: Numbers 25-28