new church life: september/october 2016
the angel who stood in the path with his sword drawn.
Can you imagine how that must have felt? There is a message here: This
donkey was looking out for Balaam, recognized the danger ahead, and made
immediate changes to ensure his safety. When the danger became apparent to
Balaam, he was overcome at the sight, and threw himself on the ground before
the angel, who then spoke these words:
Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to
stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and
turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely
I would also have killed you by now, and let her live. (Ibid. 22:32)
The angel was there because Balaam’s way was perverse before the Lord.
Why? What did he do to provoke such anger? This story could be lost on us,
and we’d be left to speculate. Thankfully, the Lord has revealed information in
the Heavenly Doctrines, which makes this story significant and personal.
According to the Writings for the New Church, the Lord’s anger towards
Balaam was not unjustified or out of place and it should not have come as
a surprise to Balaam. Apocalypse Explained 140 reveals the missing piece of
the puzzle: “When Balaam rode upon the donkey, he continually meditated
enchantments against the sons of Israel; the riches with which he should be
honored were in his mind.”
There it is! The missing piece! The Lord’s anger was aroused against the
sorcerer because immediately as he set out on his journey, Balaam started
rehearsing the very curses he was going to use against Israel, even though the
Lord told him very clearly: “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the
people, for they are blessed.” This is why the Lord sent the angel to block him.
These details help to understand the significance of what is going on in
this story in the literal sense, which has application to who we are in our spirits
and how we grow. In the story, there is a tension between what Balaam knows
is right, and what he actually wants to do. To put it another way, there is a
struggl e between his head and his heart. His head says “obey the Lord” and
yet his heart is so set on riches that he rehearses spells against Israel in direct
defiance of the Lord. Thankfully, Balaam had his donkey to keep him safe.
That’s what we’re seeing here. This scene depicts the inner workings of an
individual who is struggling in temptation. Balaam himself stands in for the
will part, or the desire of a person, and the donkey stands in for the intellectual
part, or the understanding of a person. If we look at it this way, then the story
is incredibly relevant to our experience of life.
The Lord designed the will of a person with the intention that it should
do good things, and He designed the understanding of a person so that it will
receive truth to shape and direct the goodness of the will. In a sense, the will,
which is the driver, rides the understanding, which is the donkey.
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