Balaam and the Donkey Who Saw First

The Donkey Who Would Not Go

Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and set out on a journey with two servants.

But God’s anger was kindled because he went. And the angel of the Lord placed himself in the road ahead, as an adversary against him.

Here is the strange part. Balaam could not see the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn. But the donkey could.

The donkey saw the angel and turned out of the path, into the field. Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.

The donkey keeps seeing something on the road that Balaam cannot see at all. So she does what any donkey would do: she stops, and turns, and will not go that way.

Balaam does not know why. What do you think is on the road?

Turn the page and find out, just like Balaam did.

The angel stood in a narrow path between vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. The donkey saw the angel and pushed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it.

Balaam struck her again.

Then the angel went further and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn right or left. The donkey saw the angel, and she lay down under Balaam.

Balaam’s anger blazed, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

Three times the donkey has seen something on the road and refused to go. Three times Balaam has beaten her.

If you were that donkey, how would you feel? What would you want to say?

Something is about to happen that almost never happens. Turn the page.

The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Balaam answered the donkey, "Because you have mocked me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would have killed you."

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long until today? Was I ever in the habit of doing so to you?"

He said, "No."

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his sword drawn. And Balaam bowed his head and fell on his face.

The angel said, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is reckless before me. The donkey saw me and turned away before me these three times. Unless she had turned away, surely I would have killed you by now, and saved her alive."

How to Talk About This Story With Your Child

This is one of the strangest stories in the Bible, and children often love it for exactly that reason. A talking donkey is not something you meet every day, and it is all right to let the strangeness be the point.

The story is not really about a clever donkey. It is about a man who could not see the danger right in front of him, while his donkey could. The animal who was supposed to be the least clever one understood what was going on.

The chapter is light for a child if you keep it playful: the donkey stops, the man gets annoyed, the donkey finally says something, and then the man finally opens his eyes.

You do not have to draw a big lesson out of it. The surprise of who saw first is enough.

Pray Together

You do not have to use these exact words. You can tell God what you think about the story in your own words. Or you can pray this together:

Thank You, God, for the story of Balaam and his donkey. Thank You for the surprising ways You watch over us, and for the people who help us see what we cannot see by ourselves. Help us pay attention. Amen.

Balaam set out on the road, and God’s angel stood in the way with his sword drawn. Balaam could not see him.

Three times the donkey saw the angel and stopped. Three times Balaam beat her. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked her rider why he kept striking her.

When Balaam’s eyes were opened, he saw the angel too, and he bowed down. The one who saw first was the donkey.

More Bible Stories to Read Together