Numbers 22:21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him" ..... 23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. 24 But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. 25 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
These verses of scripture describe for us very graphically the providences of God being manifested to show Balaam that his course of action was not approved of heaven, even though he continued to kick against the pricks of conscience, in the face of more and more evidence. The fact that God had appeared to him in a dream and told him directly that he should not go with the emissaries of Balak should have been sufficient evidence to deter him form his nefarious designs, but his determination to profit from a planned curse, almost drove him to insanity, as manifested in the following verses. Let's read:
Numbers 22:26 And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. 28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? 29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
When a person has deteriorated to to the level of arguing with a donkey, without realizing what's going on, then we may be sure that they have no real interest in knowing God's will, but are bent on following their own imaginations, which ultimately leads to their destruction, as was the case with Balaam. There are times in our experience with the Lord when we pray to Him for guidance on certain matters, but it is sometimes the case that what we are really seeking for is His agreement on the issue, instead of asking objectively for an answer, which can be yes, no, or wait. In the instance of Balaam he had not only been given a personal revelation from God, but also the host of negatives stacked up against him for no apparent reason, should have appealed to his conscience, and turned him from what he well knew was wrong.
In our day there are many who claim to be searching for answers from God, but our attitude and motives actually decide whether or not we are willing to receive an objective answer, without any bias on our part. It is all well and good to have preferences in answers, for God has given us intelligence to reason and think, however we must also be humble and open enough, to be willing to hear and obey God's voice through His providential working, as He guides us with discretion in the ways of His choosing. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to submit ourselves and our plans to God, so that His will alone may be accomplished in our lives. Let's read:
Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!