If you are familiar with the story of Exodus (the Biblical version, not any of the incorrect Hollywood versions), you know at least one angel was always with the group of Israelites after the escaped slavery in Egypt. As I have mentioned in both parts 1 and 2 of this series, I am not going into great detail on specific stories, nor list every instance where angels are mentioned, just focusing on reminding us of the times angels were used in the Bible, and also trying to relate to how angels are still vital to us today. Therefore, to say that my mention of the powerful story of Moses will be very brief is an understatement.
Often in the book of Exodus, it is revealed to Moses that at "an angel" has been sent "before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." (Exodus 23:30). An angel is continually either before them to prepare the way, or behind them to keep them safe, or both. To those who acknowledge God and serve Him, we can know that God may send His angels before and after us for protection. That does not mean bad things will never happen as we have a free will and often go outside the plans of God and what He has "prepared" for us, and therefore are out of His protection, just as with the Israelites during the time of Moses. They often rebelled and refused to obey His instructions, and God allowed death, disease, and captivity to happen. I always say you cannot jump off a cliff and expect God's angels to keep you safe. God is very gracious to look after us, but we must use good morals combined with wisdom and also be proactive in keeping ourselves and others out of danger.
Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, we read about angels bringing God's messages of warnings of what will happen if those listening refuse to obey God. One such instance is when an angel is not sent to a group of people, but to one individual, Balaam.
In Numbers 22, Balaam is commissioned by King Balak to curse the Israelites because Balak is afraid of the large number of Israelites. Balaam is involved in the evil sin of enchantments. Make no mistake, the entire Bible repeatedly says Gd hates witchcraft and those who practice it will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The king of the Moabites says to Balaam, "he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed." (Numbers 22:6). King Balak promises Balaam he "will promote [Balaam] unto very great honour, and will do whatsoever thou sayest." (verse 17).
Balaam agrees to curse the Israelites. However, God is very angry with Balaam and sends an angel to fight against him. The interesting twist in this true story is that Balaam cannot see the angel when it appears in verse 23, but his donkey can. Three different times, the donkey sees the angel armed with a drawn sword standing in the pathway. The donkey is so afraid she first turns off the path into a field, then crushes Balaam's foot into the wall, and the third time, falls down. Each time, Balaam strikes the poor animal. After the third instance, God opens the mouth of the donkey. In verse 28, she asks "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?" Strange enough, the Bible never says that Balaam was shocked that his donkey spoke to him. He simply tells the donkey he would kill her if he had a sword. After the donkey reminds Balaam that she has always been a faithful animal, God then allows Balaam to see the angel. Balaam is wise enough to show awe and humility at the sight and falls on his face.
The angel also asks Balaam why he beat the donkey and tells him that if not for her, Balaam would have been killed by the angel, and the donkey spared. The angel then tells Balaam he must not curse the Israelites but can only say what the Lord has instructed Balaam to say.
Of course, King Balak is furious and tries very hard to convince Balaam to still say his curses, but in Numbers 23:8 Balaam says, "How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?" We see signs of a changed man.
The king continues on in trying to coerce Balaam, but he continues to refuse. I love what he says in Numbers 23:19-20, "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it." Those few words in verse 19 should be remembered by us every day. When we are discouraged, remember God will never lie. When we are confused or angry with God, remember God never has need to repent, we are the ones who should be repenting of our callus and rebellious actions.
When we get to chapter 24, we see that indeed Balaam has changed and even given up his evil witchcraft. "And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went NOT... to seek for enchantments..." (Numbers 24:1). Only then did "the spirit of God [come] upon him." (verse 2). Repentance and giving up our habitual sins are the keys for all of us.
Balaam then issues a blessing for the people of Israel, and King Balak reminds him that had he cursed the people, he would have been rich and powerful. But Balaam replies with, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak." (verse 13). May we always be so bold in our convictions to do the Lord's will and not be tempted by worldly treasures.
The angel was used by God to protect the Israelites from a Satanic curse. He could have killed Balaam, but due to the donkey seeing the angel, Balaam was allowed to live. I truly believe that on occasion some (not all) animals see angels and demons. God most likely will not use an animal to speak to us, but animals can still be used in either supernatural ways or simply from the natural instincts God gave them to protect us. We need to pay attention to all warning signs around us, and as said above, stay within the will of God and obey the Bible if we are to stay within His protection.
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