Study in the Epistle of Jude # 54: Verse 11

by Chris McCann

EBible Fellowship (http://www.ebiblefellowship.com)

Welcome to the Electronic Bible Fellowship’s Bible study. We are going through the book of Jude, and we have been directed from there to the book of Numbers, where we read about Balaam. We have been in Numbers 22 for a little while now, and we are at verse 23 where we see Balaam riding upon his donkey. Verse 23 says:

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.

We recognize that there is a spiritual picture here. As far as examining this historical occurrence that truly did happen, we realize that God gave this donkey spiritual eyes to see. Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord in the way, which is a reference to God Himself, but the donkey did. The donkey saw something spiritual. Now that is an incredible thing; it is so incredible, we might think that this could not have happened. Things like this, where animals see spiritual things, just do not happen in our everyday lives.

The only ones who truly do see spiritual things, since the time that the Bible has been completed, are true believers; they see with the eyes of faith. That is what this donkey is a picture of—the believers who see that when those in the churches are going their own way and following a gospel of works like Cain and following a gospel that is erroneous like Balaam, then they will end up being destroyed by God Himself; God will slay them. These types of gospels are traveling down the road that leads to destruction. 2 Peter 2 says that it is a pernicious way when one goes contrary to the truth of the Bible.

We see that God is already letting us know that there is something special about this donkey, historically. God did allow this animal to see something spiritual. This animal did not know what was happening; she just had a fear of the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His sword drawn, and she turned into a field, which spiritually represents the world (Matthew 13:38).

Likewise, the believers obey the command of God to go into all the world with the Gospel (Mark 16:15). This is the spiritual meaning of the donkey turning into the field, whereas on the other hand, Balaam is representative of those who are unsaved in the congregation who want to continue down the wrong path. These want to go their own way. They do not see the danger or the terror or the wrath of God waiting for them because they are spiritually blind. They cannot see these things; therefore, they do not like it when the donkey is leading the way. They do not want to go into the field; they would rather continue down the path that they have chosen.

This language indicates that there has been a constant battle in the churches and congregations of the world. The unsaved are pleased when they are going in the way that they want to go and when they are traveling down a path that leads to destruction; whereas on the other hand, when believers see this, they are terrified. They want to go the way that the Bible insists that they are to go in. They want to follow the Word of God in declaring the true Gospel to the world.

From time to time, the unsaved in the church can be led to carry out the mission that God has assigned them because they are, in a way, yoked together with the donkey. As the rider of the donkey, Balaam, they are joined together in a real sense with the donkey as they are riding down this road. As the donkey takes the lead and goes into the field, Balaam likewise is in the field.

That is the way it has been throughout history. The Gospel has been sent forth through missionaries and through churches and through the sowing of the true Word of God. Those who are unsaved somehow find themselves ministering the true Gospel for a period of time due to their situation—maybe due to being born into a true Gospel family. However, this will not continue; it cannot continue. They are distraught by this situation. They smite the ass to turn her into their way.

This smiting of the ass pictures the times throughout the Church Age when the unsaved in the churches would gain the upper hand. There were times when they would have men who would rise to positions of leadership and become deacons or elders or pastors who would begin to teach false doctrines and false gospels. This would smite the believers in the congregation; it would slay them spiritually, and they would be driven out of that particular church or denomination. It is as though they were spiritually killed, just as this word “smote” is used by God in many places in the Bible to indicate that someone has slain another—it is a very violent word that has to do with killing. Balaam, the unsaved, rise up from time to time and smite the ass, typifying the believers. Then once again, they are heading down the road that they want to travel.

We go on to read in Numbers 22:24:

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.

Once again, the Angel of the Lord is there. He has not retreated from His position, but it seems as though He has even advanced towards Balaam and towards destroying him. However, now there is a vineyard and there are walls on either side. What do these walls represent? In Ezra 9:7-9, it says:

Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

God is using language such as “grace hath been showed” and “God…hath extended mercy” in reference to giving the Jews a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. This wall has to do with the salvation message, the Gospel. It is the same idea and the same picture as when Nehemiah was building the wall and completed it in fifty-two days, even though the Hebrew word for “wall” in the book of Nehemiah is a different Hebrew word than the one used in Numbers 22 and Ezra 9. It is the same basic idea, though. The wall is pointing to God’s building plan. The wall is pointing to His salvation program whereby when He saves a person, that person becomes a living stone that is added unto the wall. In this manner, the Kingdom of God is being constructed. That is what the picture is in Numbers 22. There is a wall on this side and a wall on that side.

Then we read in Numbers 22:25:

And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD…

Once again, God is letting us know that this donkey has spiritual eyesight. She can see God Himself, and God is a Spirit (John 4:24). He is standing in the way that Balaam is traveling, and the donkey sees Him; she sees the Angel of the Lord. This is pointing to believers who through the eyes of faith and through the Word of God can see that when people begin to go astray from the truth of the Bible, they are going to end up in Hell. The donkey sees that the way the church is going is not proper or right but is destined to meet a terrible end in tragedy as the Angel of the Lord slays Balaam. What does the donkey do therefore? The verse continues

…she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

What does this mean? What is the point of this? Historically, we can see what happened. The donkey is once again given this vision. She can see something in front of her that is frightening her terribly, so she throws her body; the direction of the animal changes and goes towards the wall. As Balaam is riding this animal, his foot is to the side. As the donkey steers itself into the wall, Balaam’s foot is beginning to be crushed. The force of the animal is going against the wall, and this wall or hedge is not giving. Balaam finds himself in a place where he could be injured. He is being afflicted, and he quickly grabs his staff or his rod and he smites her again. He hits her very hard. This is the same word “smote,” that violent word that has to do with killing.

Balaam is being afflicted as the animal is going to the wall. We remember that the wall is picturing salvation. As the donkey is pressing herself against the wall, it is the same picture as when she went into the field. The true believers that she represents are busying themselves with the Gospel for the purpose of constructing the wall. They are concerned about the wall of God. They are concerned with getting the Gospel out. Yet, as they are coming into contact with the wall, it is a source of affliction for Balaam’s foot.

The “foot” in the Bible is something that God uses to speak of one’s will. We remember that God said, “If thy hand offend thee, cut it off. If thy foot offend thee, cut it off.” He is talking about the will of man that desires sin after sin and wants to go its own sinful way that leads to destruction and damnation. That is why Christ said, “If thy foot offend thee,” that is, if the will of your heart and the desire of your heart is offensive and is leading you down that road to Hell itself, it is better to “cut it off” (Mark 9:43-45). It is better to lose your own desire, your own will, and to be in submission to the will of God.

Here Balaam’s foot, his will, is being thrust against the wall, and he does not like it one bit. It is not pleasing to Balaam at all to once again be involved with the sending forth of the Gospel to the world, which will build up the wall of God, that spiritual wall that God is constructing. This idea can be seen in Proverbs 29:27, which says:

An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.

That is the struggle that we have going on between Balaam and his donkey. As Balaam is going down that path where he is sure to die at the hands of the Angel of the Lord and His sword, Balaam is as happy as can be. This is exactly what he wants to do. Everything in his body and his soul is in agreement that this is the way to go, even though he is going to curse Israel, which God has forbidden, and will be receiving money at the hands of Balak the king of Moab for it. God is not at all pleased with his actions to the point where God is ready to slay him.

Balaam is totally ignorant of this. He does not have eyes to see this, so he is happily traveling his path. Yet while Balaam is going down that road, the donkey is troubled. The donkey is grievously troubled because she can see what lies ahead. As we read, “An unjust man is an abomination to the just.” The donkey is now afflicted because it cannot bear to go any farther down this way, which is heading towards the judgment of God. Therefore, she turns again and again, first to the field and now to the wall. Once she turns to the wall, Balaam is the one who is afflicted and grieved and greatly troubled. Again as we read, “He that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.”

This is how God has designed the church—He has allowed the wheat and the tares to grow together (Matthew 13:25-30). Throughout the history of the church, there has been this constant struggle between those who are in the Spirit and those who are in the flesh. They are contrary the one to the other so that they cannot get along (Galatians 5:17). There is a constant struggle, each side thinking that it knows what is best. Of course, it is those who are in the Spirit, those who have become true children of God, who certainly know what is best. Whereas on the other hand, those who have never been saved but remain in the flesh think they know what is best. If, however, they continue down the way in which they are going, it will really be the worst thing imaginable for them.

We see that Balaam smites the donkey again. Now we come to Numbers 22:26, which says:

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.

Once again, as Balaam smote the donkey, he returned her to that path. Now the donkey is forced to continue going. Balaam is using all of his might and strength, every weapon at his disposal, to make sure the donkey will continue down the road with him. However, the Angel of the Lord has come closer and is now standing in a narrow place. The word “narrow” is found in Deuteronomy 4:30 where it is translated as “tribulation.” We read there:

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

This is a word that speaks of tribulation. The Angel of the Lord has come closer, and now He is in this place that is a place of tribulation. There is no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left; in other words, the donkey has no escape. The donkey cannot go to the field—there is no field there. The donkey cannot turn to the wall—there is no way to do that. The Angel of the Lord has forced a situation; He has brought to pass a situation in which Balaam and the donkey must come towards Him. There is no way they can go around Him. There is no way that the donkey can turn aside as it did previously.

We remember that when the donkey turned aside to the field, it was a picture of going into the world with the Gospel, and when the donkey turned aside the second time against the wall, that likewise was a picture of believers going into the world with the Gospel. Yet now the anger of God has come to such a point that He has advanced to a narrow place, to a place of tribulation, where there is nowhere for the donkey to turn.

This is indicating that, spiritually, God is now dealing with the time of Great Tribulation. In that time of Great Tribulation, the unsaved in the church, who are represented by Balaam, are certainly heading down this road that leads to destruction. Yet, they have been joined hand to hand with the believers in the church, as the rider with the donkey, as the wheat with the tares. They have been joined together and there has been no separation throughout the Church Age.

Therefore, there has been this struggle back and forth between going the right way and going the wrong way, and finally there is no way for the donkey to go. There is no avenue for the true believers to witness the Gospel any longer in the church. In other words, the picture of Balaam and his donkey coming to this narrow place where the Angel of the Lord is standing is really a picture of the end of the Church Age, where the testimony of the two witnesses is now finished (Revelation 11:7). The believers have no avenue; there is no way to bring the Gospel to the world as long as they are joined to Balaam, there is just no possibility.

God is the One who has arranged these things in His advance towards Balaam. He is the One who has set up this historical situation, just as He has set up the spiritual truth that will come to pass during the time of Great Tribulation. During the time of the Great Tribulation, there will no longer be the possibility of believers sending forth the Gospel into the world from the churches and congregations of the world.

Then we read in verse 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.

This is the third time that Balaam has smitten the ass, but this time the ass is not escaping. She simply falls down under Balaam as though she were dead, as though she were lying there. This reminds us of the two witnesses whom, after they have finished their testimony, Satan rises out of the bottomless pit and overcomes and kills them; after this, they are lying dead in the street for three and a half days. The donkey lying under the weight of Balaam as Balaam’s anger is kindled and as he smites her with a staff is most certainly pointing to this revelation of God in the book of Revelation, chapter 11.

In our next study, Lord willing, we will continue on in verse 27.