In Numbers 22, YHWH tells Balaam that he should go with the Moabite leaders. Balaam obeys, leaving the next morning on his donkey. But YHWH quickly becomes angry that Balaam is going. This seems a little odd, why is YHWH ok with it, then angry the next day? One possible answer can be found in the story of Numbers 22.
As they are traveling, the donkey sees the angel of the Lord three times, and three times Balaam misses it. Three times the donkey steps aside, and three times Balaam gets angry at the donkey for not doing its job. Notice that Balaam is not by himself, or with only his servants, he is with the leaders of Moab. So the Moabite authorities are watching this series of events.
Now you have to wonder what this looked like to the leaders of Moab traveling along with Balaam. They were probably making jokes about what a moron this guy was and why Balak wants him. That is, until they heard his donkey start talking and saw the angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand. Apparently God had found something “contrary†in Balaam’s way, and this was the reason for YHWH’s anger at Balaam’s trip. While we don’t know precisely what provoked that anger, Balaam’s sudden inability to recognize the Lord is indicative of some effect of being with the Moabite companions. Balaam is hoofing it to meet Balak, and he’s doing so with the elite of the Moabites, at the Moabite King’s request. Suddenly he finds himself confronted by a talking donkey and an angel with a sword. Never mind the blind prophet ironies at this point, God thought it was necessary to utterly humiliate and nearly annihilate Balaam in front of the Moabite princes just to tell him “speak only the word which I tell you,†which He had already told Balaam in verse 20. This draws our attention to speaking only the word of the Lord.
There are many times when we find our presence being requested by Moabite princes. They want our approval, our help, our time. If we are living right, we will acquire good reputations for different gifts and skills. Sooner or later, someone who’s fighting the Church will want those gifts to aid their campaign. These people will be powerful. They will be famous. They will also be sneaky and used to trickery. They might be clients, governments, colleges, or even neighbors. The lesson of Balaam is this: do not forget that we are to speak only the words God puts in our mouths. His glory and fame, not Moabite approval, is what we are after. And this is much bigger than just our own sanctification and personal salvation; making sure than God’s words alone are in our hearts and on our lips protects the rest of the Church. Again learn from Balaam: God guards His people and will strike us down if we proceed in such a way that harms them.