Balaam's donkey

Since all the Bible is the story of the evolution of our consciousness, and everything and everyone in the Bible can be interpreted as some aspect of our consciousness or state of mind—what might the donkey in Balaam's story represent?

Here is a summary of the story concerning the donkey from a couple of Bible dictionaries:



Balak sought a strategy other than battle to stop Moses. He decided to use a prophet to curse Israel. Balaam was chosen; Balak sent his messengers with fees to secure Balaam’s services. Balaam asked God’s permission to curse Israel. Permission was refused, but Balaam journeyed to confer further with Balak. On this journey Balaam’s donkey talked with him as he traveled a narrow trail (Num. 22:21-30; 2 Pet. 2:16). Here Balaam clearly understood that an angel’s drawn sword enforced his obedience to speak only God’s message to Balak. Later in four vivid messages Balaam insisted that God would bless Israel (Num. 23–24).

On the trail, Balaam could not see the angel with a sword barring his way and threatening to kill him, but the donkey could, and kept turning aside.

The Donkey and the Angel. This is a hilarious put-down of Balaam’s pretensions. The international expert on magic cannot see the angel, but his donkey can. and the angel upbraids him for his temper and cruelty. The whole episode reinforces the message that Balaam must "speak only the word that I tell you" (v. 35).

Angels, according to The Revealing Word, represent "A messenger of God; the projection into consciousness of a spiritual idea direct from the Fountainhead, Jehovah." Balaam can't see the angel but the donkey can. So I would say that the donkey represents the part of our consciousness that can and does hear God's Voice, God's message, while Balaam is our surface mind that thinks it knows God's will, or that takes its own ideas of what it wants to have happen and rationalizes it into God's Will when it really isn't.

I know there have been times in my life when I was pursuing a particular course of action, consciously convinced I was on the right path, while at the same time fighting against and suppressing a stubborn, inner sense that something was wrong. We need to listen to our inner donkey!