Why Does God Allow Roadblocks?
As we wrap up the Book of Numbers, I couldn’t get past the talking donkey in Numbers 22.
But for me, the story of Balaam and his donkey has never been about a donkey that miraculously speaks. It is more about the holy roadblock that Balaam encountered on the road to Moab.
Setting the scene, the Israelites, led by Moses, are camping on the boundary of Moab, and the King of Moab, Balak, is terrified. In an effort to deter the looming threat, Balak resorts to hiring a nearby soothsayer, Balaam, to issue a curse on the Israelites. Before Balaam follows through with the job, he tells Balak he wants to make sure the God of the Israelites is in favor of this cursing.
At first the LORD tells Balaam he can’t go to Moab, but then he changes his mind. However, there is one stipulation. Balaam must do and say only what God tells him to do and say. So Balaam has a godly green light, and heads toward Moab on his trusty donkey.
Along the way, there are three heavenly roadblocks, as the Angel of the Lord, with drawn sword, stands in the middle of the road. The first two times, only the donkey sees the holy being, believed to be a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, and Balaam’s donkey acts up, infuriating Balaam.
“When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam and he was angry and beat it with his staff. Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam. ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey. ‘You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand. I would kill you right now.’ The donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your own donkey which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?’ ‘No,’ he said. Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.”
I don’t know why, but I can accept that God spoke through a donkey, but my question is, “Why would God tell Balaam to go to Moab, then set up three holy roadblocks to stop him?” Here are three reasons I came up with:
- God knew Balaam had a divided heart. The king of Moab offered Balaam lots of money to curse Israel, and it was a temptation to Balaam. While Balaam was doing the right thing, the LORD knew Balaam had the potential to waver. He wanted to make sure that he followed through with his assignment to only do and say what God told him to do and say. Many times, we might experience roadblocks that God will supernaturally move, so that we never question his direction in our lives.
- This was not about Balaam and his powers. This was about God and his power. Balaam was well known in the area as a powerful soothsayer. He probably had a bag of tricks that deified him in some ways. God wanted to make sure Balaam knew who was in charge.
- God gave Balaam a supernatural experience he would not have had otherwise. Balaam had the original “Damascus Road” experience. He met Jesus face-to-face. Many times in our lives, we go through trials, and we wonder where God is in the difficulty. We feel he has abandoned us, but at some point, we have that “aha” moment, our eyes are opened, and there is Jesus, smack in the middle of our situation. If we never had trials, we would never experience supernatural roadside assistance.
When Balaam finally made it to Moab, the King of Moab anxiously waited for him on the edge of the territory. But to his dismay, when Balaam opened his mouth, there were no curses flowing forth, only blessings about the Israelites, and about the eventual demise of the Moabites. The words did not belong to Balaam. Just as God spoke through Balaam’s donkey, he was now speaking through Balaam, and Balak was the witness.
This is what I’ve learned. Roadblocks do not always mean “do not proceed.”
Roadblocks are often used by God to get our attention or to teach us a lesson.
He desires for us to see his Son in the middle of the roadblock.
He wants to demonstrate his glory when the roadblock is removed.
However, if through breakthrough prayer, the roadblock is not taken away, then it’s time to head a different direction.
Are you facing roadblocks in your life?
Are they confusing because you thought you were headed the right direction? Then ask God why he’s blocking you. Open your eyes to see the LORD in the middle of your situation, and pray he removes any obstacle in your path.
Give the journey over to God.
It may be that he wants to make sure you know who is in the lead.