Crazy

THIS WEEK I've been learning more about the wisdom of God than I did last week. It would seem that His wisdom can be seen, more than anywhere else, in the things that seem absolutely crazy to us. While going through my Bible in a Year program I came across a funny story that I had heard is in the Bible somewhere. It's in Numbers 22. I never thought the book of Numbers would prove itself so interesting! It's a story about a talking donkey, which proves two things: First, that God is furiously protective of His people; and second, that He has a great sense of humor. To stop a man named Balaam from pronouncing a curse over Israel as a favor to his friend Balak, God appeared in his path. Balaam didn't notice Him there, but his loving donkey did. Three times along the road she objected to aproaching where the Angel of the Lord stood with His sword drawn, but Balaam repremanded her. v.28-31 "Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?' And Balaam said to the donkey, 'Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!' So the donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?' And he said, 'No.' Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face." God didn't want him to turn back home and forget his friend Balak. He used the talking donkey to make sure that once he got to Balak he would pronounce a blessing instead of a curse. v.35 "Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.' So Balaam went with the princes of Balak." If He hadn't spoken through the donkey, Israel would have been cursed and made subject to Balak, and Father God could not let that happen to His children. He had blessed them, so He could not allow them to be cursed. That was the people the Savior would be coming to. So in a funny way, God used a donkey in part of His big, beautiful salvation plan. He also proved, to put it plainly, that people can often be dumber than an ass! For me it also means that God has always been doing this. He often chooses what is not our first choice to show us that He knows best. He chose the make a tiny town, Bethlehem, at a plain place, a stable, as the birthplace of the Savior of the world. He would grow up in the backwoods part of Israel, Galilee, as a carpenter with little education. He doesn't choose to save only the rich and visible. He can make glory grow up out of the cracks in the sidewalk. He will speak through children and fools and donkeys to show us that nothing can hinder Him, and that His wisdom transcends ours completely. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 "Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their own craftiness.'" That assurance comes with a challenge to be satisfied in what His wisdom says is good for us. It's assuring and easy to say that God is wise until He asks us to depend on Him alone for life. Will we let His wisdom be an assurance to us when He asks us not to follow our own wisdom? A few chapters before the episode with the donkey, the children of Israel are wandering around the wilderness following God and have begun to complain. In Numbers 11, here they are, actually wishing God had never worked all His wonders and taken them out of their enslavement in Egypt. They aren't satisfied with the food He has given them, and they want Him to give them meat. Their words really amaze me: v.6 "But now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!" Oh, what a shame! To have only perfect bread from heaven, as much as each person needs. They must have been wasting away! That bread was a symbol of what Jesus is for us. The One God the Father sent to give nourishment to our souls, to make us depend on Him alone for life. "Manna" means "What?" because they didn't know what it was but that it was a good thing God had given. Because they were not satisfied with what His wisdom said was good, God gave them meat with a plague. It's frightening to me to think what it must be like to look up from your donkey and see God with His sword drawn against you. What could be more terrifying than getting what I want from the God who already gave me what you need, when I told Him it wasn't enough for me? Believing God is wise involves us trusting His judgement, even though it seems crazy to us. It means following Him by faith, not by understanding, because He is the One with understanding and He won't always explain it to us. He does not call us to wrap our heads around him, but to cast our cares on Him and be satisfied in Him. He will honor our faith with His faithfulness.