"God once spoke through the mouth of an ass..."

It's October! Time to bust out the monk robe, bury myself in some books, pour pumpkin into my pancakes, and maybe even throw back a beer or two. And read some of this guy:

"(God) once spoke through the mouth of an ass (Num 22:28); therefore, no man is to be despised, however humble he may be. On the other hand, He permitted the highest angel to fall from heaven; therefore, no man is to be trusted, no matter how wise, holy, or great he may be. One should rather give a hearing to all, and wait to see through which one of them God will speak and act." -Martin Luther in Temporal Authority: To What Extent it Should be Obeyed  

I mention this quote for more than shock value; my recent cycling experiences have reminded me of God's opening the mouth of Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22. Balak, King of Moab, summoned Balaam the prophet to curse Israel; after initially denying him permission, God let him go, but warned him "only do what I tell you" (Num 22:20). Here's the pivotal part of the story:

But God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 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 made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

The Angel Appearing to Balaam, Gustave Dore

Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. (Numbers 22:22-35, emphasis mine)

I can imagine my bike saying to me, "Am I not your bike, on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" To which I echo Balaam's answer "No." That's my story, besides some donkeyishly stubborn chronic wheel problems and a few broken parts from riding too hard. Before August, the worst damage a wreck had caused me was a bent rim; and I'd not been to the emergency room since sixth grade. That's more than 20 years and probably 40,000+ miles of riding. Then in one month I have two accidents that crack my frame and put me in the hospital, albeit only for a few hours, thankfully.

Not only that, but my cumulative bike woes this summer have gradually opened my eyes to the מַלְאַ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ (malak Yahweh, lit. "messenger of Yahweh") standing in my way, with his drawn sword in his hand. No, I've not had visions of angels and I'm not losing my mind, at least not any more than usual. The "angel of the LORD" in the Old Testament is commonly viewed by Christian interpreters as a pre-incarnate appearance of the God the Son; one reason is that texts where he appears often comingle this title with simply "the LORD" (e.g., Gen 16:7-13; 22:15f.). Here, the angel of the LORD assumes divine prerogatives in giving Balaam similar commands as God (Num 22:20, 35, 38) and carrying out God's will (Num 22:22). I've come to perceive that Christ is opposing me in my way, and the sword He wields is not one for cutting off my limbs, but sharp enough to pierce my very soul and judge the thoughts and intentions of my heart (Heb 4:12; Luke 2:35).

What is he saying? I've noted before how God seems to be providentially bringing my attention back to several texts dealing with themes of His fatherly discipline and straight paths. I've been seeking to give heed to the exhortation to "make straight paths for your feet" (see Heb 12:12-13), often praying "Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths" (see Ps 25:4-5), and He's answered "All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ps 25:10) and "Let your eyes look directly forward . . . Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil" (see Prov 4:25-27) and "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus" (Heb 12:1-2). The insight that's helped me most is that the root idea of the Hebrew words translated "ways" and "paths" in these texts isn't so much concerned with going somewhere new as it is with habit, manner of life, custom, which is what paths really are: they're places people customarily travel. I get so obsessed with riding, with knocking out particular sections of roads, with getting "done" with my goal, that I let more important things slide, and this choice of priority quickly becomes a habit, even an addiction, and it's not good. I don't set out to, but I end up neglecting sleep, eating the same thing day after day, letting the house and yard go, riding too many loner cul-de-sac ventures and no club rides, slacking off in work responsibilities, not to mention my neglect of spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading Scripture, and fellowship with God's people. In terms of Balaam's story, "I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me" ( כִּֽי־יָרַ֥ט הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ לְנֶגְדִּֽי, lit. "for the way precipitates (falls headlong with violent speed) in front of me") (Num 22:32). 

I wrote several times over the summer that I found some of the Proverbs particularly challenging regarding these same ideas, but though I noted them, I didn't change my course. The riding was still the priority; everything else took a back seat. But thanks be to God that he instructs sinners in the way (Ps 25:8), that the same God who sought out Adam in the garden, asking gently "Where are you?" (Gen 3:8-9) and came down to oppose Balaam, also came to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). He came to me in such grace: not only did He get my attention through the very things that were turning my gaze away from Him, but He brought specific teachings of His word to mind that spoke in terms of ways, paths, and running with endurance, i.e., the very things that were distracting me. All of this to call me to run (or ride, as I like to think) with endurance in the straight paths He's set before me, to set my heart on the highways that really lead to life and beauty and meaning and purpose. He truly is Immanuel, God with us.

In the three weeks I went without riding other than a commute, my sentiment regarding riding every road in the county was like Balaam's "if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back" (Num 22:34). I was prepared to completely abandon the endeavor, but I think instead of that, God would have me proceed in the spirit of verse 35, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you" (cf. Num 22:20). I'm challenged by that to be more careful in what I write, to handle Scripture more faithfully, and not recklessly assume my zen-like insights are all true and worth spreading abroad. In the larger context of Balaam's situation, that meant speaking a word of blessing over the people of Israel instead of cursing, and that in keeping with the seminal promise God made to Abra(ha)m in Genesis 12:2-3, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great . . . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse." I've been thinking for several months of how I might make the riding itself into more of a benefit to other people rather than just a way to stroke my cycling ego and gratify my urge to study maps. I want to use it to make a map of the county that classifies roads by bikeability and notes obstacles, hazards, and sites of interest to cyclists. It's time to take action on that. I'd even love for it to develop into a website that has a dynamic system of rating the roads, since they do change over time, and this endeavor to ride them all is going to take more time than originally thought as well.

I've been back on the bike twice this weekend, and I'm continuing to see God's hand in it all. More on that next time.