{"id":1479,"date":"2025-07-12T14:58:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T19:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/?p=1479"},"modified":"2025-07-12T14:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T19:58:50","slug":"40-trust-the-donkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/2025\/07\/12\/40-trust-the-donkey\/","title":{"rendered":"40 – Trust the Donkey"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_heading title=”Trust the Donkey” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Georgia|700|on||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”42px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/h4you.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Donkey.jpg” title_text=”Donkey” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”766px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-40px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

By Terance Clark \u00a0 \u00a0 July 12, 2025 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a07 Minute Read<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Week 40<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This Weeks Passage: Numbers 22:2 – 25:9<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This week we have a new story with an interesting history.\u00a0 Have you ever had to keep re-living your past?\u00a0 You know it seems you are moving forward, but then a situation arises that brings you right back to a situation that may not have been settled in the past.\u00a0 Even if you did think you settled it, for some reason it keeps right on coming up again and again.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Remember Lot!<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Do you remember Lot?\u00a0 That was Abrahams nephew.\u00a0 Do you remember how they got into a quarrel over the land.\u00a0 Lot was growing and Abraham already was huge and now there wasn’t enough room for them both, so Abraham gave Lot the choice of whatever land he wanted and he would go the opposite direction.\u00a0 Lot chose the land near Sodom and Gomorrah.\u00a0 So, here we are years later and Israel is minding their own business on their way to the promised land, and who takes notice of them and is worried about losing their land.\u00a0 It’s Lot’s descendants the Moabites.\u00a0 Israel has no beef with the Moabites they are family, but the leader Balak is worried about losing his little piece of land and decides to employ the services of a quasi prophet\/diviner named Balaam to curse them.\u00a0 It’s one of the best stories in the bible, and Balaam is a real piece of work.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Don’t be fooled by Balaam’s religious<\/span> talk<\/span><\/strong><\/em>“<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Don’t be fooled by Balaam’s religious talk, he is thoroughly wicked in heart and his aim is always about making a profit for himself.\u00a0 Balak sends his men to go and ask Balaam to curse Israel so they won’t take his precious land.\u00a0 Balaam was known for his ability to bring curses upon others.\u00a0 There is a belief that he could communicate with all the different gods of the many nations to achieve his goals, he was probably polytheist.\u00a0 He knows the God of Israel and comes to him to get permission to curse them, but that is the key, he knows the God of Israel, but he didn’t serve the God of Israel.\u00a0 He came to Him three times and was told not to go or to curse them three times.\u00a0 Interestingly, God planned to kill him three times, but his donkey saves his life each time.\u00a0 This makes him start beating his donkey not realizing what he did.\u00a0 The donkey speaks a great word of wisdom.\u00a0 In essence the donkey says, you think you are so great that you plan to curse an entire nation with your words, but you can’t even kill your donkey without a sword.\u00a0 That shuts Balaam up pretty quick especially once he sees the angel that was planning to kill him.<\/span><\/p>\n

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God Reveals the Heart of the Wicked<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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This story has depth that most rarely take the time to learn.\u00a0 For one, it\u2019s a look at an enemy’s plan and how God protected His people without their even realizing what He did for them.\u00a0 It’s also about the heart of the wicked, on one side Balak should have had no concern as Israel meant them no ill will, but it shows how we can be deceived because of an evil heart about the intentions of others.\u00a0 Third, we see the false piety of a so called prophet whose only motive was really making gain for himself.\u00a0 The bible says the workman is worthy of his labor, but the apostolic community considered Balaam to be an example of someone who misuses their religious authority for their own profit.\u00a0 You can find numerous passages about this beginning with 2 Peter 2:15.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We Must Trust God Through Trials<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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As we bring this weeks message to a close, I also want to remind us of another point of the story.\u00a0 God uses the righteous to deal with the hearts of the wicked and sometimes it doesn’t seem fair, but God in His wisdom sees things from a different perspective.\u00a0 Sometimes we get to face the same situation over and over.\u00a0 I like to say we never fail the test we just keep repeating it.\u00a0 But, sometimes like Job, God chooses to use the righteous to prick the heart of the wicked, and we need to learn to stand our ground and trust that God has a purpose for why we are in the trial.\u00a0 There doesn’t have to be an explanation, it has nothing to do with something we’ve done wrong.\u00a0 It’s just the trials of life that God allows to teach us, grow us, develop us and ultimately conform us into His image.\u00a0 The scripture says Jesus learned obedience through His suffering (Hebrews 5:8), what does that say for us?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“God uses the righteous to deal with the heart of the wicked<\/span><\/strong><\/em>“<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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At the end of the day, we should never argue with a donkey or any other animal.\u00a0 The sages believed God in His wisdom shut the mouth of animals because they would constantly make us feel stupid with their simple wisdom.\u00a0 Balaam repented for not seeing the angel, but never repented for failing to honor the Lord or for beating his donkey.\u00a0 What we really need is eyes to see, and a mouth that is slow to speak, and a heart that is quick to repent.\u00a0 Also, you can trust the donkey!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” type=”4_4″ theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_button button_text=”Go to Blog Home Page” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” button_url=”http:\/\/teranceclark.com” button_alignment=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_heading title=”Trending Posts” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”|700|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size=”43px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”2″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Terance Clark \u00a0 \u00a0 July 12, 2025 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a07 Minute Read Week 40 \u00a0 This Weeks Passage: Numbers 22:2 – 25:9 \u00a0\u00a0 This week we have a new story with an interesting history.\u00a0 Have you ever had to keep re-living your past?\u00a0 You know it seems you are moving forward, but then a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1479"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1508,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1479\/revisions\/1508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}