Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown. The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten 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 away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.” “I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”- Numbers 22:31-34 BSB
Warrior;
In 2008 Christian artist Brandon Heath had a #1 song called, “Give me your eyes”. It was at the top of the Christian charts for 14 weeks. Brandon Heath has had multiple No. 1 hits on Christian charts, with “Give Me Your Eyes” being his most iconic. It also earned him a Dove Award and widespread acclaim for its message of compassion and awareness. In the song he writes the lyrics: “Give me Your eyes so I can see, Everything that I keep missin’, Give me Your love for humanity. Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted, The ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten, Give me Your eyes so I can see”. There are 2 worlds. There is a TEMPORAL world, one that we can touch, can see, can feel, can experience, can smell and even taste. It is temporary, and there is also a SPIRITUAL REALM that is all around us, but it is not evident to the senses of this temporal world. Balaam and the Donkey is an incredible story in the Bible that you will find in Numbers 22:21–31. The Context King Balak was afraid of the Jews and their God and the king, wanted the “Diviner” to curse the Jews and help him fight them. Balaam, a diviner hired by King Balak of Moab to curse Israel, sets out on a journey despite God’s warning. On the road, his donkey sees the Angel of the Lord blocking the path, but Balaam—ironically, the “seer”—does not. Because Balaam couldn’t see the Angel of the Lord, who was ready to slay him, he thought the donkey was being disobedient and started beating on him for the 3rdtime. It is a great story and shows you that God can use anybody, even a talking ass, if they are willing and available. So, what is your excuse for not speaking more boldly for the Lord?
Leader, this concept of having eyes, but not seeing is all throughout the Bible. In Mark 8:18 Jesus rebukes his disciples for their ‘short sightedness’. It is written: “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?” After feeding the multitudes, Jesus rebukes His disciples for failing to grasp the spiritual significance of His miracles. In Matthew 13 with the parable of the Sower and the Seed, Jesus again claims this visual sin. Hear the Word of the Lord; “Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” The disciples were complaining about why Jesus spoke in parables. Jesus explains why He speaks in parables—because many have hardened hearts and refuse to perceive truth. This is why we need to pray to God, “Give me your eyes, so I can see”! This prayer echoes the cry of Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.” It’s a posture of humility, hunger, and surrender. There is a similar story in the Bible in 2 Kings chapter 6. Similar in regards that TEMPORAL EYES were telling one story, but SPIRITUAL EYES were telling the TRUE STORY. The story has 2 characters called Elisha and Gehazi, you can find it in the book of 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Conduit, To summarize the story, Aram was attacking Israel. Every time the Arameans showed up to attack Israel they were gone. So the King of Aram thought there was a spy among them informing the Israel army, but then they realized there was no spy, it was that man of God Elisha. God would tell Elisha and then Elisha would inform the Israel army what the king was planning and then move their troops. So the king put a bounty on the man of God Elisha. The king of Aram sends an army to capture Elisha. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, panics when he sees the enemy surrounding them. Elisha responds calmly and prays for Gehazi’s eyes to be opened. Hear the Word of the Lord; “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, behold, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. (2 Kings 15-18) The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22, and Elisha’s vision with Gehazi is in 2 Kings 6. Both reveal how spiritual sight—granted by God—exposes divine realities hidden from natural eyes, urging us to live by faith, not fear. These are 2 totally different stories but with a similar message. Both stories illuminate a core biblical truth: there is a spiritual reality that governs the visible world, and only God can open our eyes to it. Balaam’s donkey and Gehazi’s vision both show that perception is not about intellect and\or position- it’s about revelation. These two narratives challenge us to ask: Are we living by sight or by faith? We must REMEMBER and DO NOT FEAR: We are spiritual creatures having a short, fleshly experience, let us daily, boldly pray, “Lord, Give me YOUR EYES, so I can see what you see and what grieves your heart! Deo Volente!
