05/24/2026
The Donkey Saw the Danger. The False MAGA Prophets Still Can’t See It. Still, the People Follow.
By A Country Pastor
How is it possible that in one of the strangest stories in the Bible, the donkey saw reality more clearly than the prophet riding on its back?
At first glance the story sounds absurd. A talking donkey? A prophet blind to what an animal could clearly see? People immediately start debating whether the story literally happened, whether it was symbolic, whether ancient people understood the world differently, or whether the entire thing should simply be dismissed. But maybe the deeper truth of the story is not found in debating how the donkey spoke. Maybe the deeper truth is found in the warning the story still carries for humanity. Because all these centuries later, people are still riding straight toward danger while convincing themselves everything is fine.
In the story, Balaam is not just an ordinary man. He is a prophet. He is supposed to be spiritually aware. He is supposed to hear clearly, see clearly, and understand the ways of God. Yet as he rides down the road, an angel stands directly in his path warning of danger and destruction ahead, and Balaam cannot see any of it. The donkey can. Three times the donkey stops, turns aside, and refuses to continue because the animal sees what the prophet does not. Balaam becomes furious and beats the very creature trying to save his life. Only afterward are Balaam’s eyes finally opened (Numbers 22:21–31).
That story feels painfully close to where America stands right now.
Across this country relationships are collapsing, truth is becoming distorted, cruelty has become entertainment, and anger is now treated as leadership, yet millions still cannot recognize the danger unfolding around them. They see division and call it patriotism. They see mockery and call it strength. They see humiliation, greed, rage, corruption, and endless political warfare and somehow call it greatness. Man’s way has always confused destruction for power because man’s way worships domination, fear, revenge, control, and winning at all costs.
God’s way looks entirely different. From the opening pages of scripture, God brings order from chaos, light from darkness, and life from emptiness (Genesis 1:1–31). God’s design moves creation toward healing, restoration, connection, balance, and life together. Nature itself reflects that design. Forests survive through interconnected root systems beneath the soil. Rivers nourish entire ecosystems. The human body survives because organs and systems work together instead of against one another. Healthy communities survive through compassion, humility, forgiveness, mercy, and care for one another. Man’s way tears apart while God’s way restores.
That is why scripture repeatedly warns humanity about spiritual blindness. “They have eyes, but fail to see” (Mark 8:18). Again and again throughout the Bible, people become so consumed with power, certainty, tribal loyalty, fear, or pride that they lose the ability to recognize what is standing directly before them. Pharaoh could not see it. The religious leaders could not see it. The crowd shouting for Barabbas instead of Jesus could not see it (Matthew 27:15–26). And now many false MAGA prophets cannot see it either.
That is the heartbreaking part. Many of the loudest religious voices in America today continue blessing cruelty, excusing corruption, defending mockery, and wrapping rage inside the language of faith. They speak constantly about strength while ignoring humility. They celebrate domination while overlooking mercy. They defend leaders who divide families, humiliate opponents, mock the vulnerable, stir fear and grievance, and enrich themselves while ordinary people struggle to survive. Many of these modern prophets ride upon the backs of hurting people while promising them greatness, all while remaining blind to the destruction growing around them.
Even now the warning signs continue flashing around us. Another shooting erupts near the White House. Political violence becomes more common. Families stop speaking to one another. Churches divide. Fear fills the airwaves. Rage drives clicks, ratings, and campaigns. The temperature of the country keeps rising while many false prophets continue insisting everything is strong, everything is righteous, everything is under control. But alarm bells should already be ringing across this nation. The donkey saw the danger standing in the road long before the prophet ever did.
That is what makes the Balaam story feel so haunting because the prophet never thought he was lost. He thought he was righteous. He thought he was faithful. He thought he could see clearly. Meanwhile, the donkey saw the danger first.
That symbolism grows even deeper when we remember that throughout scripture the donkey becomes an image of humility, peace, burden-bearing, and quiet service. Kings rode war horses into battle, but Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1–11). That was not accidental symbolism. A conquering ruler arrived on a horse. A peaceful king arrived on a donkey. Jesus rejected the image of domination and embraced the image of humility. Man’s politics still chase the war horse while God’s way still rides the donkey.
Even biologically, donkeys are fascinating creatures. People often call them stubborn, but donkeys are actually cautious and highly aware animals. Horses may panic and charge ahead. Donkeys often stop when they sense danger or uncertainty. They assess what is happening around them before moving forward. Suddenly the Balaam story becomes even more layered because the donkey stopping in the road was not foolishness. It was wisdom.
And maybe that is part of the warning for us now. Sometimes the people dismissed as weak, emotional, soft-hearted, alarmist, or naive are actually the ones seeing most clearly. Sometimes the exhausted teacher, the grieving parent, the nurse, the scientist, the pastor, the quiet neighbor, or even creation itself is sounding the alarm while the powerful continue riding confidently toward destruction.
The prophet beat the donkey because the donkey interrupted the path he wanted to stay on. That echoes loudly today. Scientists warn about the climate. Doctors warn about loneliness and mental health. Historians warn about authoritarianism. Families warn about division tearing relationships apart. Pastors warn about hatred consuming the soul. Forests burn. Waters rise. Species disappear. Even creation itself groans beneath greed, exploitation, division, and endless consumption (Romans 8:22). And still many respond with anger toward the warning itself instead of listening to it.
That is what makes this old Bible story feel so alive because the deeper warning in the Balaam story is not really about whether a donkey literally talked. The deeper warning is about spiritual blindness. It is about how easy it is for human beings to become so convinced of their own righteousness, politics, tribe, ideology, or power that they lose the ability to recognize destruction unfolding directly before them. And maybe the most uncomfortable truth in the entire story is this: Balaam truly believed he was right. That should humble every one of us.
Because the story is not only about them. It is also about us. Every generation must decide whether it will follow man’s way or God’s way. Man’s way seeks domination, humiliation, revenge, greed, fear, and power. God’s way calls humanity back toward mercy, humility, justice, compassion, truth, grace, love, stewardship, and restoration.
The good news woven throughout scripture is that blindness does not have to be permanent. Balaam’s eyes were eventually opened. Again and again in the Bible, people lost in pride, hatred, fear, and certainty are invited to see differently. That is the heart of God’s way. Not humiliation, but awakening. Not vengeance, but healing. Not destruction, but restoration.
Maybe the donkey saw clearly because it was not blinded by power. And maybe the deeper hope for America is this: eyes can still open. Hearts can still soften. People can still choose humility over arrogance, compassion over cruelty, truth over propaganda, and love over fear. The path forward is still there if we are willing to stop long enough to see what stands directly before us. Sometimes wisdom does not arrive riding the war horse of power. Sometimes wisdom quietly stands in the road, refusing to move forward toward destruction. The question is whether we are willing to finally listen.
