As Balaam rode his donkey, the Angel of the LORD — the same divine Presence who spoke from the burning bush and led Israel in the pillar of fire — stood in the path with a drawn sword. Balaam couldn’t see Him. But the donkey could. Three times the donkey turned aside to save her master’s life: Once into a field, Once pressing Balaam’s leg against a all, And once lying down beneath him. Three times Balaam struck her with his staff, blind to the danger ahead.

In Numbers 14, the LORD’s glory breaks forth in the wilderness after Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh-barnea. The moment that could have been triumph becomes tragedy. The people doubt His word, reject His promise, and face the holy recognition of their unbelief. Here we see that God takes disobedience personally—He recognizes it, names it, and judges it in righteousness.

This week, we move forward to another prophet and another parable—Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard.” Nathan’s story exposed one man’s guilt; Isaiah’s song laments the unfaithfulness of an entire nation. Both reveal the heart of God: a holy love that longs for righteousness but grieves over rebellion.