The donkey on the trail

Children Story
King Balak and Balaam in Numbers 22:2

The children of Israel were exiled and trampling through the countryside taking over the different groups. Now we’re talking over half a million people. Balak was worried his country was next. He sent some runners over to his neighbor, king Balaam asking; if they pooled their forces, they could probably hold the Israelites off.
Balaam slept on it that night, and God came to him in a dream and said: “They’re my people, I’ve bless them, leave them alone” So Balaam told the runner “No!”
So Balak sent a prince to get him to come to his place to try and persuade him to help. That night, in a dream, God told him once more, “You heard what I said, go to Balak and tell him yourself.”
Balaam got on his donkey, and while he's riding through a pass, the donkey starts jumping up and down .Balaam starts hitting the donkey yelling at it to get back on the trail. The donkey suddenly says: “why are you hitting me, haven't I been a good donkey?” And without missing a beat, Balaam says “I don't care get back on the trail!”
At that moment, Balaam’s eyes are opened and he sees a giant Angel with a sword slicing through the place they would've been. Balaam says “good donkey and pats him.”
The angel points his sword at Balaam and says, “you heard what the Lord said, now go tell King Balak.”
So when Balaam gets there he tells Balak what God said, but the next day Balak convinces him to go through a sacred ritual to really see if it's really what God meant.
Balaam has them make seven altars and he does the ceremony. God, like a frustrated parent with a slow child tells him, “You heard what I said; now I want you to bless the Israelites too.”
Balak is real upset when he hears that and says; “You’ve got to understand how serious this is!” So he takes Balaam up on a mountain and shows him the 600,000 Israelites. “Now do you understand?”
So Balaam once again asked for seven altars and makes a burnt offering ritual.
God said; “Now I want you to tell Balak that the Israelites are going to be like a lion and destroy his people.”
Balak was really distressed and tried one more time to get his friend to ask God if this was so.”
In those days people were really dense. I like comedian Lewis Black's comment that they were ten hairs away from a baboon back then.
So Balak took Balaam to a sacred mountain top and built the seven altars again and once more. Balaam did the burnt offering ritual. This time he added in the blessing of the Israelites and any people who would be against them, would be cursed.
Balak was real upset and sent Balaam home.

What is important about this story? Do you have some ideas?

God spoke to Balaam, not just his chosen people.
God told Balaam again and again, just like our parents, until he accepted the message. Sometimes doing the right thing is very hard.