Numbers - Chapter 22

We read here the strange story of Balaam -  a prophet who is working with the Moabites - enemies of God's people.  God is angry with Balaam and deals with Balaam through Balaam's donkey.  In the story the main character is the angel of the Lord.  This is the title used in the Bible for an appearance of Jesus before his birth in Bethlehem.  It therefore appears that Jesus himself is dealing with Balaam.  The story reads as follows, replacing the name Jesus where angel of the Lord is used:

So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent Jesus to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw Jesus standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then Jesus stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw Jesus, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then Jesus moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw Jesus, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw Jesus standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.  “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” Jesus demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.  Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” Then Balaam confessed to Jesus, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” But Jesus told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.”