Numbers 22:26
And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
Balaam was going against God's will on a perverse and presumptuous course, driven by selfishness and covetousness for honor, gain and promotion, trying to please both God and man. His way was perverse before God, and the Lord's anger was kindled against him because he went to Balak to follow his own covetous inclination. He was acting contrary to God because selfishness and covetousness shaped his actions and plans.
The angel of the Lord was sent to stand in Balaam's way in a narrow place with no room to turn either to the right hand or to the left, blocking his perverse path. The angel's presence put his life in danger of being slain for his presumptuous folly, in order to preserve him from continuing toward destruction. The animal saw the angel before Balaam did and turned aside, then stopped in terror and fell, while Balaam could not see the angel. He was beside himself with rage and blinded by passion, so that he beat the animal and was not struck as remarkable even when the beast spoke.
When the angel revealed himself, Balaam was terrified and bowed in humility. The angel solemnly warned him against gratifying the Moabites and serving Balak's wishes and then gave him permission to pursue his journey. God meant to glorify His name before the enemies of Israel by showing that a man of covetous disposition dared not pronounce a curse against Israel for any promises of promotion or rewards. No promised reward could make him curse those whom God had blessed, and this was important for Israel to overcome the Moabites in order to overcome the inhabitants of Canaan.
The angel who opposed Balaam over his perverse course also stood against his cruelty in abusing the animal. His presence and intervention on behalf of the mistreated animal show that God witnesses cruelty to animals and holds people accountable for it. The verse shows an angel of God intervening to stop a person bent on evil, and Saul's interception and restraint follows the same pattern. In the verse's context Balak led Balaam from one point to another in the vain hope of inducing him to change the blessing of Israel into a curse, just as later repeated efforts tried to move Luther from steadfastness, but the bishop succeeded no better than the king of Moab, since human applause and fear of man were powerless against one firm as a rock and sustained by divine power.