Meeting Obstacles? Maybe It’s Hashem’s Rachmanus…

Bamidbar 22:22:

ויחר אף אלהים כי הולך הוא ויתיצב מלאך השם בדרך לשטן לו והוא רכב על אתנו ושני נעריו עמו.

Translation: God’s wrath flared because he was going, and an angel of the Lord stationed himself on the road to thwart him, and he was riding on his she-donkey, and his two servants were with him.

Rashi:

לשטן לו, מלאך של רחמים היה והיה רוצה למנעו מלחטוא שלא יחטא ויאבד.

“To thwart him”, This was an angel of mercy seeking to prevent [Bil’am] from sinning and being destroyed because of it.

Note: I think the hermeneutic is from the word “Lo”, which implies “to his benefit”.