Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Story of Balaam's Donkey | Numbers 22:1-35

 There once was a greedy man called Balaam. The wicked King of Moab sent for Balaam and promised him money if he would curse God's people. God talked to Balaam and told him not to go to the King, and not to curse His people. Again the King of Moab sent Princes to call Balaam. God was angry with Balaam because Balaam's heart was filled with greed. God let Balaam go to the King, but watch what God did.


 On the way, Balaam's donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the road. The angel had a sword in his hand. The poor donkey turned away.


 Balaam never saw the angel. He beat the donkey and turned him to get back on the road. The poor animal fell down and Balaam hit him again.


 Suddenly God let the donkey speak. "Why are you beating me?" the donkey asked. The donkey said, "Aren't I your donkey which you rode ever since I was yours?"
"Well, no," said Balaam "Because you have made a fool out of me", replied Balaam.


 Just then, God opened Balaam's eyes. He saw the Angel of the Lord in the road and fell flat on his face. God spoke to Balaam and told him to go the King. God told Balaam to bless His people instead of cursing them. Balaam got a big fright and did as God commanded.

from: http://www.touchoffire.com/nb.html

12 comments:

  1. more like this mags! inaaral ko din ang investments eh. so for now, ipon muna ng kapital. cheers sa pagyaman natin :D

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  2. I believe the interpretation shown here is inconsistent with the story as presented in Scripture. In Numbers 22:15, Balaam tells the servants of Balak "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more." This happens before God's angel threatens Balaam, so there is no reason to believe that Balaam was greedy but changed his behavior when the angel scared him.

    In addition, Balaam did not disown his donkey as this comic says. In Numbers 22:30, the donkey asked Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to threat you this way?" To which Balaam replies "No." Balaam's "No" was almost certainly in response to the second question. The donkey's statement was similar to saying, "You know me well, don't you? Would I treat you this way?". The first question is purely rhetorical.

    Although other stories portray Balaam as a "bad" character, nothing in the story of Balaam, the donkey, and the angel suggests that it is so. In each of his actions, Balaam first sought the opinion of God, and obeyed Him.

    I invite you to re-read this story and let me know what you think. There is an additional essay on this subject on my blog if you are interested. Thanks!

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