THE LANGUAGE OF THE DONKEY

[Reformer]

The Dialect of the Donkey

[Our God functions in a diversity of
HUMAN AFFAIRS]

When the donkey's master removed her from her stall that morning and placed a saddle upon her back, the donkey had not the slightest idea that during her journey that day she would be speaking the language of her master. Nor did her master have the slightest premonition that he and his beast of burden would be conversing as two humans converse. But it happened.

The king of Moab tried to persuade Balaam to curse Israel in an effort to avoid being overrun and swallowed up like the nations around him. Twice he sent his elders and princes to Balaam. On their first visit, the Lord told Balaam not to go with them. But on their second visit, when more pressure was applied, the Lord told Balaam to go with them, "...but only do what I tell you"

Along the way, an angel of the Lord stood in their path as an adversary, even after instructing Balaam to go ahead and make the trip. The angel's sword was drawn and ready to kill. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam didn't.

Immediately the donkey turned aside out of the road and took Balaam into the field. Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her back into the road. Then the angel stood into a narrow path with a wall on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel again, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against it. That hurt! In response, Balaam whipped her again.

But it wasn't over yet. Then the angel stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn, either to the right or to the left. What was the donkey to do now? She laid down under Balaam. He couldn't understand why his lifelong donkey, who had served him for many years, was behaving irrationally. Balaam became quite angry and abused his donkey again. At that point, "the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey," and she said to Balaam...

"What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" One would think Balaam's reply would have been something like this, "Hey, what goes here? When did you learn to talk? You're talking my language! You aren't supposed to be able to speak the language of humans. What's wrong here?"

Instead of thinking something was strangely absurd and impossible, Balaam replied to his beast of burden, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you." The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" And Balaam replied, "No!"

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand. And Balaam bowed down, fell on his face, and admitted he had sinned. The angel told him that if his donkey had not turned aside, "I would have killed you and let her live...I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me."

But how was Balaam's behavior reckless? Why would the Lord tell him to go with the princes of Moab but then stand in his way? In what way was Balaam perverse? It was because he provoked the Lord to anger by being too neighborly and too cooperative with Israel's enemies—by patronizing them and appearing to be agreeable to their cause. But in the end, the Lord used Balaam to speak four divine oracles that blessed Israel and condemned her enemies [Num. 22 & 23]. In other words, the Lord spoke through a man with a questionable reputation to bless His people.

However, as the story of Balaam unfolds, and as odd as it may seem, Israel's army killed him in battle [Num. 31:8]. Earlier, on Balaam's advice, he caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord at Peor [Num. 23:28-29]. Joshua says Balaam "practiced divination" [13:22].

So what do we have? Apparently, Balaam was a counterfeit prophet whom the Lord used to His advantage. The Lord employs a diversity of strategies to communicate His schemes and His purposes, even opening the mouth of a brute animal to relay His message. Humorous? Yes. Our Lord is not above being amusing. He even called King Herod a fox! But making a donkey talk is not as amusing as the donkey's master not detecting it! Now that's funny.

[Reformer]

READERS: Your response is solicited--The Reformer.

[Wycliffes_Shillelagh]

Along the way, an angel of the Lord stood in their path as an adversary, even after instructing Balaam to go ahead and make the trip. The angel's sword was drawn and ready to kill. The donkey saw the angel, but Balaam didn't.

Alternately, "an angel of the Lord stood in their path as Satan" gives the story a bit of a different twist, and perhaps resolves the conflict of God both ordering Balaam to go, and then opposing him.

"What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" One would think Balaam's reply would have been something like this, "Hey, what goes here? When did you learn to talk? You're talking my language! You aren't supposed to be able to speak the language of humans. What's wrong here?"

Instead of thinking something was strangely absurd and impossible, Balaam replied to his beast of burden, "Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you." The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" And Balaam replied, "No!"

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand. And Balaam bowed down, fell on his face, and admitted he had sinned. The angel told him that if his donkey had not turned aside, "I would have killed you and let her live...I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me."

Talking donkeys, invisible angels (or is Balaam just struck with selective blindness?) and such make me think that perhaps this story might not be 100% literal.

In other words, the Lord spoke through a man with a questionable reputation to bless His people.

Seems to me that Balaam had a good reputation.  The Moabites seemed to think so... they brought him in from a long ways away.  The Bible sees fit to name-drop him.  The archaeological record also records him as a person of importance.

So what do we have? Apparently, Balaam was a counterfeit prophet whom the Lord used to His advantage.

Even according to the story here, God did speak to Balaam and Balaam did deliver the message God gave.  That would seem to make him a real prophet.