God’s provision of speech power to Balaam’s donkey is taken to suspend love of wages of transgression

By: Allan Elutin Ecleo

This week, I was alarmed by this post of an Atheist on Facebook saying, “Ang talino mo pero naniniwala kang nagsalita yung donkey ayon sa Bible?” (You’re brainy and yet you believe that the donkey talks according to the Bible?

Does the Bible really make sport of its readers for every account that it presented?

The narrative of Balaam and his talking donkey can be read in Numbers 22 Numbers 22. He was a pagan prophet who practiced divination and other magic arts (Joshua 13:22), led Israel into apostasy, and recognized as a false prophet by Saints Peter and Jude (2 Peter 2:15-16); Jude 1:11.

Frightened by Israelites’ intrusion, King Balak of Moab sent for Balaam and enlisted his aid in defending the Israelites by cursing them (Number 22:6). The king believed that if Balaam forecast an evil omen for Israel, this evil would come to pass, as if by magic. 

The anger of God flared up (Number 22:22) not merely because Balaam was going to Balak, for He had God's consent for the journey (Numbers 22:20), but conceivably because he was tempted by avarice to curse Israel against God's command. "They have followed the way of Balaam, son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wrongdoing" (2 Peter 2:15); "and have rushed on selfishly into Balaam’s mistake for the sake of gain" (Judges 1:11). Compare with Numbers 22:32 and compare Exodus 4:18-26.

The Lord spoke to Balaam and cautioned him to repudiate to see with Balak, although the Lord gave on terms that Balaam would speak only His words. Subsequently, Balaam saddled his donkey and get off with the princes of Moab back to Balak.

But knowing Balaam’s heart, the Lord’s anger heated up against Balaam’s disobedience, and He sent an angel with a drawn sword to block his route. Although Balaam could not see the angel, his donkey could, attempting to suspend the journey by going off the direction, crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall and lying down on the path. Infuriated by the donkey’s behavior, Balaam took his staff and beat the donkey three times.

After which, the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth resulting the creature to talk and grumble, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” (Numbers 22:28) 

Then Balaam and the donkey ensued to have a conversation about the circumstance.  The former spoke angrily to the donkey, followed by the Lord’s opening of Balaam’s eyes to see the angel and understand why his flight was prevented.

Undeniably, Balaam’s donkey spoke to him. However, it can’t be avoided that there are still people who question the veracity of the Bible especially on accounts that narrate something that’s seemingly unbelievable. The doubt that crops up is whether the donkey was immediately given the power of speaking and at the same time was obviously given the power to reason when she answered Balaam’s question and managed on a logical talk.

Based on the Scripture’s narration, it is without doubt that God gave human powers to the donkey and spoke through her. The angel that hindered his path is recognized as the angel of the Lord, likely a manifestation of the presence of God Himself (Genesis 16:9-16; Exodus 3:1-6).

After the donkey “spoke” to Balaam, and Balaam’s eyes were opened, the angel proceeded to ask the same questions uttered by the donkey, affirming hereby that God, not the donkey, was actually speaking at both times. Saint Peter said it again in the Old Testament recognizing the donkey as “a beast without speech” and who “spoke with a man’s voice” (2 Peter 2:16). Regardless of the means being utilized, the donkey was able to talk through amazing God’s power.

Under normal incidents, the obvious reaction would be for Balaam to at least ask how she came to be speaking but he was not shocked into silence by the donkey conversing with him. The Bible doesn’t provide any detail why he did not find it strange to be addressed by a donkey, but evidently he was at his state of mind. 

Primarily, he was in rebellion against God, going to Balak for his personal intentions and not for those of God’s.  Then, the donkey’s negative response to keep on down the path made him angry so that he beat her out when she had mocked him and made a fool of him. 

Anger has a way of pinning down rational thought, and maybe he was so fixed at exerting his dominance over the animal that he lost the ability to think unmistakably. It was not until the angel opened Balaam’s eyes to recognize the reality that he gave in to his anger against the donkey, paid attention to the angel, and expressed atonement. The Scripture recounts that Balaam went to Balak and told the king, “I can speak only what God puts in my mouth,"   (Numbers 22:38) which just goes to show that God can use anyone, even a donkey and a rebellious prophet, to do His will and speak His truth .

Having said these, in this earth, humanity’s discernment about Scriptural accounts that are out of the ordinary has been divided – believers of written account without demanding a physical proof and non-believers requiring tangible/visible evidence.

However, whether we like it or not, there are authorities whom God is taken as shepherds to constantly guide both the simple and the learned, the cultured and the unloved, who are there not to fabricate dramatic stories to make things believable but to deepen everybody’s values, in love, faith and hope which have been exercised by past and future generations to optimize harmony and dependability at home, workplace, community and the society. 

Towards the end after presenting this account, it’s natural to hear a negative reaction from non-believers like, “But not necessary this is true unless proven,” which just validates when the Scripture says, "When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain - and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot - and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?  "Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” (Luke 12:54-57)  The former is a kind of perception which displays an attitude of self-sufficiency than humble adherence to the information preserved by the ancient Christians and early fathers which have been conserved from generation to generation.  No one can influence one’s mind that’s restricted to physical proof than paying attention to what the Church elders are re-echoing. 

It may be difficult for the scholarly to succumb to a sermon at the pulpit without a concrete visible proof but let’s be reminded humans are here in this earth not to measure who’s quick-witted and who’s slow, as the Scripture says,  For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25), so no one could think highly of her/himself.

In conclusion if non-believers refute the written proof because of the absence of physical evidence, pursuit of a discussion should stop here because their usual subsequent move is to ridicule belief, personal attack, badmouthing, and ranting which are irrational disposition.  As a Christian, one's goal is to share the greatest beautiful context of the Scriptures that upholds love, faith and hope for individual, filial and communal prosperity and harmony, but neither to misuse God’s precious time to compel anyone to believe on the written Scriptures accounted in the past nor prove to anybody who is wrong and who is right.  God has His timely gracious moment to knock at everyone’s heart through different circumstances in human’s life whether good or bad because His love never fails, Amen!

References:

1. The New American Bible, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/_INDEX.HTM 
2. Did Balaam's donkey really talk to him?, http://www.gotquestions.org/Balaam-donkey.html