Today I read Numbers 22 which contains one of the weirdest stories of all time in it. In this chapter, Balak, the prince of Moab wants Balaam to come and curse the Israelites because he, Balak, fears them and what they did to the Ammonites. He has noticed that Balaam has the gift to bless or curse something and it has efficacy so he asks Balaam to come and curse the Israelites.
The Lord warns Balaam not to go at first and so he refuses. However the second time, the way I read it, the Lord gives Balaam the ok to go, but only to speak what He tells him to speak. However, when Balaam does go, the Lord sends an angel to block his path. 3 times the angel bars his way and his donkey sees the angel and so turns away from the angel which angers Balaam and he strikes the donkey.
What follows is perhaps one of the most remarkable and funny incidents in all of the scriptures. The Lord opens the mouth of the donkey who then asks Balaam why he struck him 3 times. What makes it funny to me is the fact that Balaam does not even react to the fact that suddenly his donkey is talking to him. He just goes on to carry on a conversation with it like it was a person or like this kind of thing happens everyday. He proceeds to tell the donkey that he is angry with it because he has "mocked" him three times and he wished that he had a sword so that he could kill the beast. The donkey then reasons with him and reminds him that he is a good animal and the Lord allows Balaam to see the angel.
This story has always intrigued me because it gives us an unparalleled glimpse into the mind of an animal. We always mock the donkey for being lazy, or stupid but it would seem that they are quite intelligent, at least this one was. We are not told that the Lord increased the animal's intelligence, only that He allowed the donkey to talk. I have never understood why some people are so mean to animals. I have a cat and a dog and while I have not always enjoyed dogs in my life, I have always been fond of cats. And yet so many people in this world get angry with animals for no good reason or go out of their way to hunt them for sport. Such a thing is not pleasing unto God. God put animals on this planet for us to enjoy and for us to eat when necessary, but I do not think He enjoys it when we kill them for no reason other than sport. I'll bet we will be called to account for how we have treated animals once we leave this life. But that is just my thought and I have no scriptures or doctrine to back it up. But I do know that it costs nothing to be kind to animals and the rewards, especially for house hold pets, are wonderful indeed. Until tomorrow.
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