Cheeky Donkey
The Most-Requested Holy Ghost Story, a motorcycle on the moon, and why Balaam's animal talked.
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
Where Were You When?
I remember exactly where I was the moment I first heard the story of Balaam’s donkey. Minding my own business in the teen Bible class at church, I heard the teacher mention a Bible story about talking quadriped and I. Was. Listening.
I’d grown up in church. Read my Bible outside of church, even, at times. But somehow I had never heard of such a story. The teacher had us turn to the passage. Numbers. A real book of the Bible. Chapter 22. Okay, surely this is a prank and I’m about to find out—
And there it was.
And not just a word. Not a parroted facsimile of language or even a gutteral, Planet-of-the-Apes-esque protospeech.
This donkey talked. I was fascinated. It wasn’t just that the donkey spoke—it was that God “opened” its mouth. As if it had been waiting to talk all along. As if its thoughts were advanced enough to communicate and all God did was unlock this final piece of the puzzle.
My world suddenly grew more enchanted.
And somehow, this Book (already rife with supernatural moments) did as well.
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It seems I’m not the only one intrigued by this account in Numbers 22. When I gave the Holy Ghost Stories patrons a chance to vote on this season’s stories, the number one choice was—you guessed it—Balaam & His Donkey.
That episode drops today, and I’m thrilled to share it with you.
You May Be Interested to Know…
Some points of interest about this episode of HGS and the story of Balaam:
This lengthy account (Numbers 22-24) takes place entirely outside of Israel’s camp and involves not a single Israelite. The more time I spend in the Old Testament, though, the less surprising this is. Yahweh’s concern stretches far beyond the Jewish nation, and the narrative sections of the OT bear this out time and again.
The donkey is not the most interesting part of this story. A hot take, I know. But Yahweh’s interaction (history?) with the sorcerer-for-hire Balaam sets my mind afizz with questions.
How exactly had Balaam heard of Yahweh?
Had Yahweh spoken to Balaam before? How? When? About what?
Why did it matter whether or not a pagan shaman cursed Israel on some hilltop?
Did Balaam know the nature of the oracles he was about to deliver, or was he as surprised as Balak when the words came out of his mouth?
Etc.
King Balak’s officials travel quite a ways (twice!) to hire Balaam for this curse. It’s obvious that 1) Balak was desperate for help against the Hebrews and 2) Balaam was exceptionally famous and in-demand.
Check this out. About 55 years ago, archaeologists digging in Deir ‘Alla, Jordan (the location of Biblical Succoth, not far from Moab) discovered a multiple-chamber structure destroyed by an earthquake in the Persian period. Inside was an inscription relating visions of “Bal’am, son of Be’or,” a “seer of the gods.”
The inscription says of this Bal’am: “the Gods came to him at night. [And they spoke to] him according to the vision of El. This squares with the nocturnal visions we see Balaam receiving in the Biblical narrative. Fascinating.
When you listen to this episode you may find yourself saying, “Hold on, Justin—the Bible doesn’t say Balaam was proud. You made that up.” I’d actually argue this is in the text. It seems an inflated sense of self is the catalyst for Balaam’s angel/donkey incident.
At first glance, it appears as if Yahweh is angry that Balaam goes with the officials to Moab. This is, of course, confusing to the reader, given that Yahweh explicitly told Balaam to go. So what’s the deal? As Timothy R. Ashley points out, the Hebrew “kî” (“because”/“since”) can also mean “when” or “as.” This is the NIV’s choice (“But God was very angry when he went”), which is much less confusing than, say, the NKJV translation (“Then God’s anger was aroused because he went”). I’d say “as” would be even more helpful. As Balaam traveled, somehow he aroused God’s anger. I’d guess it had something to do with pride, given #2.
In Balaam’s embarrassing moments on the road to Moab, Yahweh makes the seer blind to the angel while his beast of burden can see it clearly. Upstaged by a donkey. Not only this, the donkey is given the power to speak—the other aspect of Balaam’s vaunted profession. Clearly, Yahweh is humbling Balaam. “They may have travelled weeks to seek you out,” He seems to say to the prophet, “but do not forget: there is nothing special about you. The power originates with me, and I can give it to whomever (or whatever) I please.”
The emotional apex of the entire three-chapter narrative is, for Balaam, the humiliating disobedience of his donkey. Pride hates few things as much as embarrassment—especially when it comes via the defiance of a perceived inferior.
In later texts where Balaam is mentioned (and there are several), he’s remembered for an offense he commits after what I cover in this episode. And when those Biblical writers recall the events I cover in this episode, they seem to indicate that Balaam was actively attempting to curse (or to get Yahweh to allow him to curse) the Israelites. It’s that prideful attempt to manipulate deity that contributed to my read on Balaam’s struggle with hubris.
If, as you contemplate this donkey story, you’re wondering whether people actually rode donkeys that far back in history, the answer is yes. This sacrificed donkey was excavated in an Early Bronze Age (c. 2800–2600 BC) domestic residential neighborhood—it has tooth wear consistent with the sustained presence of a bit.
For me, the most striking thing about the entire Balaam narrative is what I focus on at the end of this episode. I’ll let you listen and see if you agree.
So What’s This Weird Story About?
There’s certainly a lot going on here, but for me this is a story about two things:
Yahweh’s faithfulness — He’s going to bless Israel because that’s what He said He’d do; no king or master of the dark arts can change that. This is a very John 10:28 kind of story.
Yahweh’s power — The powers of Foresight and Prophecy are given. And they’re given by Him. If the message about God’s faithfulness was for those who would do Israel harm (and for the people of God to come), this one’s distinctly for Balaam: Hey—I could do this with a donkey if I wanted.
Press Play
Okay—here’s “The Wordsmith and Sorcerer” for your listening enjoyment; hope it blesses you! Share it far and wide—as I’ve discovered, people dig Bible stories about talking donkies. 🤷🏼♂️
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Listen In
Today (April 25, 2022), my editor and I will be discussing this episode on Instagram Live—join us, won’t you? We’ll chat about the things in this story we think are most interesting and answer any questions you have.
I’ll see you over on Jennifer’s account (@jl.gerhardt) at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central this afternoon.
Storms River and Jonkershoek
We traveled recently out to the Eastern Cape, and once again South Africa wowed us. So much joy and praise as we explored God’s creation. What a place.
5 Cool Things
Electric F-100 - Ford’s latest concept vehicle is really, really good. Like really good.
5 People?! - Everything Everywhere All At Once’s effects were created by a team of five people. Wired’s interview reveals some cool analog techniques. Sometimes simple is superior.
Moon Moto - This company is making a motorcyle to ride on the moon and I would like one please.
Emery Celtic Cross - Planted 10 years ago and only recently coming into view—love this.
Bagworm Caterpillar - Butterfly larvae + Lincoln Logs? Cooooool.
That’s the latest! Be sure to check out “The Wordsmith and the Sorcerer” and leave a review if you’ve got an extra 20 seconds.
Oh—and don’t forget to join me on IG Live today at 4pm Central. See you then!
Gratefully,
Justin
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