Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 22, verses 28 & 30, the talking donkey

[Multicolored Lemur]

Numbers 22 niv - Read the New International Version Online - Free NIV Bible - SermonCentral.com

Balak Summons Balaam. Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho. Now Balak son of Z ...

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20That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”

Balaam’s Donkey

21Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

23When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. 24Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides.

25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again. 26Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff.

28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

29Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

30The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said.

31Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. 32The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. [a]

33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

34Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

35The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials. 36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.

37Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

38“Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.” 39Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.

footnote [a] Verse 32: The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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In verse 28, the Donkey basically says, Why are you beating on me? And good for the donkey!

Verse 30 is a little harder to read and understand. But it can be read as the Donkey asking, Haven't I been your loyal servant all this time?

And please notice, the human Balaam is doing just what God asked him to do. And yet in verse 22:

"But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him."

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

I'm just going to say it.

The Bible is a collection of genealogy, geography, camp fire stories, attempts to systemize codes of ethics, recommended prayers and forms of worship, and so much more.

It is very much written by . . . human beings.

 

[AgnosticBoy]

I'm just going to say it.

The Bible is a collection of genealogy, geography, camp fire stories, attempts to systemize codes of ethics, recommended prayers and forms of worship, and so much more.

It is very much written by . . . human beings.

I might be confusing you with someone else, but I think elsewhere you've said that the story isn't literal.

In general, I tend to take the biblical stories to be literal unless there's reason to believe otherwise. If the only reason is that there was an extraordinary event, the talking animal, then that is not enough to say it is not literal. Of course, such event could not happen naturally, but would only happen in a supernatural way. I'm just curious what the accent of the donkey would sound like, lol

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

I might be confusing you with someone else, but I think elsewhere you've said that the story isn't literal.

I think you are thinking of someone else.

Okay, I’m an atheist-agnostic, or an agnostic-atheist.

Now, this said, I like the whole philosophy and attitude of the Lord’s Prayer, especially the part about our daily bread and about forgiving our trespasses just as we forgive those who trespass against us.

I’m very open to Pagan beliefs, in large part because when I was 26 I had a girlfriend who was both Christian and Pagan. She was more than okay with it, and so was I.

 

[Multicolored Lemur]

This is maybe the best philosophy book on ethics in the English language [on my limited reading]

See especially the last three chapters on the death penalty, war, and “moral distance.” Now, at the end of the day it is written by a philosophy person, which means it’s about developing and extending a theory. Sometimes I prefer a good biography about a particular person facing particular choices and challenges.

I put this up here because we atheists have it thrown at us again and again, Well, how can you have ethics without God? I say, There are many ways to have ethics! (with or without God, and religious persons are not always the best living people)