If I Could Ask One Question of Balaam, I would ask “Did the Donkey Speak With an Accent?”

“God’s anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck it again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!” But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face. The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.” Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now therefore, if it is displeasing to you, I will return home.” Numbers 22:22-34

The story of Balaam and his donkey is one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament.   G-d is angry with Balaam, and so has taken a stand to contend with him. Balaam, unable to see what the donkey sees, is blind to how he has angered G-d. While G-d is trying to put Balaam on a different path, Balaam is trying to do the same to the donkey. And, Balaam is not think about G-d at all. He thinks, “You stupid donkey! Why did you do that to me?” As such, he does not say anything at this point but beats the poor donkey. His injury does not cause him to consider at all that G-d may be trying to get his attention. It never comes to mind that G-d may be telling him something. He takes all his pain and rage out on this innocent donkey, which was only trying to obey G-d.

The confrontation continues between Balaam and his donkey until finally the donkey has had enough. And he speaks his anger at Balaam: “Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?”

When the donkey spoke to Balaam, I wonder if he had an accent? This is the question I would ask Balaam because, well, I have never heard a donkey speak. Do donkey’s from the southern states in America speak with a southern accent? Do the donkeys from Appalachia speak with a regional accent? Of course, if I ever encountered a talking donkey, I am not so sure what I would do. But, I would at least take note of his or her accent.

That is the question I would ask Balaam. What is your question for Balaam? 

Pastor Dave

If I Could Ask One Question of Ezekiel, I would ask “Was it a UFO?”

As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the earth beside the living creatures, one for each of the four of them.  As for the appearance of the wheels and their construction: their appearance was like the gleaming of beryl; and the four had the same form, their construction being something like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they moved in any of the four directions without veering as they moved. Their rims were tall and awesome, for the rims of all four were full of eyes all around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels moved beside them; and when the living creatures rose from the earth, the wheels rose. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, and the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When they moved, the others moved; when they stopped, the others stopped; and when they rose from the earth, the wheels rose along with them; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.” Ezekiel 10:9-17

This vision that Ezekiel is certainly a strange vision. There have been many attempts to explain the vision, but without witnesses, it would be hard to know what he was seeing. I have included a picture that one person painted to give some context to the vision. Each wheel was two wheels in one, with one apparently set inside the other at right angles which enabled the “living creatures” to move in any direction instantly without having to turn, like a flash of lightning. These wheels had the appearance of chrysolite, which may have been a topaz or other semiprecious stone. The outer rim of the wheels was described as high and awesome with the outer edge of the rims inset with “eyes”. And the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. As a result, the creatures were able to move any direction the wheels moved.

Most biblical scholars hold to the idea that the mobility of the wheels suggests the omnipresence of G-d; and the eyes to G-d’s omniscience. The elevation of the wheels describes G-d’s His omnipotence. This vision appeared to Ezekiel as a powerful statement of G-d’s divine nature.

Of course, there are those who believe that Ezekiel’s vision was something else more terrestrial – or should I say extra-terrestrial. Instead of believing that the vision was from G-d, they believe Ezekiel saw a spaceship – and was trying to make sense of his UFO sighting.

No matter what you believe, I would want to ask Ezekiel this simple question: Was it a spaceship, or something truly “Otherwordly”? What question would you like to ask Ezekiel?

Pastor Dave