Nu. 22: Balaam's Donkey

Numbers 22:28 "Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Israel moved on to Moab, where Balak the King was well aware of what Israel had done to the Amorites. And he was scared, terrified. And who wouldn't be? God was clearly with these people, so Balak sends for a sorcerer named Balaam. In his letter to Balaam, Balak says that with a curse on Israel, "Perhaps" he will be able to defeat them. There's no sense of certainty. He also notes that with Balaam, "those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed." Very similar to the language God uses when making His promise to Abram.

God came to Balaam, who apparently was not an Israelite, but was apparently useful to God anyway. Interesting that God asks Balaam who these people with him are. Not because God didn't know, but more likely as was the case with Adam, to get Balaam to speak with him as to what he is doing. Balaam tells God the message from Balak, and God gives Balaam instructions not to go with Balak's men. Was Balaam in wonder at all that he was talking to God? As a sorcerer, perhaps he was accustomed to supernatural and paranormal phenomenon.

Balak offered Balaam almost anything as a reward, but still Balaam recognized who God was, and refused to do what Balak wanted. God eventually told Balaam to go with the men, but to do only what God tells him to do. So the next morning, Balaam goes with the men, but God gets angry. I'm not sure why, unless there was something in Balaam's heart that was dishonest or selfish ($reward$). So God puts the angel of the LORD in front of Balaam as he is riding along with his donkey. The donkey had enough innate sense not to mess with the angel of the LORD, and it he been visible, I'm sure Balaam wouldn't have either.

The donkey is beaten each time it swerves off the road and eventually lays down. Finally, God opens the donkey's mouth, and it asks Balaam if she'd ever done this to him, which she had apparently not done. Balaam doesn't freak out with this talking donkey, again, because he's probably seen some weird stuff with his divination.

Balaam's heart is refocused, and he continues to follow Balak's men. When he meet's Balak, Balak gets all mad, because he sent for him a long time ago, and wants this Israel problem taken care of. Balaam is like Frank Martin. He has rules, and one of them is to speak only what God put in his mouth. He doesn't fake anything.

This brings up the apparent supernatural powers outside of God's that non-Israelite people have, ie, Pharaoh's priests. Where is it from?