Then God’s anger was aroused because he (Balaam) went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
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?”
29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”
And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”
Balaam didn't listen when the Lord told him not to go with Balak's entourage to curse the Israelites, so the Lord used Balaam's donkey to circumvent his plans. Animals and humans do not, as a rule, have verbal communication with each other, so to have the donkey talk to Balaam is very humorous to us. Interestingly, Balaam didn't think it was at all strange that his donkey was talking to him. I wonder if the animals spoke with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden before they committed the first sin, and whether animals will be speaking with us in the Millennial Kingdom? Something to think about, for sure.
Jehu the Speed Racer
2 Kings 9:20:
So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!”
This must be the first recorded incidence of speeding in the Bible. The mental image of Jehu driving his chariot furiously makes us laugh. If Jehu was alive today, he would have been a NASCAR driver or an Indy 500 driver. Jehu's fast (as in driving) reputation must have been known far and wide for the watchman to know it was him before he even saw him. You have to feel sorry for Jehu's poor horses though, for having to run so fast.
The god Dagon and the ark of God
1Samuel 5:1-6:
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
Since they were not Israelites, the Philistines did not know the commandment not to put other gods before God. God was angry that His ark was in the temple of a false god. So He made Dagon, the Philistines' god, fall on its face before the ark. The Philistines must have thought it was a fluke that Dagon had fallen over, so they set Dagon back in its place. The next day, Dagon was found on its face with its head and both of its hands broken off on the threshold, with only its torso remaining. It is funny to see God showing the Philistines He was better than their god.
There are many more humorous stories in the Bible, so if you have a favorite that I haven't listed here, drop them in a comment below.
Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!
Diane
