BALAAM SMACKS THAT ASS!!! part (1)

by cellomould 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  cellomould

  Jehovah's angel now passed by again and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside to the right or to the left. When the ass got to see Jehovah's angel she now lay down under Balaam; so that Balaam's anger blazed, and he kept beating the ass with his staff. Finally Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass and she said to Balaam: "What have I done to you so that you have beaten me these three times?"

  ~ Numbers 22:27-28

  Balaam inferred that God was talking to him through his ass. (Wait, that sentence doesn't sound right, does it?)

  It therefore must have been an angel that impeded his progess by making his ass stop. (That didn't sound exactly like I meant it, either. Sorry everyone, have patience.)

  So Balaam beat his ass mercilessly.

  This is funny!

  But a few serious points I got from the story of Balaam (chapters 22-24):

  1. Animals were considered by the ancients to be more sensitive to the presence of spirits

  2. Other tribes around Israel also worshipped Jehovah as their god

  3. The origin of prophecy was in diviners who used 'omens', bad or good. They actually walked to a certain location, studied the landscape, and took note of things that conveyed divine messages. This is how God talked to them. The poetry was all the prophet's own.

  Next post: Did Balaam put a curse on Israel to make the men lust after the Midianite women?

  cellomould

  "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
• 

  radar

  Cellmound

  Interesting!!

  I think this account highlights why its foolish to consider these acounts as factual.
  The Israelites were great story tellers, often taking stories from other sources and adding a moral to them to teach a lesson.
  Soddom and Gommorah is another one.

  look forward to you next post.

  Radar
• 

  cellomould

  Thanks Radar,

  Imagine if I told you today that God used my barking dog to alert me that I need to read the bible more.

  Why do I assert this?

  Perhaps because when I got up to see what the dog was barking at, I trip over the bible that was left lying on the floor.

  I need no more proof.

  But wouldn't YOU ask for more proof? Especially before telling all your friends about it?

  What the hell would make you believe that God was really trying to speak to me?

  The bible is just a collection of such "could have been inspired" accounts.

  Should we open a can of worms and talk about Sodom and Gomorrah?
  All I have to say is "could have been a volcano just as well".

  cellomould

  "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke
• 

  teejay

  Cellomould,

  I clicked on your thread early this morning only cause the title cracked me up. Funny as hell, dude! (I was over the posting limit or I'd have posted THEN!)

  From tickling my funny bone with the title, you kept my interest with a very insightful post, young man: Animals were considered by the ancients to be more sensitive to the presence of spirits; non-Israelites also worshipped Jehovah; and YHWH talked to people by the use of omens (a certain location, studied the landscape, and took note of things that conveyed divine messages). In all my years, all the time I read over this, I never got that from reading of this account. Very well done.

  I wonder what my friend unclebruce (or whatever he's calling himself today) would say about that last point – the use of omens in talking to god. I think he's commented on that before.

  I'm looking forward to Part II of this. Keep it up!

  peace,
  tj
• 

  cellomould

  I must admit teejay, I had a little help from outside sources. There is a book I have skimmed over called 'The Two Religions of Israel'. If you want the info for the book, check this thread:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=18329&site=3

  My eyes were opened a little wider by checking this stuff out.

  Thanks for the reply,

  cellomould

  "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke