A response to "Wacky Bible Stories 2"

A response to "Wacky Bible Stories 2" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF47aO4VLy0

You raise valid questions, unfortunately the answer was before you but you skipped past it.

There are sections of Numbers which, if taken out of context can be INCREDIBLY confusing. God actually did not change His mind, he was allowing Balaam to be exposed and putting Balak in his place.
When the bible says that Balak sent messengers, remember that it also said he sent them with a "divination fee." They wanted to hire Balaam to divine a curse against the people of Israel. Then, like a fool he goes to the God of Israel and asks his permission to to take this money and curse God's people. And God responds, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people because they are blessed."

So Balaam tells the messengers he cannot. But then they don't just return with distinguished princes, they returned with princes authorized to give more money. Balak wanted to sweeten the pot. Since this money changed Balaam's mind, he hoped it would change God's. Balaam was being greedy.

He WANTED to take that money. God doesn't violate our free will, but he WILL allow any path that we choose against him to be more difficult, and sometimes blocked.

He says, "since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." Romans 1:28 and Genesis 6:5 "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time."

So when Balaam asked a second time to curse the people of Israel for money, God tested him, and he failed. He gave him up to his desires and told him to go, and Balaam was happy to be "gettin paper."

The complication here is that now, Balaam has essentially walked away from and turned away from God for the purpose of bringing harm to his people. Ergo, send in the Angel of Lord to defend them. But Balaam eyes and ears had been closed to the truth because of his evil desires and choices.

So God made Balaam to hear the his donkey that could see the Angel to which Balaam had made himself blind. But God will try to reach people even if the animals or rocks have to do the speaking: "You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it." Habakkuk 2:10-11; "“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”" Luke 19:40. Psalm 148 tells of all the creatures and creations that are made to praise the Lord. Simply put however, the animals have no choice but to do as God commands.

Free will is a right extended only to people. So, if by his very nature, God would cause a sheep to get Moses' attention, or the stones and woodwork of a house to obey Him, if we wanted to get Balaam's attention, who'd been driven mad by money and inconveniences (2 Peter 2:16), then yes, he could and would make a donkey talk, or appear to Balaam as doing so.

Now, about the claim that God never sent him another message, that is false. In fact, God inherently delivers this very same message to Balak that Balaam should have given to the first group of messengers: "Don't put a curse on those people because they are blessed." (Num 22:12); "How can I curse whose whom God has not cursed?" (Num 23:8) But this message wasn't good enough for Balak. He was determined to appease God with sacrifices because he rejected God's word.

But God says "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22) But this was already told to us in the story of Cain and Abel: "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering," (Gen 4:4)

So Balak was trying to buy off the Lord God against His people. Instead of obeying Him, seeking Him or trusting Him, Balak tried to turn to divination and bribery and brought Balaam down with Him. They tried this bribery 5 times, and each time the Lord gave Balaam a message for Balak. "God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind...I have received a command to bless, he has blessed, and I cannot change it."(Num 23:19-20) "May those who bless you be blessed, and those who curse you be cursed!" (Num 24:9b)

And so Balaam blessed the Israelite people three times. This made Balak furious and he ordered him to go home with none of the financial compensation he'd promised. Now Balaam responds by saying even if you gave me all your silver and gold, I can do nothing but what the Lord commands. And then Balaam delivers a prophecy of Yeshwah the Messiah (Num 24:17, cross reference Mt. 2:2) and a second message about the coming victory over Amelek.

So, as you can see, God put both Balak and Balaam through the fire. He gave Balaam multiple opportunities to be obedient and stand on His word. Then he gave Balak an opportunity to be obedient and understand that he could neither curse nor defeat those whom God called blessed and victorious. The donkey speaking was merely to get Balaam to wake up to the sin of covetousness and greed which he'd committed in his heart by desiring Balak's prizes over the Word of God.