LEX

we haven't gotten any smarter in the past 2000 years

so i'm reading through the old testament with two friends. it's been great to be able to discuss it with them, because through discussion i get a much better grasp on what actually happened. and that's important as you read through a book like numbers that has a bunch of lists and laws. it's easy to miss the story of a talking donkey if you're trying to bypass those lists and don't have someone there to ask you what you thought about it.

so yeah, talking donkey's. it's a little crazy, right? right. but then again, as humans we're a little crazy, too.

the Israelites have left egypt, and this guy balak sees them coming and gets scared cause there's so many of them. so he asks balaam, a diviner, to curse them. balaam, though he is not one of God's chosen people, gets a word from the Lord that he can NOT curse them, but must bless them. he tells balak this but, because he really wants to go with balak (he offered pretty good compensation), decides to pray a little more. God gives him the same answer. but he goes anyway. and that, my friends, is why he had a donkey talking to him. you ignore God, and he'll start talking to you through an ass.

and as balaam follows balak, he continues to bless the israelites - not curse them as balak wants. he does this FOUR times. and each time balak say, well, maybe if we go over here, God will change his mind. but nope, God doesn't change his mind.

so why do we do this? we pray and ask God for answers. He gives them to us. but we don't like them, so we think if we just pray a little more, He'll change His mind. ummm...no. it doesn't work that way. you see, God is wise. more wise than we ever will be or we will ever understand. and what he says, goes.

i think we could avoid a lot of mess if we'd simply listen to God when he speaks to us. let's try that today.

posted by Alexia & Jeffrey @ 8:52 AM