Balaam and the Talking Donkey
There was once a king named Balak, who ruled over the land of Moab. He was afraid of the Israelites because they were growing in number and strength. To weaken them, Balak decided to hire a prophet named Balaam, asking him to place a curse on Israel. Balaam agreed and set out on his journey, riding his donkey.
As Balaam traveled, something extraordinary happened. His donkey suddenly stopped in the middle of the road and refused to move forward. Unknown to Balaam, an angel of the Lord was standing in the path, blocking the way with a drawn sword. The donkey, however, could see the angel, and out of fear, it veered off the road. Balaam, unaware of what was happening, became frustrated and hit the donkey to get it moving again.
When the donkey stopped a second and third time, Balaam struck it even harder. Then, in a miraculous moment, God opened the donkey’s mouth, and it spoke to Balaam, asking, “Why are you beating me? What have I done to deserve this?”
At that moment, Balaam’s eyes were opened, and he finally saw the angel standing in front of him. He realized that his donkey had actually saved him from walking into danger. This event showed Balaam that God was in control and that he could not go against God’s will, even if he had been hired to curse Israel.
Bible Verse:
“Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?’” — Numbers 22:28