{"id":3504,"date":"2016-08-23T12:04:42","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T12:04:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/?p=3504"},"modified":"2016-08-23T12:24:25","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T12:24:25","slug":"balaam-and-the-donald-the-almighty-works-in-mysterious-ways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/balaam-and-the-donald-the-almighty-works-in-mysterious-ways\/","title":{"rendered":"Balaam and \u201cThe Donald\u201d: The Almighty works in mysterious ways"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Tom Brennan,<\/p>\n

Bible readers and students are familiar with the narrative of the Oracle Balaam and his assignment to curse the oncoming Israelites. Led by Moses, inspired by The Almighty the huge migration of Israelites, journeymen and aliens to the camp were on the march to return to the place given in all perpetuity to Abraham and his descendants. Jacob had responded to an invitation from Pharaoh to dwell in Egypt after a famine had devastated the land. As they would in Babylon later, the land in Egypt agreed with them and they stayed and \u201cincreased and multiplied\u201d until a Pharaoh (most likely in reaction to the recent expulsion of the Hyksos invaders) disenfranchised the 12 tribes and placed them in an apartheid like position. Little is known of this time with no prophets or leader but the tribes maintained their identity and coherence until Moses entered the scene and under the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night led them towards their destiny at Sinai.<\/p>\n

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The LORD works in mysterious ways<\/p><\/div>Balaam was an oracle, a pagan priest\/ seer who was called by King to curse the advancing and victorious tribes. A suitable \u201clove offering\u201d was given and the Oracle set off on his donkey to deliver the curse. I work with donkeys. They are intriguing, intelligent and mysterious. They seem to hear what we don\u2019t, see what we can\u2019t and perceive what we don\u2019t perceive. Or maybe we just think that.<\/p>\n

The donkey saw an angel standing with a sharp sword, blocking Balaam\u2019s way. Trying to go left or right didn\u2019t work. The donkey stopped and would not move. Balaam did what most poor riders do; he hit the donkey with his stick. The donkey \u201cspoke\u201d to Balaam and said \u201cwhy are you hitting me, dumbbell? Don\u2019t you see the big guy with the wings, and the sword?\u201d (Or words to that effect).<\/p>\n

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