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2 Peter 2:16
16 But [de] was [echo] rebuked [elegxis] for his [idios] iniquity [paranomia]: the dumb [aphonos] ass [hupozugion] speaking [phtheggomai] with [en] man's [anthropos] voice [phone] forbad [koluo] the madness [paraphronia] of the prophet [prophetes]. KJV-Interlinear
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. NASB
The dumb donkey is often times referred to as an ass, or a beast of burden. The word for dumb means, one who cannot speak, or one without voice. We covered the Balaam episode a very long time ago. I don’t even think that those studies are online anymore.
But if you were with this study long ago, then you recall the humor of the Old Testament language, with Balaam (an intellectual ass), sitting on his rear end (his posterior ass), riding his ass (the beast of burden, the donkey or burro), and suddenly the ass speaks. Not that this is humorous in total, but Balaam did not catch on when he himself began talking back to (not to mention beating), his ass.
I hope you have a sense of humor. Maybe you had to have been there.
Anyway, the situation was a serious one. Balak wanted to destroy all of Israel, which means that he wanted to kill the entire nation. He sent Balaam, to curse them. And God prevented it all with a dumb animal.
The power of man, regardless of what that power is, is no stronger than a dumb animal. The silliness of God is far more powerful than anything in this world.
Life is a serious business, and people generally take themselves too seriously for their lack of knowledge.
Arrogance rises from the absence of doctrine, and without doctrine, arrogance blinds people to even the silliest of situations.
Isn’t that why we have evolution theories – intelligent man rising out of muck or fish or monkey’s and such? Isn’t that why people get on the bandwagon of the most controversial topics of any given day? Isn’t that why the world was once thought to be flat, and if you disagreed then you were a heretic and executed? Rather drastic sentence for simply thinking something different. Isn’t that why people are socially ostracized for being different? Isn’t that why people often threaten to leave or change or throw you to the wolves, simply because you say or do something they don’t like?
Be careful now. Check your mirror and make sure we aren’t talking about you!!! After all, when was the last time you talked with your … a … donkey?
The Bible is not here to entertain you in the serious business of life, but sometimes it takes a donkey to open your eyes. Balaam finally woke up, but unfortunately, not for long.
