...Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!” So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.” And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.” Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak... Numbers 22

Like many other Christians, I have a favorite story in the Bible. It isn't "Noah's Ark" or "Daniel in the Lion's Den," although these stories are spectacular accounts of God's power and faithfulness.

My favorite story in the Bible is found in the Numbers 22. Go ahead and take a look; it's the story of Balaam's donkey. You may ask, "Out of all the narratives in the Bible, why did she choose this one?" I'm so glad you asked.

This story illustrates an aspect of God's character that I find most intriguing - His sense of humor. When was the last time that you thought of God as having a sense of humor? So think about it - He allowed a donkey to backtalk a prophet! You have to admit, it's an amusing story.

It's true that God works in mysterious ways - it can also be said that He works in mischievous ways! When looking for answers from God, we take into account that His voice can be still and small, or perhaps audible, but let us not forget that sometimes our omnipotent God, in all of His infinite power and wisdom, looks down from His majestic throne and ... chuckles. God has a sense of humor only a father could have. He has ways of getting our attention, even if it means through the mouth of a ... well ... you know. mst

Additional verses to study: Genesis 17:1-17, 18:9-15, 21:5-7; Psalm 2:2-4; Psalm 126; Proverbs 17:22; Zephaniah 3:17; Matthew 23:24; Luke 9:53-54, Mark 3:17; Acts 12:5-15