I read in Numbers 22:34 about the talking donkey. I've read that before and love the magical possibility that animals actually can talk. Seriously, real talking animals! I wonder if my minis can talk?
Sounds harsh, doesn't it? Why should we be held accountable for something we don't know exists?
Read the whole story in Numbers 22. You'll see the behavior Balaam uses when he ignores the donkey's attempts to protect him. It's interesting that the angel is perfectly visible to the animal. (Now I'm curious if that's normal for all animals, to be able to see the supernatural as we see the mundane.)
But the fact that Balaam ignores something he knows well, his donkey. She doesn't behave this way. He knows it and admits it. Yet he beats her three times to make her do his will. This is unusual or the donkey wouldn't question it as she does. Balaam normally trusts the donkey.
So what is the sin? He knew something was out of the ordinary and still he pushed ahead. He really wasn't ignorant. He was guilty of ignoring the signs.
Now I get it. Now I understand how my willful pushing ahead can be the sin of ignorance. I missed the signs sent to protect me.
Wow, interesting truth. Now I can pray for eyes to see the signs, to see when something normal behaves differently. And I understand why we pray for forgiveness of the unknown sin. Once it's known, we easily slap our foreheads and say, "Duh!". Hindsight.
Has that happened to you?
5 comments:
That's interesting. I guess ignorance and ignoring is what we pray against when we say "may not my will, but your will be done." Sometimes I say it out of fear from the foolishness of myself. As a sin, it is destructive, a moving away from god. It is an act against what we are called to be. We fear to be molded and changed by god, but it is better than to be hard, cold, and resistant to God's good compellation. (if that's the right word I'm looking for) Can you tell I just had a duh moment as well. It's definitely something I struggle with all the time.
Me too, Kelsey. So good to hear from you!! I think you have a great point too. Not my will, but thine... I think we all struggle with it in our humanity. The big thing is to keep our eyes open for the answers. I think Balaam was praying, he just wasn't watching for the answers. It really surprised me when that part dawned on me. I do that all the time!
Angie
Ewwww. Praying but not looking for the answers. That complicates things. Guilty of it for sure. Sometimes I wonder too how to search or look for these answers in prayer.
I think we get so caught up in looking for miracle answers that we look past common and mundane answers, like a donkey moving aside. How much more common can that be for Balaam? But in the common, it's uncommon for that donkey. So when something so small looks or acts differently, I think I might be more prone to notice now. I hope :)
Sometimes its so hard to see the signs God thrusts in front of our eyes.
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