Balaam and the Concept of 'Tempting God'
Balaam is a character from the Bible that most people are familiar with, even if not by name. He's the guy from the Old Testament who was spoken to by a donkey. Most of us who are familiar with the story know the very basics, that Balaam was riding a donkey down the road. The animal then saw an angel holding a sword standing in the way and rightfully got spooked. Balaam tried to force the animal to proceed anyway, which caused the donkey to miraculously cry out, using human language, and Balaam to eventually perceive the angel also. Recently and for the first time ever, I decided to read the entire story of Balaam. I wanted to know why was there an angel on the road ready to kill him to begin with. What did he do that was so wrong? And what I found is deeply interesting, perhaps more so than your average Old Testament tale, in understanding how the Most High relates to people. BALAAM, THE PROPHET Balaam was actually a prophet. And the first int...