{"id":21668,"date":"2024-03-27T14:09:27","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T18:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jaredingle\/?p=21668"},"modified":"2024-03-27T14:09:27","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T18:09:27","slug":"balaam-hearing-god-unusually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jaredingle\/2024\/03\/balaam-hearing-god-unusually\/","title":{"rendered":"Balaam | Hearing God Unusually"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
The story of Balaam can be found in\u00a0Numbers 22-24<\/a><\/p>\n
It is certainly a prophetic story that is unusual.<\/p>\n
Some scholars believe that Jethro, Job, and Balaam are all contemporaries. They are each Seers or Prophets in their respective regions, possibly also advisors to Pharaoh.<\/p>\n
Balaam seems to be the one who is most steeped in false religion. He openly practices divination, an alternative way of getting in touch with the spiritual realm. However, there are really not two spiritual realms.<\/p>\n
As a free moral agent, Balaam enters the spiritual realm in Numbers, and encounters God by choice. Well, he does encounter an angel and a talking donkey along the way. Nonetheless he chooses against great odds to speak the words of the Lord.<\/p>\n
Before and after this encounter with God, Balaam has the worst track record with God when compared to Jethro and Job. \u00a0There are a handful of other Scriptures attesting to this. Nonetheless, Balaam speaks oracles of God, blesses Israel, when he is hired to curse Israel, and the Spirit of God is said to have rested on him.<\/p>\n
This is all I care to share about the story. Read it for yourself. It is quite fascinating.<\/p>\n