*Even though chapter 21 tells us the Israelites took possession of and settled in the land of the Amorites, plus made war with Bashan to the north, this chapter tells us they were still on the move. Now they are camping along the Jordan, across the river from Jericho.
*I became confused about many of the places mentioned in these chapters. The Israelites should have gone through or around the land of the Moabites to get to the land of the Amorites, but now we seem to be backtracking . If you look at the maps of the land of Canaan,(There are a number of different maps to flip through) you can see where the different tribal kingdoms are supposed to have been. Anyway, now Balaak, the son of the King of Moab, listened to his fellow Moabites , who were terrified that the Israelite hordes would decimate their land. So, some Moabite princes went to visit Balaam, who was apparently a practitioner of the long lost fake art of divination, plus had the power to bless and curse people. They wanted Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. He promised to give them a message from Yahweh.
*God told Balaam not to put a curse on the Israelites and not to go with the princes of Moab. Balaam told the princes this, and the King's son offered him anything he wanted if Balaam would put a curse on the Israelites. Balaam talked to God again and was told to go with the Moabites now.
*So, in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey to go with the princes of Moab, just like God told him to. But now God is mad, for who knows what reason. His angel stood in the road with a drawn sword, blocking the way. The donkey saw the Angel and refused to go down the road. Balaam beat her. The angel made a game of block the donkey as Balaam went along. Each time, Balaam beat her. Finally, she just lay down and asked why Balaam has beaten her. Balaam took his talking donkey as a matter of course and said it's because she made him look foolish. Then they had a little chat, and Balaam realized something was up when he personally saw the Angel with the sword. So, Balaam apologized to the Angel, not the donkey, and offered to turn back. But no, God still wanted him to go on. Huh?
*Balaam got to Balak and told him he could only speak the words God put in his mouth. Then Balak and the other princes had a bbq (sacrifice) and shared it with Balaam.
And if you believe in talking donkeys, I have a bridge to sell you.
Edited for grammar and spelling.
*I became confused about many of the places mentioned in these chapters. The Israelites should have gone through or around the land of the Moabites to get to the land of the Amorites, but now we seem to be backtracking . If you look at the maps of the land of Canaan,(There are a number of different maps to flip through) you can see where the different tribal kingdoms are supposed to have been. Anyway, now Balaak, the son of the King of Moab, listened to his fellow Moabites , who were terrified that the Israelite hordes would decimate their land. So, some Moabite princes went to visit Balaam, who was apparently a practitioner of the long lost fake art of divination, plus had the power to bless and curse people. They wanted Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. He promised to give them a message from Yahweh.
*God told Balaam not to put a curse on the Israelites and not to go with the princes of Moab. Balaam told the princes this, and the King's son offered him anything he wanted if Balaam would put a curse on the Israelites. Balaam talked to God again and was told to go with the Moabites now.
*So, in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey to go with the princes of Moab, just like God told him to. But now God is mad, for who knows what reason. His angel stood in the road with a drawn sword, blocking the way. The donkey saw the Angel and refused to go down the road. Balaam beat her. The angel made a game of block the donkey as Balaam went along. Each time, Balaam beat her. Finally, she just lay down and asked why Balaam has beaten her. Balaam took his talking donkey as a matter of course and said it's because she made him look foolish. Then they had a little chat, and Balaam realized something was up when he personally saw the Angel with the sword. So, Balaam apologized to the Angel, not the donkey, and offered to turn back. But no, God still wanted him to go on. Huh?
*Balaam got to Balak and told him he could only speak the words God put in his mouth. Then Balak and the other princes had a bbq (sacrifice) and shared it with Balaam.
And if you believe in talking donkeys, I have a bridge to sell you.
Edited for grammar and spelling.
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