Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Category: Bible Animals

Lessons for the Donkey – pure and faithful

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On April 22, 2009

In Bible Animals, Christian

Numbers 22 in the Bible, records a fascinating story of an apostate and greedy man named Balaam that was summoned by Balak, the king of Moab, to ensure victory over the Israelites, the children of God. Balaam saddles his donkey and gets going, but the angel of LORD appears to be seen first only by the donkey, that refuses to proceed. This makes Balaam angry who strikes the donkey, not once, not twice but three times. Many preachers have expanded on the characters, Balaam and Balak, the angel of the LORD etc but there is a lot to be learned from, whom I deem is another main character in the story – the donkey.

What can we learn from the donkey?

  1. The donkey was able to see the angel of God.
    (Verse 23 – Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand.)
  2. The donkey could not only speak but also count. Fascinating, isn’t it?
    (Verse 28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.)
  3. The donkey was faithful as a servant.
    (Verse 30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted.)
  4. The donkey saved a life.
    (Verses 32 and 33
    32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.
    33     Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”)

Point(s) to ponder.

  1. Are we able to see the messengers (angels and people) of God or are we so stubbornly resisting God’s will that we are blind to seeing those around us, who are warning us to live Holy and Blameless lives? Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (not only be able to see God’s messengers, but God himself)
  2. We may feel many a times like the donkey, foolish and not very wise, weak and not very strong, yet God was able to open the mouth of the donkey to speak and open his mind to count. When we feel foolish and weak, we can take solace in 1 Corinthians 1:27 that states “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.“
  3. The final accolade that all those who believe in Jesus and are called to serve must be to receive the following testament from God – “Well done, my good and faithful servant”. The donkey has subserviently catered for his master faithfully, all his life. Are we doing the same?
  4. Are we saving the lives of those around us by sharing with them the glorious and beautiful story of Salvation and preventing them from proceeding in their way to the second death (spiritual death) in hell.

Numbers 22:21-34 (New Living Translation)
21 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials.
22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,
23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.
25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all.
27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.
29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.
33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”
34 Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

Lessons from the Caterpillar – unquenchable appetite / metamorphosis

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On April 21, 2009

In Bible Animals, Christian

Whenever my wife or I read the children’s book, “The very hungry caterpillar” by Eric Carle, to our three year old, Reuben, it always brings a twinkle in his eyes as he responds, saying “no he was still hungry”, to our question – was he (the caterpillar) full?

The Bible mentions caterpillars (the young of locusts) in Psalm 105 with the same unquenchable appetite that led it to devour all things. This was no doubt execution of God’s punishments Pharaoh and the Egyptians, who were oppressing God’s chosen people and were unwilling to let them go to worship God.

From the caterpillar we can learn to have an unquenchable appetite as well. An unquenchable appetite to do God’s will and to please God. Jesus himself said, “my food is to do that will of the God, who sent him and to complete the work”. We must do likewise as well.

Eric Carle’s book, ends with the hungry caterpillar transforming itself into a beautiful butterfly. In science, this is called  metamorphosis. Christians (followers of Jesus) like caterpillars will metamorphose one day as well. Our earthly ephemeral bodies will be transformed into glorious heavenly bodies.

Point(s) to ponder:

  1. Are you/I hungry with a voracious appetite to do God’s will?
  2. Are you/I sure that you will transformed one day to have heavenly bodies and if so are you looking forward to your/mine metamorphosis?

Psalm 105: 34-35
34 He spake, and the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number,
35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

John 4: 34
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

1 Corinthians 15:40, 44b,49, 51, 52 and 53
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
44b There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Lessons from the Bee – impossible made possible

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On April 17, 2009

In Bible Animals, Christian

We watched the Bee movie of couple of months ago and the opening line stuck in my mind. The movie begins with “According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway. Because bees don’t care what humans think is impossible.”

Many times our human minds negate miraculous events around us because it concludes that such events are impossible. Events that defy human explanation such as healing and cure from a terminal disease, the barren women given birth, the comatose coming alive, the lame walking, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the mute speaking, the captive being set free, those in bondage being released, the dead being raised, and the one miracle that all should experience, which is the miracle of a sinner turning saint when they trust and believe in Jesus, all seem impossible to the human mind.

But the question that God asked Sarah (Abraham’s wife) when he laughed at the promise of her being with child in her nineties is the same question that God is asking today – Is anything too hard for the LORD?

Bees not only fly, but they can dance, because God made them to be able. God has made us in his image (Image Deo) and with Him on our side, we can achieve the impossible as well. Take heart in the fact that there is nothing impossible with God and like the bees, we don’t have to care what humans think is impossible.

Genesis 18:13-14
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Lessons from the Ant – be wise

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On April 16, 2009

In Bible Animals, Christian

Recently, my wife Sangeetha and I were watching the movie, the Ant Bully with Reuben, our three year old son and this piqued his interests to find out more about ants. This led to a barrage of questions, such as “Are ants good?”, “Are they bad?”, “Will they hurt us?”, “Are the black ants good and the red ants bad?”, yada yada yada … As we struggled hard to slake his inquisitive mind, it gave us a perfect opportunity to talk to him, about what the Bible said about ants and we came up with three things.

  1. Ants are hard working creatures. They are not lazy and they plan in advance (Proverbs 6:6-8)
    Even God plans. The Bible says that God has plans for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11); It should therefore not be incredible that one of God’s creations, irrespective of its size, has the same ability to plan for a rainy day in advance; How much more, we the apex of God’s creation should do likewise as well?
  2. Ants are not strong,  yet they know how to protect (scouts and soldier ants) and provide (foragers) food for the colony (Proverbs 30:25)
    Some scientists, entomologists and others object to this Bible verse that “ants are not strong”  by saying that ants can carry items many times heavier than what is their body size. While this is true, it however does not negate what the Bible says about ants as not being strong creatures. Two ways to look at the infallibility of the Bible are
    1. Strength in comparison to other creatures of God. In comparison, ants are not stronger than other creatures (you, the animals, the birds, the fish etc). and
    2. This should only bring awe in our minds the evokes praise that God in his brilliance created a creature (the ant) that though it is not strong, it can carry loads many times heavier than it body size.  What is more important to realize is that, it is not the strong that always win the battle (Eccl 9:11). David was not as strong as Goliath but the battle belonged to the Lord and David was on the Lord’s side. If you feel you are feeble, look at the ants and marvel at the God who created it and who makes the weak strong. Jesus said, if you are weak and heavy laden, come to me and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-29).
  3. Ants are wise
    As is evident with our observance of ants, entomologists report that ants live a social life and have ranks – queen, soldiers, scouts, foragers, workers etc … The infallible Bible reports that ants have not guide, overseer or ruler and this is true. None of the ranks observed play the role of a guide, overseer or ruler and yet they know how to be orderly. This is known to be because they are known to be effective communicators. They are wise. Did you notice in a colony of ants, there is no King, only a queen. Their ruler (King) is God. Our allegiance to follow the ruler of the universe (God) and communication amongst people (neighbors) must be the same as well.

Point(s) to ponder:

  • Go to the ant; consider her ways, and be wise:

Proverbs 6:6-8
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

Proverbs 30:25
25 The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

Matthew 11:28-29 (Words of Jesus)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

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