I just don't get this!

 

Honestly, I am at a loss for words.  How to explain this?  We are told that God is a God of justice.  Yet this seems so unjust.  Try as I might, I just don't see how God's actions here are just in any way.  Hmm.

 

Here is where this gets interesting.  You know of my belief in looking for confirmation of Biblical principals in both the Old and New Testament.  We have that situation here. I will cover what that similar situation is after you read the verses.

 

Numbers 22:18-35(NKJV)

Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. 

Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.”

And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 

So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 

Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 

Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 

And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again. 

Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 

And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”

So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.”

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 

And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me. 

The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

And Balaam said to the Angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. Now therefore, if it displeases You, I will turn back.”

Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
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Balaam has been exceptionally loyal to God from the very beginning.  Always inquiring of God before answering so that he knew he was doing what God wanted.  God tells him "if the men call in the morning go with them".  They call in the morning so Balaam goes with them just as God told him to do!  And then God gets pissed at Balaam for doing exactly what God told Him to do!  What the hell?

To top it off, God gives Balaam a bunch of shit about it and then when all is said and done God tells Balaam to "go with the men but only the words I give you shall you speak".  Again, what the hell?  That is all Balaam has done from the very beginning!!!!!

Does that seem just to you???????

Ok, so here is a similar situation from the New Testament.  There is the story of Jesus walking up to a fig tree and condemning that tree to die because it had no fruit on it……even though it wasn't the season for figs.  So an innocent fig tree was unjustly killed by God (Jesus in the flesh).

 

So this brings us to some interesting questions.  Is it a mere coincidence that we have similar stories in both the old and new T or is this God's way of calling attention to a subtle point that He wants us to understand?  Is God a God of justice or not?  Were God's actions in these two cases unjust?

 

We seem to have some contradictions. 

As Ayn Rand said "Contradictions do not exist.  If you think you have found one, check your premise.".  (yes I get the irony of quoting an atheiest. :)

Hmm.  As I said above, I have no explanation at this time.  One of the great things decades of Bible study has taught me is to trust God always!  He will provide the answer to this puzzle when I need to know it.  I can't wait to hear the answer!