Interview with Balaam’s Donkey
By Kathy Applebee
CHARACTERS: 2
PROPS: None specified
SETTING: TV or radio show
RUN TIME: Approximately 6 minutes
Based on Numbers 22 – 24, 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Rev. 2:14
VONTRICE: Welcome to Animal World. I’m Vontrice Veterinarian the host of this show. On every show we examine the wonders of God creation in the animal world. As you know, on my show, animals are able to speak with human voices. But how many of you knew about a donkey who spoke with a human voice in the Bible? We will be interviewing that donkey from Numbers 22-24 today.
VONTRICE: Welcome to the show. What’s your name?
JENNY: Jenny. In fact, all female donkeys are called Jennies.
VONTRICE: Where were you and Balaam living?
JENNY: In the desert area around Moab. It was a tough area, but we donkeys were fashioned by God to do quite well in a land with little water or grass.
VONTRICE: That is quite different than … say, horses.
JENNY: Very different. We are smaller than horses, have a tail that looks more like a cows tail and our voices carry almost 2 miles.
VONTRICE: Two miles! Why?
JENNY: In the wild, donkeys do not live in close herds as horses and ponies because food is generally scarce. That means there isn’t a lot of food. Our HEE-Haw has to carry over great distances so we can keep in contact with one another.
VONTRICE: I guess that’s why God created you with such big ears.
JENNY: Precisely. God knew we’d need larger ears also allow us to hear the distant calls of our friends and neighbors. We can communicate in sign language using our ears.
VONTRICE: That is fascinating.
JENNY: Our long ears also help keep us cool in the hot desert heat. We donkeys are some of God’s finest creations.
VONTRICE: Tell us about what happened before you spoke like a human the first time..
JENNY: King Balak had seen how God was with Israel. They had heard how he had helped them leave Egypt.
VONTRICE: Yes, Egypt was one of the world powers at that time. Go on.
JENNY: Balak and all the Moabites and Midianites were very afraid. King Balak tried to hire Balaam to come curse them. The first time, my master Balaam, wisely refused because God told him not to go.
VONTRICE: What happened the second time?
JENNY: God told Balaam he could go, but God was angry about it.
VONTRICE: Was that because He loved the Israelites and didn’t want anything bad to happen to them?
JENNY: Yes. Balaam was riding on me. Suddenly an angel of the LORD was standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, so I turned off the road into a field. Balaam didn’t see the angel and started beating me.
VONTRICE: How awful.
JENNY: Yes. I got back on the road once the angel had moved. Then the angel appeared a second time. He looked like he might use his sharp sword on Balaam so I pressed close to the wall. Unfortunately that crushed Balaam's foot against it.
VONTRICE: Did he see the angel?
JENNY: No. He was too busy hitting me again.
VONTRICE: How mean. People shouldn’t hit their animals.
JENNY: I agree. Especially when I was just trying to protect Balaam. We donkeys are very protective, you know.
VONTRICE: I didn’t know that.
JENNY” We are. We are often put with sheep or goats because if a fox or dog or coyote comes to hurt one, we’ll protect the animals like they are one of our own. If we hear any strange noises with our big ears we will voice a warning to the herd and chase off the predator.
VONTRICE: A predator like a fox or coyote that might try to eat a sheep or goat or calf?
JENNY: Right. Donkeys are slower and less powerful than horses but we are extremely intelligent animals. We have a strong sense of survival.
VONTRICE: Then what happened?
JENNY: We were back on the road to King Balak’s when the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place between two vineyards with walls on both sides. There was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.
VONTRICE: What did you do?
JENNY: What any intelligent creature would. I lay down. If a donkey deems something as dangerous we simply won’t do it,. In times of panic or danger horses will run away but donkeys, will simply freeze.
VONTRICE: Did Balaam finally see the danger?
JENNY: No, he started hitting me again. God then gave me the ability to speak like a person. I said “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam was so angry he didn’t even notice a donkey was talking to him. He says “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”
VONTRICE: He was going to kill you?!!!
JENNY: Yes, for saving his life. I said “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you? Then the angel of the Lord spoke to him and asked “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.”
VONTRICE: Did that finally get his attention?
JENNY: Yes. The angel told him that I had turned away these three times and had saved his life. He did add “ I would certainly have killed you” meaning Balaam, “ by now, but I would have spared her.”
VONTRICE: What a close call for Balaam.
JENNY: Unfortunately, my master did not learn his lesson permanently. He did bless the Israelites instead of cursing them after this incident. However, later on, he really messed up.
VONTRICE: I think I remember something in the New Testament about that.
JENNY: The New Testament writers talk not one, not twice, but three times about Balaam. And it isn’t good.
VONTRICE: Can you give us an example?
JENNY: Sure. Both Peter and Jude talk about Balaam rushing off to do evil to make a profit. Peter says “wages of wickedness”
VONTRICE: That is too bad.
JENNY: Very much so. How quickly you humans forget God’s graciousness.
VONTRICE: I wish God had given humans ears as big as you donkeys have. We need to listen to him better.
JENNY: And big ears sure do help you be quick to listen.
VONTRICE: So what lesson do you think our listeners should take away with them after hearing your story?
JENNY: Besides how important it is to listen to God, they should remember it is always important to protect other by warning them when they are headed for danger. I mean, if God can speak through a donkey, he can speak through human beings made in his image.
VONTRICE: Jenny, thank you so much for being on Animal World today. Stay tuned for further adventures in God’s wonderful world of animals.
PRODUCTION NOTES:
If you have internet access, the following battleship style game is entitled Biblical donkeys.
http://www.quia.com/ba/194987.html
| 
