Posted on 08/23/2020 6:20:33 AM PDT by Hebrews 11:6
. .
. .
. .
1 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
So Balak 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor. Balak said:
“6 Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me.”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent other officials.
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”
. .
by TAMAR MESSER
“Balak”
. .
by SUSIE LUBELL
“Balak”
. .
from Cassel’s The Child's Bible, 1880
“Balaam Receiving Balak's Messengers”
. .
. .
. .
. .
BALAAM AND HIS
TALKING DONKEY. .
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “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?”
“No,” he said.
. .
. .
by REMBRANDT
“Balaam and the Ass”
. .
. .
by Venetian School
“Balaam’s Ass”
. .
by YORAM RAANAN
“Balaam's Donkey”
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
by HARTMANN SCHEDEL
“God's Angel, Balaam and his Talking Donkey”
. .
. .
by JOANNE YOCHEVED HEILIGMAN
“Bilaam and His Talking Ass”
. .
. .
by PIETER LASTMAN
“Balaam and the Donkey”
. .
by PHILLIP RATNER
“Balaam, The Magician”
. .
. .
by JOHN LINNELL
“The Prophet Balaam and the Angel”
. .
. .
. .
by Nuremberg Chronicle, 1493
“Balaam and the Angel”
. .
by BARTHOLOMEUS BREENBERGH
“Coastal Landscape with Balaam and the Ass”
. .
. .
. .
. .
BALAAM, HIS DONKEY,
AND THE ANGEL. .
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “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. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.”
. .
by GUSTAV JAEGER
“Balaam Sees the Angel”
. .
“Balaam's Eyes Were Opened”
. .
from the 1890 Holman Bible
“Balaam and the Angel”
. .
by JAMES TISSOT
“Balaam and the Ass”
. .
from the 13th Century Psalter of Louis IX of France
“Balaam and the Angel”
. .
from a Medieval Spanish Bible
“Balaam and the Angel”
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
“The Appearance of the Archangel to Balaam”
St. Sophia of Kyiv, Ukraine; 1000 AD
. .
by JULIUS SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD
“Balaam’s Donkey” – Woodcut for "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860
. .
by GUSTAVE DORÉ
“The Angel Appearing to Balaam”
. .
. .
. .
. .
BALAAM PROPHESIES . .
NUMBERS 23
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7 Then Balaam spoke his message:
8 “How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs!”19 “God is not human, that he should lie,
not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
23 It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel,
‘See what God has done!’”NUMBERS 24
5 “How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!6 “Like valleys they spread out, like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from their buckets; their seed will have abundant water.“Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?“May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed! ”17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
. .
. .
by JOHANN SADELER I
“Balak and Balaam on Mt. Pisgah”
. .
. .
“Balaam and Balak”
. .
“Balaam and Balak”
. .
. .
“Balaam's Prophecy”
. .
by HEINRICH JENNY
“Balak and Balaam”
. .
from the 1728 Figures de la Bible
“Balaam Blessing the Israelites”
. .
. .
by JAMES TISSOT
“The Seven Altars of Balaam”
. .
by JAMES TISSOT
“Balaam Prophesies the Glory of Israel”
. .
. .
. .
. .
SPECIAL BONUS
FINALLY, THE ANSWER
TO THE QUESTION
YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD!. .
“The Modern Balaam and His Ass”
illustrates Andrew Jackson whipping a donkey, which is meant to represent a veto.
1837 political lithograph. It later became affiliated with the Democratic Party.
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
. .
. .
. .
SNEAK PEEK: Next time, MOSES ENTERS THE
REAL PROMISED LAND. .
. .
R E S O U R C E S . .
If you'd like to see for yourself the Bing page
which yielded most of the works above, here is the link:
" Balaam & Balak in art "
Where no attribution appears below a work,
the artist's name is unknown
. .
Links to three masters who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:
REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON van RIJN
GUSTAV DORÉ
241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours
JAMES TISSOT
180 watercolors depicting Bible scenes
. .
This series keeps moving from one Bible passage to another,
so here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE
. .
Finally, here are links to the
PREVIOUS 54 POSTS IN THIS SERIES
with descriptive titles, to assist you in finding those which interest you
. .
. .
SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!
. .
. .
NOTES ON MY SELECTION CRITERIA Quality
The Bible is my focus, not the art. This is The Bible in Paintings, not “Great Paintings” nor even “Good Paintings.” So, works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion here—they don’t need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sotheby’s. They only need to successfully illustrate some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I'm asking the Holy Spirit to guide. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic. But where there is no art, that Bible passage goes untold here. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get to your favorites, and mine, eventually, Lord willing. Always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!I’m just having fun—and I hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.. .
The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!
But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire year’s viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.
Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: “Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast.” Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet access—best 35 bucks I’ve ever spent (I don’t recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).
……... .
Thank you for another wonderful story and art review. I do not recall ever reading that story in Bible School. A few of your choices are like that.
Another great one!
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Num.23
You might enjoy looking at the pictures while listening. This is Biblegateway by Dramatized. I like that version to listen to. This will start with Numbers 23 and will continue. Enjoy!
I learned from an episode of Naked Archaeologist.
OOps. . .meant to start with Numbers 22!
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/Num.22
You might enjoy looking at the pictures while listening. This is Biblegateway by Dramatized. I like that version to listen to. This will start with Numbers 23 and will continue. Enjoy!
There is actually more than ONE ass in this story!
Welcome back! :-)
I just take them sequentially: if I find enough art, I gather it up and post it. Artists have had thousands of years to react, so even the most obscure Bible passages usually generate art—I’ve been really (pleasantly) surprised by that.
Your site blesses me, Hebrews 11:6. So many pictures telling the Old, Old Stories. Thank you for the link to The Chosen.
I’m trying VERY hard to resist the ol’ “takes one to know one.”
Have you watched any of it?
I just watched the trailer and plan to purchase the episodes. GOD is on the move! His WORD is being revealed to those who do not know Him.
You started this thought in me: they're Old, Old Stories to us, but Balaam and Balak (though not the donkey) are still alive. Like ours, these memories remain vivid to them, and will forever.
I had visions of biden riding the democratic ass and being forced to tell the truth by the angel. It would be painful for the socialists in the party...
Thanks for the link. You’ve started me pondering whether and how to include a link for each passage, where appropriate. The fact that I abridge the text so drastically (thinking aloud here) shouldn’t prevent it. I’ll look into it. As I’ve noted elsewhere, my focus is on the Bible, not the art.
Please ping me for the series.The stories are great and I enjoy the art.
Thank you for all you are doing.
This is the best use of limited bandwidth I have had all week.
Thanks,
Sean
Dan
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
