One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the one about Balaam, a false prophet hired to curse Israel, and his talking ass (Numbers 22:21-39) . Balaam stubbornly beat his donkey repeatedly when it stopped on the path. When the donkey asks Balaam the reason for the beatings, Balaam responds that the donkey has made a fool of him. Really the donkey sees the angel of the Lord with drawn sword blocking the path, God has spoken through the mouth of the ass. Let us then, suffer fools wisely, and tolerate being one if necessary for the will of God.
