Code Wars and Launch Bets: I Mocked Annexation Talk With Google Maps Renames, Then Got Serious

janvier 9, 2025

Story
3:00 PM (b)

: )

Story
11:30 PM (b)

Balaam’s Donkey

21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ 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 struck it to encourage it back onto 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, pressing Balaam’s foot against it. He urged it again to move forward.

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, in frustration, he struck 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 treat me this way these three times?”

29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have caused me distress. I am very frustrated and upset by what has happened.”

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.

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 struck your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

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, ███████████████████████████████” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

38 “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “██████████████████████████████████ I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”

39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.

Story
2:45 PM (c)

Wow

Story
3:15 PM

Smart

Yes, there is a tendency to herd.

***

I offer my equity to people

But see

Many people have limited resources

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As they save across generations, they often have advantages in capital and experience

A person who works hard using their intellect — their intellectual or mental capital — can create significant value

They need to plan things out carefully

Everything is about approach

When a plane is landing, if you don't have a proper approach, it doesn't matter who you are as a pilot, how many people are on board, or what model the plane is — the outcome can be serious

It can result in a serious accident, as seen in recent tragedies

Everything depends on the way you do things

Everything

***

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It can offer a very high return on investment

They often have the funds to invest anyway

Many people in Sri Lanka do not

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How long will it last, how will it end, what would closing look like?

There is a large user base and many use cases; it's not like a smaller business with limited usage

I don't have to sell; we can hold onto it

The domino effect does work very well

Story
3:15 PM (b)

Wow

8:15 PM (b)

I think that God, this Yahweh, is ███████████████████████████████████████████████.

And I have been wondering about this.

Because he seems to know everything.

And he doesn't tell anyone, or most people, anything


There often isn't any warning

Just sudden events

Bang

Or something abrupt like that

He also seems troubling because of that foreknowledge

He knew Adam and Eve would fall for the fruit

It seems like that was bound to happen

He appears connected to the existence of temptation

He also knew the Flood would arise

He knew everyone would do the things they did

And yet, he punished them, apparently to set an example

He also

Seems to be a decision-maker in cases without clear answers

Where there is no clear answer about right or wrong

He sometimes seems to change decisions as situations arise

As if to resolve uncertainty

The thing is, in real-world application:

He seems to allow many people to suffer or die

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Which is something I have sometimes done in my own decisions

For example, with a failing business, I've found it may be best to let it close

Not to rescue it

Not to catch Jesus if he jumps off the cliff

So to speak

I think God is all there is

And that anything else is just a side to him

Michael, a side of God, a side of strength

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For as Jesus said, he is a jealous God, isn't he?

So it then seems to make sense

As the alternative makes less sense to me

10:15 PM

Gorilla

10:15 PM (b)

They limited Joe

11:45 PM (b)

The story of Balaam’s Donkey is a well-known narrative in the Book of Numbers (Chapter 22:21–39) of the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. It brings together themes of divine intervention, prophecy, and the significance of obeying God’s direction. Below is a clear, organized account of the story and some common interpretations.

Context of the Story

1. Key Characters:

• Balaam: A non-Israelite prophet or diviner who is sought for his ability to pronounce blessings or curses by God’s command.

• Balak: The king of Moab, a neighbouring ruler who is concerned about the growing presence of the Israelites.

• Donkey: Balaam’s ordinary donkey, which becomes central to the episode.

• Angel of the Lord: A divine messenger who opposes Balaam’s journey.

2. Setting:

• The Israelites are travelling through the wilderness toward the Promised Land.

• Balak, anxious about the Israelites’ influence, seeks to hire Balaam to curse them in hopes of weakening their position.

Summary of the Story

1. Balak’s Request:

• Balak sends Moabite officials to invite Balaam to come and pronounce a curse on the Israelites, believing this might reduce their strength.

2. Divine Opposition:

• God disapproves of Balaam’s initial posture about going with the officials and considers the course reckless.

• An angel of the Lord intervenes, blocking Balaam’s path on three separate occasions and presenting obstacles to his progress.

3. The Donkey’s Intervention:

• First Encounter: The donkey sees the angel and turns aside into a field, avoiding the apparent danger. Balaam strikes the donkey to return it to the road.

• Second Encounter: The donkey presses close to a wall, causing Balaam’s foot to be hurt. Balaam strikes it again to continue.

• Third Encounter: The donkey lies down, preventing Balaam from moving forward. Balaam reacts strongly and strikes the donkey a third time.

• Miraculous Speech: God enables the donkey to speak, and it questions Balaam’s treatment. Then God opens Balaam’s eyes so he can see the angel standing with a drawn sword.

4. Balaam’s Realization and Compliance:

• Balaam acknowledges his error and recognizes the divine opposition to his original plan.

• The angel permits Balaam to go with the officials but instructs him to speak only what God commands.

• Balaam agrees and proceeds, speaking under the direction he receives from God.

Themes and Meanings

1. Divine Sovereignty and Control:

• The narrative highlights that God is ultimately in charge of people’s destinies, regardless of status or reputation.

• Even a prophet like Balaam, who is sought for his gifts, is subject to God’s will.

2. Obedience to God’s Will:

• Balaam’s initial intention to act contrary to God’s directive underscores the importance of obedience.

• The movement from a mistaken course to compliance is often read as a lesson about aligning one’s actions with a higher purpose.

3. God Uses Ordinary Means:

• The donkey, an everyday animal, becomes an instrument through which God communicates, illustrating that messages can come from unexpected sources.

• This suggests humility and attentiveness to surprising channels of guidance.

4. Prophetic Integrity:

• Balaam is presented as someone who faces pressures and temptations; the story ultimately emphasizes the importance of prophetic integrity and fidelity to God’s instruction.

• It can be read as a caution about allowing personal or political considerations to override spiritual responsibilities.

5. Symbolism of Sight and Perception:

• Balaam’s physical inability to see the angel functions as a metaphor for limited spiritual perception. Only when God opens his eyes does he perceive the divine presence.

• This points to the idea that true insight often comes through revelation rather than merely human observation.

6. Justice and Protection of the Innocent:

• The angel’s intervention and the divine response serve to protect the Israelites from an unjust curse.

• The episode reflects themes of divine protection and the upholding of justice.

Lessons from the Story

1. Listen and Obey: Even when pursuing personal aims or external requests, aligning one’s actions with divine direction is important.

2. Humility: Recognizing human limitations and the precedence of moral authority supports responsible decision-making.

3. Unexpected Messengers: Important messages can arrive through unconventional sources, encouraging attentiveness and openness.

4. Consequences of Defiance: Ignoring clear guidance can lead to negative outcomes for individuals and communities.

Conclusion

The story of Balaam’s donkey offers rich material for reflection on divine authority, obedience, and the sometimes surprising ways God communicates. It invites readers to consider humility, attentiveness to moral guidance, and the value of integrity when responding to higher responsibilities.