This Article: (3 Pages)
- 1. Messiah Comes Riding Upon a Donkey
- 2. The Donkey Phenomena in Israel
- 3. Behaviours of the the Donkey
3) Behaviours of the the Donkey
The donkey, though an unclean animal, was the only one mentioned specifically to be redeemed under the law.
That thou shall set apart unto the LORD all that opend the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD'S. And every firstling of an ass thou shall redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shall break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shall thou redeem. (Exodus 13:12-13)
All that opens the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. But the firstling of an ass thou shall redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shall thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shall redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. (Exodus 34:19-20)
In an order of ascending importance, all first born males of all domestic (clean) animals including the ox are entirely given to Yahweh, except the ass which is unclean and must be redeemed or killed. Then finally all male children are to be redeemed. The ass is an unclean animal, but was to be redeemed with a lamb. Male children also are to be redeemed.
There was a lesson in the redemption of the unclean donkey. There are two words in Hebrew for donkey. The female is 'âthôn probably from eythan in the sense of patience, from its docility. But there is a very different word for the male donkey which was to be redeemed. The Hebrew chămôr, meaning a male ass, means dun red. Red speaks of things of the earth, and the ass was a symbol also of earthly possessions. The two names together describe humans in need of redemption and patience in servitude.
In researching the article a list of donkey characteristics compared to the horse was found, which suggested there may be parallels to human service of Yahweh. Compared to horses
Other behavioral differences include the donkey’s ability to hide pain...Donkeys, unlike horses, continue to eat when they are dehydrated or sick. .. Donkeys can also be cautious of water from different areas and refuse to drink until reaching dehydrated levels. Although unlike the horse the donkey will drink a large amount of water at once and rehydrate themselves without health complications (Yousef, 1979). In terms of grazing, donkeys tend to be more browsers, which allows them to selectively pick which type of forages they want to consume instead of eating everything in sight (Aganga and Tsopito, 1998 and Mueller et al., 1998)...These behaviours, being browsers and consuming a large amount of forage in a short amount of time proves to be very efficient in areas where forages are sparse. The donkey will use its prehensile- like lips to select forages of higher quality. Also, when digesting food the donkey.. seems to get the most out of their feed.
As we all know, our long eared creatures enjoy routines.. Donkeys ..tend to trust people they know and can be standoffish towards strangers. It is often advised when catching mules and donkeys that treats and routines seem to work best, along with slow motions and quiet voices.
http://longearsmall.com/mt/articles/guestcontributor/archives/2008/06/donkey_behavior.html
Lastly the researchers found that the donkey would check cautiously any new thing. Humans are asked to endure pain and trial, as Job did, in their service to Yahweh. We are asked to keep eating of the Word of God even in sickness.
The servants of God should desire to drink only from trusted sources of his Word. Yahweh was unhappy when they chose other waters, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jer 2:13) Also we may drink copious amounts of the living water with no harm.
When we eat, or as shown to Ezekiel and John (Ezek 2:8, Rev 10:9) when we absorb knowledge, we are asked not to eat everything in sight but pick the things that are good, right and lead to obedience. These things are of the best quality, and in doing this we will gain much more good from what we do 'eat'.
The donkey also teaches us about loyalty, and that trust grows over time. We like the donkey have strong wills and the ability to think. Donkeys, famously, will have to have a reason for going the way the owner wishes, They may be led but not forced and there is no point in whipping them,
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool's back. (Prov. 26:3)
The description of how a donkey is led is used of Israel, the people of God,
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 13:18)
And again
Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. (Exodus 15:13)
The donkey is in its native habitat a wilderness animal
And thou shall remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou would keep his commandments, or no. (Deut. 8:2)
Donkeys may be trained well as they learn routines and generally have good memories. In the same way the people of God are to be led, and willingly through learnt loyalty to follow God who becomes their trusted master and sustainer. They develop trust by following one who leads them to the clean water, even the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 2:13).
For more see Anzacs Donkeys, Mules & Horses
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