DONKEY
BEAST OF BURDEN, GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
BY: ELISABETH C. TUNSTALL
INTRODUCTION
Are donkeys really stubborn and stupid or is this a mere misconception? The truth about donkeys is quite the opposite actually. These are highly intelligent creatures, that have excellent memory and can learn very easily. And what people perceive as stubbornness is simply the donkey’s extremely cautious nature and refusal to do anything considered unsafe. Donkeys are also said to be calm, strong and courageous in the face of danger.
OVERVIEW
There are over 50 million donkeys world wide. They are most prevalent in Asia, Africa and the Middle East and come in a variety of sizes and colors. And for thousands of years, donkeys have been important to humans, providing a major source of animal labor and long-distance transport of goods for many cultures.
BEAST OF BURDEN
Donkeys are considered a beast of burden. Beasts of burden are used to carry heavy loads or perform other heavy work. Donkeys in particular, are known for their high level of endurance and can carry 30% of their body weight. They have these U-shaped hooves that are longer than they are wide, making them more sure footed than horses with the ability to walk on narrow and rough terrain without stumbling, even while carrying heavy loads.
BEAST OF BURDEN
Particularly, in more rural areas, donkeys are used a great deal in agriculture. For example, they help with plowing fields, which helps prepare the ground for planting crops. The purpose of plowing is to remove weeds and crop residue as well as soften the soil.
GUARD DONKEYS
Donkeys are excellent at protecting livestock. They can protect up to 300 head of live stock against predators such as coyotes, dogs, foxes, bobcats and even wolves. What makes this animal an amazing guardian? With their excellent hearing and eyesight, they can detect a predator before it gets too close to the herd. They have very large ears that move in different directions to determine where sounds are coming from. Donkeys can even hear a donkey’s call up to 60 miles away which is helpful in notifying each other about the presence of predators.
GUARD DONKEYS
Donkeys virtually have a 360 degree view of their environment due to the location of their eyes. They have a layer of tissue behind their retinas called ‘Tapetum Lucidum’ which reflects light, helping them to see well at night. They are highly territorial and can be quite fearless when it comes to most danger. If an intruder is detected, donkeys are known to chase and attack said enemy, by kicking and/or biting them. They also make a large, harsh sound called a bray to intimidate intruders and make others aware of a predator’s presence. Donkeys are also said to bond with the herd they protect.
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
How is the donkey pertinent spiritually? Donkeys symbolize humility and servitude. In the Bible, the donkey is most notably mentioned when Christ rode on it along with a colt into Jerusalem not long before he was crucified. Zechariah 9: 9
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
Like the donkey, Christ embodies humility and servitude. Christ was humbled in that he was made into flesh like his creation. He did not have a stately or king like appearance; nor was he fair to look upon. And he was so often persecuted and treated badly by the Pharisees and so many others.
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
Isaiah 53: 2-3, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
Christ always obeys and humbles himself to God the Father.
Philippians 2: 8 "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” In many scriptures, note that Christ acknowledges that the Father is greater than him. John 14: 28, “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
Though Christ was Lord, he came to the earth as a servant to the people.
Philippians 2: 5-7, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: “
HUMILITY & SERVITUDE
He healed the sick, fed the hungry and taught the gospel, working tirelessly to save his people.
Matthew
11: 5, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.”
BEAST OF BURDEN
Like a donkey that carries massive loads, Christ carries our burdens and sins upon his shoulders. Psalms 55: 22, "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
I Peter 2: 24, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, being dead to sin, would live in righteousness.”
BEAST OF BURDEN
When we are weak, Christ is strong and is able to carry us when we can’t walk on our own, giving us rest. Though we stumble, our Savior does not because he is sure footed and leads us on a narrow and sometimes rugged terrain. Matthew 7: 14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
NARROW PATH
This path is narrow because there is only one way to serve God unlike the broad path where there are a variety of beliefs and ideologies that are readily accepted. The terrain is sometimes rugged because it represents the trials and tribulations we experience. In other words, it is not an easy path. Therefore we need Jesus to guide us and sometimes carry us when life becomes overwhelming.
PLOWING THE FIELD
Spiritually the field represents one’s heart. Just as a donkey helps prepare the ground for seeds, Christ prepares our hearts for the seed of truth. Christ softens our once hardened hearts like the donkey that softens the soil. And he removes sins from our hearts, that are represented by weeds.
GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
As the donkey protects the herd, so does Christ protect his people, which are liken to sheep.
John 10: 27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” Our predator is the devil that lurks about looking for the opportunity to prey upon us. He is like a ravening wolf that is so much stronger than the sheep when they are alone. However, we have Jesus on our side who is omnipotent and stronger than any evil force.
GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
Our Savior has no fear of Satan and his army and can easily defeat them. Indeed, Christ hears all and sees all, anticipating the devil’s tactics before we do. God will even intervene and prevent the devil from doing something to us without us even knowing.
Proverbs 15: 3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” I Peter 3: 12, “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”
GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
Like a donkey that brays loudly when danger appears, Christ too warns us of impending threats to our salvation in a variety of ways. He will warn us through lessons in the bible. Sometimes he will speak directly to us or perhaps through another individual. He may warn us in a dream. The key is, we have to be willing to listen to and heed the warnings, trying the spirit by the spirit.
GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
His word teaches us that we should stay close to him, which in turn will keep us safe from the devil. How do we stay close to Christ? We stay close through our obedience to him.
John 14: 15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” And should the devil get too close to us, his powerful word, like a donkey’s legs and teeth, can be used as a weapon of defense to defeat him.
GUARDIAN & PROTECTOR
Christ has a close bond with his children and we are considered to be one with him.
John 17: 20-21, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” An attack on us is an attack on Christ.
GOD’S PEOPLE
God’s people possess the characteristics of Christ, each of us having a portion of his work. In particular, the leaders have the responsibility of spreading the gospel. Whether they be ministers, prophets or teachers, they are in the oversight of the flock and have been chosen for a great responsibility and work. Ephesians 4: 11-13, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”
GOD’S PEOPLE
When we teach the word of God, we too are preparing the hearts of the people. It can be liken to a donkey assisting a farmer with plowing the field. The farmer is represented by Christ. God’s leaders are also guard donkeys that warn all the sheep to steer from the devil and in this instance, stay close to the shepherd, which is Christ.
GOD’S PEOPLE
As a donkey can carry heavy loads, the strong have to bear the infirmities of the weak.
Paul speaks of this in Romans 15: 1-3, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.”
GOD’S PEOPLE
What does this mean? To bear means to carry and/ or provide support to.
God wants us to show support to those that may be weaker than us due to age or physical and/or mental ailments. We show support through providing assistance and displaying kindness, love, patience and all necessary consideration.
GOD’S PEOPLE
The stronger saints must also show support to those that are spiritually weaker. Again, one must be like God, putting on the fruits of the Spirit and the testimonies of Jesus Christ towards those struggling in the truth (Galatians 5: 22-23 & Matthew 5: 1-12). The strong must first serve as an example of faith and then teach, edify and admonish always using the spirit of truth.
IN CONCLUSION
Though many misunderstand this intriguing animal, it is helpful that we gain clarity on who the donkey is and how its characteristics are similar to that of Christ and his people. Again, God uses his creation as a teaching tool that we may have better insight about the truth. Let us be thankful that we can give to Christ our burdens and seek out his protection from the devil. And let us too be like the Savior, bearing the infirmities of the weak and warning the flock about his word day in and day out. May God be with you all. Amen.
