1 The Ass.
Dear Children; It is laid on my heart to write a little to you about the animals of the Bible.
You know the Bible is God’s word, so that everything in it is worthy of our careful study. So I ask God, by His Holy Spirit, to guide and help us to learn some useful lesson from each anal considered, and also ask you to take your Bibles and find all you can that God has said about each one. It will ray you. We will now look at the ass.
First, there was the wild ass, which lived far away from the houses of men, in the desert and could run so fast that very few of the swiftest heroes could ever overtake it. Then there was the tame ass, the faithful servant of man.
The color usually a reddish brown, but sometimes white. Those who were held in honor among the people rode on white ones.
One fact we find very interesting about the ass, is, that it is a type man. We have God’s word plainly for this. “Vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.”
Now let us see from Scripture what are the characteristics of this wild ass, which make him a type of man-natural, unregerate man. In Job 39:5-75Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass? 6Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings. 7He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. (Job 39:5‑7) we find two things true of him. His home is the desert; and he regardeth not the crying of the driver. Is not this like man who has no home save on earth—the wilderness——and who acknowledges no Master? That is, he does not own God’s authority over him.
But in contrast to this wild, fleet-footed, uncontrolled animal, we find in Scripture the tame ass, remarkable for its patience, gentleness, intelligence, meek submission and great power of endurance. May we not look upon it as a type of man, redeemed, brought to God and under His control? Now the ass was an unclean animal and must be redeemed by a clean one. “Every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck.” Exod. 13:1313And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. (Exodus 13:13).
If you had been a little Jewish boy or girl in the land of Carman many hundreds of years ago, one morning you might have been happy over a little ass having been born in the night. But what says your father? “My child it is unclean, I must either break its neck or one of our little lambs must die in its stead.” So you, dear child, are torn with a sinful, nature and there is nothing but destruction left for you unless you are redeemed. But your father need not kill a little lamb for you. No! The Lamb has died, the blood has been shed.
Now later on, imagine yourself still a little Jewish child in Jerusalem, and one day you would have seen a great multitude coming, some cutting down branches of trees and strewing them in the way; and others spreading their garments for an ass to walk upon. And why? Because upon that ass rode a King, and in the midst of all the shouting, you might have heard some solemn voice saying in the words of Zechariah the prophet; —”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.” Zech. 9:99Rejoice 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. (Zechariah 9:9).
Then you would have run to the temple and joined your little voice with that of other children, crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David.” But you were not there. Still, you can lift your voice in praise of that same Jesus, Who, riding on an ass, was even then on His way to the cross, to redeem you to save you from the Lake of Fire.
“Children’s praise He loves to hear,
Children’s songs delight His ear.”
ML 05/21/1899