Weekly Sermons

Donkeys in the Plan of God

Two kinds of donkeys are spoken of in the Bible – wild donkeys that do what they want, and broken donkeys who are quite _____________________ to their Master.

When speaking of wild donkeys, the Old Testament Hebrew used the word Pere (H 6501), which occurs 10 times.           

Gen. 16:12                  Jer. 2:24a                     Hosea 8:9

The word Hamor (H2543) occurs 96 times, and is more often used of the domesticated donkeys who show up in the Bible’s history.

Donkeys are so useful they are actually put in the 10 Commands. Do you know which one?

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.                       Ex. 20:17         Ex. 13:13         Ex. 23:12            Deut. 22:10

Even the parts of a donkey are powerful – How many men did Samson kill with a donkey’s jawbone?               

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Now let’s look at some donkeys used in the plan of God.

The donkey of Genesis 22 got the assignment to transport the wood for the ________________ of Isaac. God provided a substitute Lamb, and Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

One day a descendant of Judah would be the rightful ruler of Israel, ride on a donkey and wear _____________________ clothes!                        Genesis 49:8-12

After Balaam’s donkey got to verbally _______________________ his owner, he got to listen as Balaam uttered a prophecy about the coming Messiah.

“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel…Out of Jacob One shall have dominion.                    -Numbers 24:17a, 19

What a powerful picture it is 1 Kings 13 to think of the prophet’s donkey staying by his master’s dead body, despite the danger of a lion present; and then to think of that same donkey ____________________________ his master to his place of burial.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.                    -Zecheriah 9:9

Matthew 21:1-11                    John 12:12-16

Revelation 19 tells us when Jesus returns to earth at His Second Coming He will ride a white horse, which conquering kings often did when they returned. The white horse showed the real work was already done at the cross! And so the “__________________ of the Tribe of Judah rides in on white horse”

But at His first coming Jesus rode in on a donkey, a beast of burden – He was the ___________ of sacrifice who was offering Himself up for the sins of the world, and the perfect animal to ride in on was a donkey, representing His work for us on the cross!