IVP - Strangely Dim - What Do We Do with a Donkey or Two?

What Do We Do with a Donkey or Two?

After the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your forefathers, you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons. (Exodus 13:11-13)

According to this passage, the donkey seems to be the only animal the Israelites could own but not sacrifice. (There were, of course, a list of "unclean" animals that they weren't allowed to own or touch, much less sacrifice. See Leviticus for details.) Why would that be?

Old Testament scholars aren't sure. Alan Cole, in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on Exodus, speculates a few possibilities. One is simply that the stench of burning donkey meat and milk might have been considered offensive. (I will not be attempting to prove or disprove his theory on that one.) The other possibilities, however, all have to do with other cultures' views of donkeys at the time. Some other people groups did sacrifice donkeys. Others viewed them as sacred. Still others revered the donkey specifically as a symbol of fertility.

Though the Lord's reason for singling out the donkey is unclear, his message was clear: don't burn the donkey. Substitute a lamb or break the colt's neck.

It all sounds a little odd to us today, but see what comes next in Exodus 13:

In days to come, when your son asks you, "What does this mean?" say to him, "With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons. And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand." (vv. 14-16)

The Lord's instructions were intentional and specific because he wanted the Israelites' very way of life--their everyday activities--to help them remember what he had done for them and to help them be holy. By saving them, he set them apart as his people, called to glorify his name to all the nations. And part of the "glorify God" plan was living distinctly, differently from the nations around them: sacrificing to one God, eating and not eating certain foods, celebrating particular festivals, and using what they had--including donkeys--in different ways than others did, all to show how great the one true God is.

Today, thankfully, we don't have to sacrifice our meat; we can simply choose to grill the beef or fight for the cows. But as Christians, we're still a people set apart. We're still called to do different things than others with what we have--donkeys, dollars, dinners, whatever--that we might continually remember what God has rescued us from and show others who he is and how great he is.

Whether or not you're a meat-eater, I don't advise eating donkey. I don't recommend burning it or breaking its neck either. But whatever you do with your "donkeys," seek to use them in a way that displays God's goodness and grace.

(NOTE: No animals were harmed in the writing of this blog.)