BEAST OF BURDEN

My husband grew up on a farm and was always 
telling me stories about his  family's  pet  mule 
named Nellie.  They used Nellie for plowing the
field but the kids also rode on her back for fun. 
I told him that I heard mules were stubborn.He wouldn't say anything bad about Nellie. He said 
she was perfect.

I have heard people call mule and donkey a beast 
of burden. I was puzzled the first time I heard this phrase. I looked it up in the dictionary and it said 
that it was any animal used to carry or pull heavy loads.  


I recalled that the mule and donkey were
mentioned several times in the Bible.  It 
seems that were used often in Bible days. 
Here are some scriptures which tell how 
important these animals were:

MULES

2 Samuel 18:9

Then Absalom met the servants of David. 
Absalom rode on a mule.  The mule went 
under the thick boughs of a great terebinth 
tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; 
so he was left hanging between heaven and
earth. And the mule which was under him
went on. 

1 Kings 1:33

The  king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son
ride on my  own mule, and take him down to Ginho.

 

1 Kings 10:25

 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.

2 Kings 5:17

¹⁷ So Naaman said, “Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 

 

Isaiah 66:20

Then they shall bring all your brethren for
an offering to the Lord out of all nations, 
on horses and in chariots and in litters, on
mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children
of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel 
into the house of the Lord. 

DONKEYS 

Note: 
Religious paintings show
Mary riding on a donkey. 
The scriptures do not say
this. Artist assume that a 
pregnant woman did not 
walk from city of Galilee 
to Bethlehem. A donkey
was used to travel on.

 Luke 2: 4-6

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, 
to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house
 and lineage of David, 
⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
⁶ So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be 
delivered.

Numbers 22:28-31

²⁸ Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, 
and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, 
that you have struck me these three times?”
²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you 
have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”
³⁰ So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not
your donkey on which you have ridden, ever 
since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”And he said, “No.”
³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and 
he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the 
way with His drawn sword in His hand; and 
he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. 

Isaiah 1:3

The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not consider.”

Zechariah 9:9

 “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.

Matthew 21:2, 5-8

2 Saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.

⁵  “Tell the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your King is coming to you,
Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, 

A colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  

⁶ So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

⁸ And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.