No Warm Fuzzies

Jan Ross, Editor

“But they obeyed not, neither inclined
their ear, but made their neck stiff, that
they might not hear, nor receive instruction.”
(Jeremiah 17:23 KJV)

abor. Not a word that exudes a warm fuzzy feeling. The word can be used to mean several things: labor at the end of nine months of pregnancy, Labor Day, work, confinement as in a labor camp, an undertaking, the Department of Labor, etc.

I was reading in Isaiah and was suddenly driven to look at some commentaries on a scripture; what I learned wasn’t easy to swallow. See if the Spirit of God doesn’t bring conviction to you as He did to me.

“The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." (Isaiah 1:3)

What does this have to do with labor? Bear with me as I share my heart with you.

As I was reading this verse, I literally burst into tears. “Am I less than an ox, Lord, when I fail to recognize You as my Master or lower than a donkey when I reject your Word as my life-sustainer? Lord, help me – Lord, forgive me!”

The comparison in this verse is to show the gross ingratitude of God’s people. The ox, a well-known domestic animal, is remarkable for patient willingness to work—it’s also known for submission to its owner. This is how the “ox knows his master” … it is not the brightest animal in God’s creation, but it’s smart enough to be submissive to its owner. Isaiah compared the ox to Israel—even the ox knows to obey. Israel does not know how to submit.

As “dumb” as a donkey is (KJV translates it as “ass”), it knows where to find food, where to grow fat. The donkey, as dumb as it is, has sufficient knowledge to understand that his provision comes from his master, that his master also offers protection and comfort. The donkey knows enough not to wander away.

Isaac Watts wrote:

The brutes obey their God,
And bow their necks to men;
But we more base, more brutish things,
Reject His easy reign.

Read the verse in Isaiah again … “The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.”

How long will we continue to be rebellious against our “Owner”, unwilling to work—to LABOR, resisting change, refusing His nourishment, etc? How long will we continue to struggle with obedience? We say we love the Lord and yet we forget that to know Him is to love Him; to love Him is to obey Him. How can we claim to know our Master if we cannot obey His Word? Obedience is the key to knowing God, to living in the flow of His blessings, and to fulfilling our destiny.

It’s work! It’s labor! It takes effort, and a lot of it. To bow our stiffened necks to the Master’s yoke is not an easy feat. Imagine, if you will, having your leg in a cast for 20 or 30 years then suddenly having the cast removed and trying to bend your knee. It’s incredibly hard…seemingly impossible. But with work—HARD WORK—that leg can learn to conform and respond to commands.

It’s no difference with us. We’ve got to learn our lesson from the donkey and the ox. Let’s submit to our Master, follow His lead, and work hard to break down our resistance to His instruction which leads to provision, protection, and comfort. Amen!

ord, I confess being stiff and resistant to Your will, and although I acknowledge You as my Master, it’s not easy to conform. Father, I choose to learn from the ox and the donkey. I choose to accept Your Word as my life-sustainer. Lord, feed me at Your table and nourish me through Your Word. Your Word tells me that You have already provided everything that pertains to life and Godliness … help me to run to Your Word to find what I need. Help me to remember this verse, Lord, every time I choose to rebel against Your Word. Transform me, Lord, change my heart, O God, and renew me through Your Word. In Jesus’ precious name I pray, amen and amen!