Among the many Greek myths surrounding Poseidon, the god of the sea, and the brother of Zeus, is the story that Poseidon was the creator of the giraffe, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, the donkey, and several other animals that he rejected, in his effort to create his masterpiece, the horse.

The wonderful, useful qualities of the horse so far outshone the characteristics of almost all other animals, that the Greeks dismissed the others as nothing more than rejects of their god. Surely the goal of creation must be mankind’s pleasure and convenience.

“Behold, your king comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation, lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. “(Zechariah 9:9)

The contrast between a god who rejects all manner of animals because they do not suit his purposes, and a God who elevates one of the humblest animals in order to carry His son, is striking. The humble donkey plays a pivotal role in both the Old and the New Testaments. When Balaam heads out to meet King Balak in response to Balak’s plea for for him to curse Israel, it is Balaam’s donkey that sees the angel of God and saves Balaam’s life by preventing him from going rashly at the will of Balak. Balaam had been given permission to go, but his spirit was not entirely right with God when he left. (Numbers 22:21) He needed the stern reminder that he was to do God’s work, a work that was facilitated by his donkey when the animal spoke.

King David and his sons all rode mules. The sign to the people of Israel that Solomon was chosen by David, and thus by God , was that Solomon rode David’s mule to his own anointing.

Finally, Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem fulfilled prophesy, and was a sign to believers, of his real identity. To see the earth’s creatures, to disregard them and imagine them disregarded by God, is to lose sight of both ourselves, as His creation, and of our Creator. Sometimes we need to remember the donkey.

Love in Him,

Prue