Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"A wild donkey used to the wilderness"
Text: Jeremiah 2:24
ANOTHER STRONG IMAGERY
Strong figurative language was used to describe the tragic spiritual state of the nation of Judah. The scenario depicted seems even worse when the imageries are strung together consecutively.
“A wild donkey used to the wilderness,
That sniffs at the wind in her desire;
In her time of mating, who can turn her away?
All those who seek her will not weary themselves;
In her month they will find her.”
Jeremiah 2:24
1. The symbol of a donkey
a) It can be either:
i) Negative
ii) Positive
b) On the positive side:
i) It is a domesticated beast of burden, thus helpful to man.
ii) It is also humble in contrast to a war horse.
iii) The Lord Jesus rode on a donkey on His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11).
2. “A wild donkey used to the wilderness, that sniffs at the wind in her desire;
in her time of mating, who can turn her away?”
a) A wild donkey is quite different.
b) The description of the wild donkey is entirely negative.
i) It is more used to the wilderness than being domesticated.
ii) On heat, the wild donkey sniffs the wind, driven by her animal desire.
iii) She can become uncontrollable, to the point of being violent.
iv) The owners cannot control her in the mating season.
3. “All those who seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they will find her”
a) The wild donkey can literally run for miles to find a mate.
b) Mating is a natural occurrence.
c) Male donkeys need not weary themselves to find a mate.
d) The wild female donkey will be easily found by them.
4. A sad description of Judah
a) Idols need not look for worshippers.
b) Judah, like a wild donkey, would look for idols to worship.
c) Any idol would do; any idol may be worshipped in careless abandon!
i) On every hill.
ii) Under every green tree (Jeremiah 2:20).
5. Judah described thus far:
a) A degenerate plant of an alien vine Jeremiah 2:21
b) A swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways Jeremiah 2:23
c) A wild donkey Jeremiah 2:24