So Abraham rose early in the morning and
saddled his donkey, and took two of his
young men with him, and Isaac his son;
NUMBERS 22:23, 27-31
23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the
Lord standing in the way with His drawn
sword in His hand, and the donkey turned
aside out of the way and went into the field.
27 And when the donkey saw the Angel
of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam;
so Balaam’s anger was aroused,and he
struck the donkey with his staff.
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.
MATTHEW 22:1-2
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem,
and came to Bethphage, at the Mount
of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
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.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
This animal was very important during
Bible days. The donkey is mentioned
multiple times in the Old Testament.
My Bible research showed that they
are mentioned in Genesis, Judges,
Deuteronomy, Judges, Numbers,
and Job.
The donkey has also been called beast
of burden and ass. They were used as
a means of transportation, used to ploy
fields, and used to carry bales of grain
and other supplies. They can withstand
the heat of the desert. Most donkeys are
domesticated; but there are some ones
roaming in fields. Donkeys are still used
for transportation by some people in the
Holy Land.
DONKEY IN EGYPTIAN PAINTING
1298-1235 B.C.
PICTURE OF DONKEY IN HOLY LAND
Some people think that donkeys are dumb
animals. They have a reputation of being
stubborn. Studies show that they behave
favorably when they trust their owner.
The Lord even allowed a donkey to speak in
the Bible book of Numbers 22. This animal
was smart enough not to approach the angel.
the donkey's owner became abusive. The
donkey began to speak when the Lord gave
PAINTING OF BALAAM, THE ANGEL, & DONKEY
DATED 1493
ITALIAN PAINTING OF JESUS ON DONKEY
DATED 1303
A donkey was an important part of prophesy.
The Bible book of Zechariah 9 and 14 states
that , "the King will come sitting upon a ass".
Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem.
The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded
in the Bible books of Matthew 22, Luke 19,
Mark 11, and John 12. This happened in the
Bible just before the Last Supper. The people
rejoiced when they saw Jesus entering the
Jerusalem. They glorified Jesus by going to
meet Him carrying palm branches.
ANT
PROVERBS 6:6
Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Consider her ways and be wise,
PROVERBS 30:25
The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Ants have been studied by scientists because they
form organized colonies. Ant can be found in every continent except Anartica. There have been twelve types of ants found in Israel.
LIFE LESSON FOR TODAY
I used to sit and watch ants go in and out of
their ant hills when I was young. I even saw
them carrying pieces of food two times larger
than they were. I didn't know much about fire
ants until last summer. I was standing at my
fence talking to my neighbor. I suddenly felt
a terrible burning on my ankle. My neighbor
noticed that I was standing close to a ant hill.
She said the ants must have bitten me. I rushed
in the house to pour cold water on my ankle.
I still got a terrible allergic reaction to those fire
ants. I continued to have burning sensations
2 weeks after my encounter with those fire ants.
I avoid going near my fence to talk to my neighbor. Those fire ants are a deadly bunch.
FISH
MATTHEW 4:18-20
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.
They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you
out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
MATTHEW 14: 18-20
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.
And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave
the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
JOHN 21:9-12
9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and
although there were so many, the net was not broken.
12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Bible book of Matthew and John confirms that
fish was part of the people's diet during Bible days.
Fish is still a popular food source in Israel today.
One of the people's occupation was fisherman. Most of Jesus' twelve disciples were fishermen. There are over 40 kinds of fish in the lakes and rivers in the
Middle East today. The Sea of Galilee was the largest freshwater lake in Israel and was a popular fishing location during Bible days. There were restrictions
enforced after 2010 due a decrease the fish stock.
PICTURE OF FISH FROM SEA OF GALILEE
RAPHAEL SANTI (1483-1520) PAINTING, JESUS AND FISHERMEN
SEA OF GALILEE TODAY
