An ox knows its owner, and a donkey its master’s manger, but Israel does not know, My people do not understand. – Isaiah 1:3
Those of us who claim to follow Christ readily admit that God is our Creator, Master, and Redeemer, but we must also humbly affirm that we are not always respectfully submitted to Him in all things. Of course, the Israelites (post-exodus) were, as a people, consistent in their rebellion against the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. For this reason, God spoke through His prophets (like Isaiah), condemning their ignorance. To illustrate the point, God said that even the most stubborn and dumb of His creatures (the ox and the donkey) realize the beneficence of their master. How could Israel so easily forget all that He had done for them?
How is it that we do the same?
Daily thanksgiving to God and acknowledgement of our dependence upon His sovereign care serves as a necessary reminder of His shining providence, but we should also take the time to magnify His specific acts of grace that regularly occur in our daily lives. Otherwise, we, like ancient Israel, might be considered dumber than a donkey!
If you are wise, you know your own ignorance; and you are ignorant if you do not know yourself. – Martin Luther
