BREAK ITS NECK -- Monday:
"And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck" KJV (Exodus 13:13; 34:20)
One vital aspect of the Law was that every firstborn thing belonged to the Lord. The first offspring was His – the first thing born! Thus it is written, "Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine" (Ex 13:2). This is the law that Mary and Joseph honored when they presented the Holy Child Jesus to God. Thus it is written, "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord)" (Lk 2:22-23).
Israel was strictly charged not to take a firstborn animal for themselves, whether it was an ox or a sheep. With arresting clarity they were told, "it is the Lord's" (Lev 27:26)! Firstborn oxen and sheep could not, under any circumstances, be used for the profit of the man in whose flock they were born. If it was a sheep, the owner could not even have its wool. The animal belonged to the Lord. "All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep" (Deut 15:19).
If the animal was an unclean animal, special provision was made. Such an animal could not be offered to the Lord in sacrifice, even though it belonged to the Lord. Therefore, God made provision for the unclean animal to be redeemed, or purchased by its owner. Even though the animal had been born in his flock, it did not belong to him. He had to BUY it back. The priest was to set the value of the animal. If the owner wished to buy back the animal, he had to add one fifth of the established value, which then because the price to be paid. If, for example, the priest set the value of the animal at ten dollars, the owner had to add two dollars to that, paying twelve dollars to make the animal legally his own. If the owner did not wish to purchase the animal, it could be sold to someone else at its set value (Lev 27:27). This elaborate provision was made because God could not be pleased with an unclean animal, even though it technically belonged to Him.
In the case of an ass, the animal had to be redeemed "with a lamb" – something that could be offered as a sacrifice to God. The owner would have to take one his lambs, exchanging it for the ass, else he could not procure it, even though it came from his flock.
If the man refused to redeem the ass with a lamb, its neck was to be broken. It could not be used for anything else. Not only was the ass unclean, and hence unsuitable for sacrifice, if it was not purchased with a lamb, it became useless for anything else. Its neck was to be broken. In this way, the people were made aware of the value of the redemption that would eventually be accomplished by Jesus.
Those who imagine God cannot be particular, or that He only deals in generalities, need to consider such passages. They are an introduction to matters pertaining to His great salvation. You may be sure, if God required the redemption of animals that belonged to Him, He will surely require redemption for man, who is His highest creation. In the case of an ass, its uncleanness was not owing to its nature, but to Divine pronouncement. It was not "unclean" in every sense, for provision was made for it to be a beast of burden – a helper, as it were, of men. This is the very animal that carried Jesus Himself into Jerusalem (Zech 9:9; Matt 21:5). It would not surprise me if that animal had itself been redeemed, thereby making it serviceable. Although it could not be offered as a sacrifice, what more suitable service than to carry the Savior of the world!
There are great lessons to be learned in the Law concerning the redemption of the unclean "ass," or donkey. There is a parallel between this animal and fallen man. In fact, the redemption of an "ass" is mentioned along with the redemption of "the firstborn of man" (Ex 13:13). Both are pronounced "unclean" by their Maker. Of mankind it is written, "we are all as an unclean thing" (Isa 64:6). Even so, by virtue of creation, we belong to the Lord. For that reason, we must be redeemed. Furthermore, the redemption price must be paid by the Owner. It obviously could not be paid by the "unclean thing."
In this comparison, as with all types and shadows, there is not a perfect parallel in the likeness. In our text, it was possible for the owner NOT to pay the redemption price. In our salvation, the Owner was willing to pay the redemption price, and did so. We were not, however, redeemed with a living lamb, but "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet 1:18-19). The issue now is whether that redemption is received by those for whom it was paid. As with the unclean animal, if the redemption is not received, the individual is thereby rendered useless for all other purposes. Instead of breaking the neck, the wrath of God abides on such (John 3:36). Ultimately those people will be discarded in the garbage dump of humanity, the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). Well, that IS something to think about!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the willingness with which You have redeemed fallen men. Now we are twice yours. You made us, and You bought us.