The Meanest Mule On The Mountain

The Meanest Mule On The Mountain

Jeremiah 17:23

Jeremiah 17:23 “But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, or receive instruction.” I woke up this morning about 3:30 am. My neck was so stiff this morning I could hardly move it. I spent too many years bouncing around on those dozers fighting forest fires and it‘s all catching up with me. Such is life!! Sitting here with a crick in my neck and feeling sorry for myself brings into mind the term “stiff neck” in the Bible. In context it describes a farmer plowing with a ox. The farmer commands the ox to go where he wants him to go to get the job accomplished. But there are those times when the ox will not listen or obey the farmer. This puts extra work on the farmer in the form of frustration, harder work and strain. The muscles in the farmer’s neck stiffen, causing pain, strain and discomfort. I have seen this photograph played out many times before my eyes. My Granddad, Alfred Scott, always kept a few mules. He trained them to do many different things. They were trained for coal mining, plow dragging and just plain old hard work. I remember a great big one he had that was in a class all by it’s self. It was the meanest, most orneriest, ugliest critter you ever did see. He had a big long face and ears that stuck up like antennas. It liked to stare at you, lay his ears back, bare his teeth at you and growl like a bear. If you got in the field where he was, he would let out some sort of caterwauler and run to chase you. Then stand with a grin on his face after he chased you out of his domain. When he got close enough to you he would try his best to bite you. The crazy thing grabbed me by the arm one day. Once I got loose he chased me until I jumped over a barbed wire fence. As I went over the wire he grabbed me by the seat of the pants and FIRMLY told me he was boss. Granddaddy did not want anyone get to close to that old defiant grouch, he was too dangerous. I guess I failed to listen. When it came time to plow, he carried his handmade bull whip and stepped into the battle ground. The two would face each other like gladiators in the coliseum. After much slapping, kicking, cussing and feuding the mule would finally settle down and let Granddad put on the reigns. The battle of the gladiators would transform the meanest mule on the mountain into the hardest working mule on the mountain. Together they geed and hawed all over the place until the job at hand was done. I find these symbolisms in the Bible to be fascinating to me. God uses these descriptions to give us a clear picture of OURSELVES. Many times He called the children of Israel a “stiffed neck people”. Simply meaning that they would not listen, would not heed, would not take direction and were disobedient never getting the much needed work done. Sounds like most Pastors, Deacons and the people that set in the Church pews!!!! God asks of us and we sneer, growl, snirkle, bite and walk away in the opposite direction like a grumpy, grouchy old mule. Our will and God’s will for us seem to instantly clash. And this clash of wills bring pain, sorrow, a stiff neck and unfinished tasks. Will we ever learn? It is my prayer for you this morning that we all learn a lesson from the meanest mule on the mountain. Let’s all be attentive to God’s will for us and stop the frustrations that arise out of disobedience. There is a lot of Kingdom work that’s not getting done because of all this mule faced disobedience. Let’s start in the right direction and follow the lead that God lays before us. This upcoming year let’s pledge to no longer ignore the work of the Kingdom but gladly accept the reigns of responsibility. No more stiff necks, they hurt!! I hope each and every one of you have a great day today. I hope your blessed and you bless others. Keep walking towards that promised land…..love you lots….Pastor Brion