AN OX AND A DONKEY

I was recently reading the Book of Deuteronomy and came upon this verse:

“You must not plow with an ox and a donkey harnessed together.” (22:10)

It is obvious that the reason is that their disparity would greatly affect them both… one pulling so strenuously as to harm itself and the other having to pull his load and dragging the other with his load. They both will wear out and suffer. The wisdom of the law is often simple and obvious.

The verses before and after this one are similar:

“You must not plant any other crop between the rows of your vineyard. If you do, you are forbidden to use either the grapes from the vineyard or the other crop.”
And, “You must not wear clothing made of wool and linen woven together.” (Verses 9,11) The idea is that all of these things are too dissimilar to be together.

Paul, an apostle, wrote a related idea in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16: “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.”

It is simple and obvious…and wise.

“No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and uses it to patch an old garment. For then the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldn’t even match the old garment. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins.” Jesus