Psa. 78:8 π Isa. 65:2 π Jer. 5:23
A man was given a Hereford heifer as a gift. She was a wholesome-looking animal – pretty white head, with large, innocent eyes and a friendly disposition. She had an inoffensive bawl as she signaled for food, and was well-behaved in her eating habits.
One day she got out of her pen and wandered in the desert; the pursuit by two men on foot proved fruitless. Later, a mule was saddled, but he and the rider were unable to catch up or corner the heifer. Then a roping horse was substituted for the mule and finally, after considerable effort, the heifer was cornered with a horse, two men and a heifer, all breathing quite heavily. It was soon evident, after the heifer was roped, that she wasn’t about to go anywhere. She was almost totally unmanageable, fighting with every ounce of strength against every attempt to lead her anywhere. Soon the manager of the sales barn pulled up in his pickup truck to where this episode was unfolding and volunteered to help pull the heifer to the sales barn cattleyard, but the owner of the heifer and the manager couldn’t budge her.
They finally decided to lead her by attaching her lead rope to the back of the pickup truck and pull her the 100 yards or so to the sales barn pens. The pickup truck started out and the slack of the rope was taken up and the heifer refused to be led, so the driver started toward the pens as the heifer braced all four feet and refused to take a step by herself. In the forced walk she left four deep grooves in the rocky soil, holding back so tenaciously that her bottom almost touched the ground numerous times.
The spectators felt badly because they thought her hooves would be worn down during the rocky trip, and further wondered in unbelief how a so seemingly nice, quiet and gentle-dispositioned heifer would fight so stubbornly the trip to a pen where there was free water, food, friends and protection.
“…a stubborn and rebellious generation…” ( Psa. 78:8 ) “But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart.” ( Jer. 5:23 ) “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts.” ( Isa. 65:2; top )
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