Do Not Mussel an Ox


Dr. Redick brought up a bible passage in class that caught my attention. Deuteronomy 25:4 says, “you shall not mussel an ox when it is treading out the grain.” I had not heard this verse before, but it really made me think. I see why people would mussel an ox while it is working. It is more efficient to do so. If it keeps stopping to eat it will not be working to its full potential. However, it is a huge act of kindness to not do that. It shows that people care about animals. Like I said, it is more efficient for the people to mussel the ox, so that it gets the maximum amount of work done without stopping, but it is nicer to the ox to allow it to eat while on the job. I think this should be applied to all working animals. They should not be confined when working and should be able to eat or rest when they need to. In the end, it might produce less work from the animals, but it shows that the animals are valued and should be cared for as creations of God and not just working animals.

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