UNDER THE YOKE

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Early in the reign of Zedekiah, son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

This is what the Lord said to me:

“Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With My great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.”’

‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.”’

I gave the same message to Zedekiah, king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?”

Jeremiah 27:1-13

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Jeremiah, Chapter 26, we saw God send a fundamental message through His prophet to His people (and to all who would read these scriptures thereafter).

What was the message?

Listen to God, respond to His commandments in obedience, and turn from evil ways.

These were God’s expectations and in return for His people’s compliance, He in turn vowed to relent from sending His judgment upon them.

So would His people indeed listen to His message, turn from their sin, and avoid His consequences?

Not exactly.

For if you know the story of the people of Israel, then you know they were an obstinate people who foolishly challenged God by tuning Him out and turning away from Him to worship other gods in direct violation of His most fundamental command given to their ancestors led by Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:3-5). And so God brought His judgment upon them in the form of the Babylonian forces under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar who placed the Israelites under the yoke. We know through the words found in the first 13 verses of Jeremiah, Chapter 27, as God sends yet another message through His prophet:

Early in the reign of Zedekiah, son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:

This is what the Lord said to me:

“Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Tell this to your masters: With My great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.”’

‘“If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’ They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.”’

I gave the same message to Zedekiah, king of Judah. I said, “Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?”  Jeremiah 27:1-13

Note here that there were really no options for God’s people. They weren’t given an opportunity to change and avoid His punishment. Rather, the punishment was coming and God’s people were called to submit to that judgment by bowing their necks under the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God was making all His people subject to the foreign leader who would come into Israel and Judah, destroy the land and leave it in ruins, and then haul the Israelites off into a seventy year exile. If they liked foreign gods so much, then God would send them away to live with foreigners. And since the people wanted to forsake and abandon God, then they would get a taste of what life would be like without Him.

As long as the people surrendered to the attackers God was sending upon them, they would live. If they opposed, then they would perish.

So why did the Lord use the analogy of the yoke, asking Jeremiah to fashion one and wear it as he delivered God’s message to the Israelites?

Because of the imagery it carried with it.

You see, the yoke was a symbol of oppression, servitude, and bondage. Commonly used on animals, a yoke would leave a donkey or ox subjected to whatever its master wanted it to do. If used on a human, it would symbolize a person defeated and enslaved, their freedom lost along with their hope. No person would ever desire this; rather, it would be an experience looked on with fear and dread. This is what was ahead for the Israelites who would be held captive under the authority and rule of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon, the price they would pay for their wickedness and conscientious disregard and disrespect of God.

The people of God were going under the yoke for seventy years and there was no getting out of it.

So with all this, there’s something you need to know, if you don’t know already.

For every single person today is under the yoke in one of two ways:

We’re either under the yoke of the Lord or we’re under the yoke of sin.

There really is no third way.

If we choose to live separated from the Lord and allow Satan and sin to be our Master then we will be yoked to Satan and sin in our lives and wickedness will dominate us, dragging us down the path to destruction.

Conversely, if we choose to live for the Lord, committed and obedient to His word, will, and way, then He will be our Master and we will be under His yoke which leads us on the path of righteousness and abundant life, now and forever. It’s this kind of yoke that Jesus speaks about in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew:

“All things have been committed to me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:27-30

Notice the invitation here for people to come under the yoke of Christ the Lord. For those who are weary and burdened with the things of life, those weighed down by the things of the world, will find their load lightened under the yoke of Jesus to where they can find rest. Under His yoke, we are not oppressed but rather enlightened as we learn from Him, directed and guided toward living in ways that are pleasing to God, His Father and ours.

The people of Israel were going under an oppressive yoke that would lead them to hardship and difficulty for seventy years. This is because they rejected the yoke God offered, one that was easy and less than burdensome. All He asked His people to do was to be obedient to Him and they would live in His favor.

That’s all He wants for us as well today.

So what yoke are you under as you read this today?

Are you under the yoke of sin and Satan or the yoke of Jesus?

If your answer is sin and Satan, today is the day to remove that yoke that is heavy and leading you toward harm and exchange it for the life fulfilling, edifying, easy and light yoke of Jesus. He’s ready to receive you this very moment.

Amen.

Let us pray.

In Christ,

Mark
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