Jeremiah has been very
descriptive of the way the people of Jerusalem were responding to the
judgment that came upon them for falling away from their relationship
with God. In chapter one and verse fourteen he continues his lament
and turns his attention toward some very interesting examples of what
the people felt like as they endured the suffering for their
rebellion. He wrote:
The
yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed,
and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall,
the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom
I am not able to rise up.
The verse begins, “The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his
hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck:”
It is interesting that Jeremiah employs the example of a “yoke”
to describe the transgressions of the people. A “yoke” was
a curved piece of wood that was fastened to two animals and was
primarily used for plowing fields. In this case, their “yoke”
“is bound by his hand” or “kept on” by God's strength.
Jeremiah said “they are wreathed” which means
“intertwined” together upon the necks or “back of the necks”
of those who wear them. In other words the hand of God and the
binding yoke of their transgressions were intertwined together upon
the backs of the necks of those who were rebellious against Him.
The
verse goes on to say, “ he has made my strength to fall, the
Lord has delivered me into their hands, from
whom I am not able to rise up.” Jeremiah added the
results of this binding yoke - “made my strength to fall”.
The people of Judah and Jerusalem became powerless among those who
destroyed them, and as a result they were “delivered into their
hands”. Where they once defended themselves, they were “not
able to rise up” or “take a stand against” those who took
them into captivity.
Jesus
said this in the gospel of Matthew in chapter eleven verses
twenty-eight through thirty”
Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto
your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light.
Rather
than know the binding, arduous and “intertwined” hand of God upon
the yoke of our transgressions, God desires to place His “easy”
yoke upon us. He desires to have a relationship with us that is
strong and not ready to be delivered to the captivities and bondages
of the world. We have a choice in this matter. We decide whether to
rebel against the ways of God as the people of Judah and Jerusalem
did and know those results, or we may align ourselves with the
Heavenly Father and come unto Him and receive rest. The choice seems
obvious, and may the Lord Jesus lead us to the right decision.
Next
time we will see more of the Lord's judgment against Jerusalem, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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