When we start to follow Jesus and His will for our lives we need to learn that we should follow at an earlier age.  The earlier we start the better it is for us. We realize that the earlier we start, from a young age, the more beneficial it is for us. How grateful I am to realize this, even now. We can learn valuable lessons as we follow after Jesus teachings from His word… When we apply this to our present suffering or circumstances it becomes a valuable lesson in discipline. Only if we bear it rightly. To attain this result, let us learn resignation, remembering who has laid the yoke upon us. When we resign ourselves to the facts of reality and remember how we got in the curcumstances we are in.

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Let us consider a yoke.

Yoke = discipline, or work that is irksome, compulsory and painful.

Yokes were heavy, wooden crossbars used to connect two oxen together for more efficient plowing. The “yoke” is put on animals for pulling heavy loads, and is a metaphor for the discipline of discipleship. The word of God gives us disipline and when applied properly it can disciple us in the way we need to go. We are taught the virtues of gentleness and humility, the preciousness of bearing one another’s burdens, and the true meaning of finding rest together, all while being guided along the path we are meant to walk.

In the Bible, married life is ( One Man & One Woman )  sometimes referred to metaphorically as a “yoke.” When a couple lives out their marriage in faith—bound together by this yoke through both times of joy and times of hardship—they become united as one complete entity. The reason God’s Word instructs us not to be joined with unbelievers is precisely to teach us not to “be yoked together” with them. One example illustrating this point is the situation that arises when a believer and a non-believer are yoked together: they inevitably face conflicts of opinion and pursue divergent paths. A team bound by an unequally yoked is liked to one of the yoked partners facing backward. In such a state, far from being able to properly plow the field—whether that field represents society, the church, or the home—they merely wander in small circles or end up digging useless holes in the ground; mutual distrust emerges, complaints arise, trust is shattered, and the sense of shared purpose is lost. Therefore, when oxen are yoked together to begin their work—moving forward in unison, resting together when it is time to rest, and learning to follow the farmer’s instructions—they are able to quickly combine their strength and complete the task. Furthermore, just as we observe an experienced mother ox teaching her calf—demonstrating that even animals can learn discipline and obedience—how much more should we, who hear and study God’s Word, strive to listen attentively? May this passage serve as a lesson to us—we who so often fail to listen and instead foolishly repeat cycles of sin and disobedience—and may it lighten our burdens as we learn from it. When done properly the two are placed the right way, they learn from one another and complement and help one another.

The yoke is not pleasant, but it is profitable, it is honorable, what becomes to us, is our duty, quietly and patiently to bear the afflictions we have, for a short time and it is a noble endeavor. It is a duty inherent to the life we ​​have been given: to quietly and patiently endure the hardships and adversities that befall us.

God is pleased to lay upon us a yoke, to restrain our wild and wanton spirits when they are most prone to be too brisk and lascivious actions.

To train up one in their youth in the way we would have them to walk; and whether God will, tame us and or God will change us when we are changed by his word or by his rod of correction, it is of advantage to men and women worldwide to commit and submit to the will of God.  For our sake to help us.  Amen!

In the Old Testament the Hebrew word “yoke” are both used figuratively of severe bondage, or affliction, or subjection.

New Testament the Greek word “yoke” it is also used to denote servitude.

For those who obey God—the Giver of life and breath—not out of compulsion nor to be seen by others, but who instead learn humility and gentleness within their homes, churches, and society, the word “yoke” takes on a profound meaning. Recognizing that this very yoke serves to truly expand and enrich their lives, they come to understand themselves as individuals who endure with patience, pray steadfastly, and offer encouragement to others.

It is not so easy to bend a neck stiffened with age, or change a heart made hard by custom or offense. We must understand who has placed the yoke upon us. Was it God or Satan?  Jesus did not offer the yoke of the law,  neither is He offering freedom from all constraints. The “yoke” is Jesus’ yoke, not the yoke of the law or man. The discipleship must be to Jesus in order for us to learn properly His will. It all comes with God’s constraints and disipline. This is how we learn.

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Jesus encourages us when He says the burdened to come to him because he is “gentle and humble in heart.” Matthew stresses Jesus’ gentleness. Jesus approaches us with a true servant’s gentleness. For the present His messianic reign must not be understood as exclusively royal. He came to carry the burden for all who are willing to release it to Him. He goes on to tell us we will have rest if we allow him to carry the burden for us. Now is time to let go your burden.

Now the focus is on “rest” but here the words “and you will find rest for your souls”.  It is easier to be a Christian than a sinner; and of all the yokes ever imposed on men, that of the Redeemer is the lightest.

Here, Jesus’ yoke represents His teaching. Allegiance to Him and His kingdom results in a sense of peace—it is not laborious, like keeping the requirements of the Jewish leaders of the time, but instead is joyful. We are empowered to serve righteousness and the heavenly Kingdom of God. Amen!

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Requiring Gentiles to be circumcised to obey the Mosaic Law would have had two results: (a) the Jews would test God and (b) they would put on the necks of the disciples an unbearable yoke.

God is working among both Jews and Gentiles that to demand that the Gentiles become Jews is to doubt what God has declared. It is an image of the yoke of bondage of the Mosaic law on the Gentiles. And then there is Jesus: He who bore the yoke of this world, who came for the sake of sinners, who bestowed the privilege of salvation, and who extended His grace to those who were utterly undeserving. We should never try to “provoke” God to do anything. It is not our place to intervene.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

“Stop being held by a yoke of bondage.” Common word for ensnare by trap. The Judaizers were trying to lasso the Galatians for the old yoke of Judaism. Circumcision is the sign of subjection to the Jewish “yoke”- the effect of the law. The Judaizers questioned the Galatians with circumcision and were trying to tell them it was a condition of  their salvation. We must not become someone who ruins God’s precious will through our own arguments an assertion and arrogance and pride.

Jewish tradition, the image of the yoke was often used to describe the law’s role of guiding people in righteousness.  However, it does not lead or teach people anymore, but instead enslaves them in this context. We can still use the law to help us with morallity, or guiding God people in righteousness living. Most people could not keep the law anyway.  For this very reason, God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, into this world.

In the fellowship Christian believers should demonstrate God’s love and kindness to remain respectful to one another for the sake of the church’s reputation -being God’s holy and sacred household, purchased at the cost of Christ’s blood-demands that we maintain an attitude of mutual respect for the sake of its honor; so that the work of the gospel may not be hindered. Christian believers were to view their brothers and sisters as equals in Christian fellowship. Therefore, whatever work you do, it must come from your heart, and whatever service you perform, you must do it with humility and patience, bearing one another’s yoke together and giving thanks. I hope that you will become one who receives praise for the fruits of your obedience, acting with a heart of mutual obedience just as you obey God.

You can see now how important the yoke is within the Church and Christian fellowship. We are all yoked together. Let us grow into a Riverview Church that stands firm upon the Word—centered on obedience—sharing together in times of hardship, difficulty, joy, and gratitude.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Amen!