Good and Bad Yokes?
"In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat." (Isaiah 10:27 NIV)
This is a time of changing yokes. I feel the Lord saying, "New season, new yoke." But how do we identify our yokes?
Yokes are not always a bad thing. Biblically, we see yokes used both negatively and positively. Detrimental yokes are those not ordained by the Lord; they are systems or alliances that can seem unavoidable, or even advantageous, but ultimately steer us away from where the Lord wants us. They can often be sneaky in their nature because they can feel normal, like that's just how things are. Independence from them seems dream-like, or even vulnerable. At their core, however, we recognize the disharmony between the ways and words of the Lord and the ways and leadings of these yokes.
Good yokes are divinely appointed alliances that lead to walking in harmony with the Lord and for his purpose. Sometimes they are for a season or sometimes much longer. There is a discipleship nature to these yokes and a momentum that comes when the Lord's people are moving in unity.
Examining Our Yokes
During this season the Lord is calling our attention to reevaluate what he is doing with our yokes; some will be changed, some will be broken, some will no longer fit, and some will stay. We are to be Holy-Spirit led as we allow God to restructure what we are "pulled" by.
We can take a look at our yokes by examining how they operate in our lives. Though there are many uses for yokes in the biblical world, all uses stem back to two purposes: pulling something heavy or plowing something hard. (Photo via Flickr)
In order to identify our yokes, we must first partner with the Holy Spirit by asking, "Lord, what have I joined with in this season to help me with the hard?" A yoke can help two oxen pull more than one ox can alone. In the midst of our "hard," we often find ourselves being yoked to help share the load.
Secondly, we can ask, "Holy Spirit, what have I joined with in this season to plant?" What have we let speak into our soil? What have we sown into? What have we allowed to sow into us or graft into our fruit? Again, these things can be both good and bad. We rarely plow hard ground alone. We tend to gravitate toward yokes. The question is are we joining with the yokes the Lord has for us?
Ultimately, this is so important because what we are tied to trains us.
Lamentations 3:27 (NIV) reads, "It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young." This reference speaks to the old practice of yoking younger or more inexperienced oxen with older ones for the purpose of learning or training.
All of our "yoke experiences" train us, both for good and bad. We see, biblically, how both yokes of oppression and yokes of the ways of the Lord served to shape and teach the people of God, because he wastes nothing. He never wants us in yokes that he hasn't chosen for us, but he does promise to work all that has passed for our good (Romans 8:28). New yokes for a new season invite us into new learning, new training, and new discipleship.
The Yoke Will Be Broken
This verse from Isaiah 10 caught my attention because the Lord began unfolding two reasons for old yokes not fitting. Isaiah 10:27 (NIV) reads, "In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat."
"The yoke will be broken because..." The phrase that follows "because" is translated in different ways in different translations. Most often, it either reads something like "because your neck will be too large" (BSB) or "because of the anointing oil" (KJV). The original word in Hebrew is shemen, and means "grease, liquid, richness" according to Strong's concordance (Strong's H8081). You get two pictures, both of which illustrate why old yokes are sliding off in this new season.
First, old yokes won't fit because you've GROWN. Some old yokes won't fit anymore because the Lord has grown you!
With negative yokes, this means oppression tactics of the enemy that used to work on you no longer work, as God has further trained and discipled you. They aren't a "fit" anymore! The enemy may try to put you under that bondage again, but it simply won't fit.
For yokes that were actually God-ordained for a season, it may mean that you have trained up under or gleaned from that partnership what was needed, and now the Lord is calling you into new alignments or new training. The old yokes, in this case, aren't bad; they just don't fit anymore! (Photo via Flickr)
Second, old yokes won't fit because of the ANOINTING on you from the Lord. The "grease" in the Hebrew "shemen" is the skin that is has been greased up and made slippery by the anointing oil. Some old yolks will slide right off because of the anointing.
For negative yokes, this is a breaker anointing that is by HIS power, and renders the old things that we were slaves to ineffective.
For positive yokes, it may not make sense in the natural, but you may find yourself not feeling the same traction with things that used to "move" you, even though they are very godly things. There is just a different anointing on you this season. Avoid the temptation to make things stick that the Lord is loosening.
Of course, for every season there is always an invitation to one yoke we will never outgrow, the one yoke that will never change. In Matthew 11:28–30 (NIV), Jesus invites us: "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."
Receiving the New Yoke
Steps for receiving his yoke are simple. First, come to him. That means taking the time to ask him about what you should come alongside in this season and what needs to break loose. Second, learn from him. Ask the Holy Spirit how each alliance in this season is being used to train or sharpen you. Ask, "Jesus, what can I learn from you in this?" Finally, step into rest. When we lean into God's yoke for us, we let the force of his Spirit help pull us along and multiply our efforts. We don't drive or strive; we submit to his leading and find rest in his strength.
Lord, right now we ask for you to rearrange us. May you shake loose any yoke that isn't meant for us, anything we've outgrown or that doesn't have your anointing for this season. May we receive with joy your yoke and your training and discipleship for us in this time.
We humble ourselves under your leadership, and we thank you that you have yoked yourself with us, and you help us through our "hard" with ease and help multiply our planting. We receive your anointing. We are ready to learn new things from you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Sara Whitten
Arrows of Zion
Email:Â sara@arrowsofzion.com
Website:Â www.arrowsofzion.com
Sara Whitten is an author, speaker, and founder of Arrows of Zion Ministries which has been offering resources to equip to the body of believers since 2017. This ministry focuses on creating space to regularly encounter God's voice and live lives that are fertile soil for the kingdom of God. Her writings are featured in many publications, including the Elijah List and Charisma. She also hosts "Hear God Every Day," a podcast with tools to help amplify the voice of God amidst the noise of everyday life. She and her husband currently reside in Kerrville, Texas with their three children.
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