Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 27 verse 5,”I have made the earth, the men and the beasts that are upon the face of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and I give it to whomever it seems right and suitable to Me,” (Amplified Bible). The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in the beginning of the reign of king Zedekiah of Judah. God told Jeremiah to construct a wooden yoke and put it around his neck. He had to go and speak to Zedekiah and all the messengers of the kings of the surrounding lands, who were meeting at his court wearing this yoke. Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful Babylonian King, had already taken the royalty and priests from Jerusalem in captivity and took many of the precious vessels from the temple. Jeremiah was sent to tell the kings, who were considering a joint attack on Nebuchadnezzar, to submit to the yoke of the Babylonians. They would save themselves if they stayed in their lands and would have relative peace, even though they would be ruled by a foreign king. The false prophet, Hananiah, said that the captivity would only last for another two years. The King of Judah, who was in captivity with some people, will then return. He will also bring back the holy vessels of the temple. Hananiah got so angry that he broke the yoke that Jeremiah carried around his neck and threw it to the ground. Jeremiah said that Hananiah’s words would be a wonderful prophecy concerning the quick return of the exiles; however, the Lord said that He would use King Nebuchadnezzar as his instrument. God stated that he gave, for a time, the people and the beasts he created into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. If the people return and confess their wrongs God would relent, but if they declared war against Nebuchadnezzar they would surely die in battle or be taken as captives. History tells us that despite the warnings of the prophet Jeremiah, war was declared against Nebuchadnezzar. Israel and Judah were in captivity for seventy years. When they returned to Jerusalem, God chose to use another foreign king, Darius, to help the Israelites restore Jerusalem and the Temple. Darius also returned the holy vessels to be instated in the temple of the Lord.
Sometimes the very source of fear and anxiety can be the instrument that leads to restoration. People want to be able to defend themselves, to feel that they are in control and able to rid themselves of enemies. However, if we look at the history lesson of Israel and Judah, we learn that if they had not launched into war, they would have been allowed to live in their houses, to plant their fields and to continue living their lives. They would have been controlled by foreign powers; however, they would have lived. They could have even grown in these unlikely circumstances. The farmer places yokes on the necks of his cattle and the cattle serve him by ploughing the field. They are not able to roam freely, but they are given grain and shelter and are being of service. The cattle under the joke are safer than those roaming free, for they are cared for while they are of service. Circumstances occur in the world that forces people to be under a yoke. At this moment we are wearing yokes of isolation and social distancing, disrupted lives and business, times of rampant disease and economic hardships. No government can give a clear picture of what will transpire. It is in times like these that we need to endure the yoke and make peace with it, for fighting against it will lead to unnecessary calamities and further hardship. We are called to be strong in the trials and not to rebel and break out underneath the yoke, for the yoke protects and will ultimately be broken, at the right time. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” Matthew 5 verse 5.
Father, we ask that you will sustain us under the yoke that we have to carry, Amen.