“And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” – Isaiah 10:27

A yoke is practically a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plough or cart that they are to pull. It is a husbandry tool used to plough the soil to enhance farming. However, several times In the Bible the word yoke was used to connotate slavery, servitude or burden.

“This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and on which a yoke has never been placed.” – Numbers 19:2

“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” – 1 Kings 12:4

As seen in our verse for today, the prophet Isaiah decries the judgment of God that was to befall the Assyrians who oppressed Israel. He continues by telling Israel that the day they put their trust in God is the day that will mark and end their oppression, “and it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”

Many of us may find ourselves burdened by one negative situation or another. It has become a yoke on our shoulder. It could be an illness, financial indiscipline, a chain of back luck, negative family cycles, loss or stagnation. In Mark 9, Jesus tells his disciples that certain patterns and burdens do not go away, except by prayer and fasting. Which implies that unless we spend a considerable amount of time in God’s presence, we will not be able to receive the anointing to break hardened yokes. Jesus said this right after He had sought the face of God and had been transfigured – after he had spent time in the presence of Moses and Elijah.

Today, Jesus is knocking on the door of your heart, He is telling you that if you keep your eyes fixated on Him, if you spend time with Him, the hardened yoke imposed by the enemy will be broken off your neck and you will be free. I pray you find the strength to accept this wholly and run with it, Amen!