THE YOKE OF CHRIST IS EASY, THE BURDEN IS LIGHT

“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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Mat, 11:29-30

False teachers use many sophistries and slogans to distort the scriptures regarding man's duty to obey the Sabbath Commandment. For example, they falsely represent the above verses to say “Jesus is my Sabbath.”

As lovers of truth, we must go to the scriptures for our authority to correct their error. We must learn what it means to “find rest unto our souls” and to take the easy yoke of Christ where the burden is light.

FINDING REST FOR OUR SOULS

We find rest for our souls when our soul is delivered from death; when we are reconciled to The Heavenly Father through the forgiveness of past sins purchased by the atonement of Christ’s blood.*

Because we obey the The Ten Commandments of God (including the seventh day Sabbath Commandment), satan can no longer accuse us and make us feel guilty. That is another way that we find rest for our souls!

“Yoke -- Zugos -- a yoke, serving to couple two things together, is used metaphorically, of submission to authority, …” Vine

THE HEAVY YOKE OF A WICKED KING

Here we read about the heavy and grievous yoke of a wicked king of Israel:

1 Kings 12:3 “ … And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,

1Ki_12:4 Thy father [Solomon] made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

1Ki_12:9 And he said unto them [the young men] , What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter?

1Ki_12:10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou speak unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.

1Ki_12:11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

1Ki_12:14 and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

THE YOKE OF CHRIST IS EASY, THE BURDEN IS LIGHT

"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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Mat, 11:29-30

As we take the yoke of Christ and submit to His authority, we learn from Him that the Commandments of God are not grievous. He obeyed them and so must we!

Donna Kupp

NOTES

* For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified [forgiven] freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; Romans 3:23-25
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Psa 116:5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
Psa 116:6 The LORD preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me.
Psa 116:7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Psa 116:8 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
Psa 116:9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

dk