Strong's #2218: zugos (pronounced dzoo-gos')
from the root of zeugnumi (to join, especially by a "yoke"); a coupling, i.e. (figuratively) servitude (a law or obligation); also (literally) the beam of the balance (as connecting the scales):--pair of balances, yoke.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon:
́
zugos
1) a yoke
1a) a yoke that is put on draught cattle
1b) metaphorically, used of any burden or bondage
1b1) as that of slavery
1b2) of troublesome laws imposed on one, especially of the Mosaic law, hence the name is so transferred to the commands of Christ as to contrast them with the commands of the Pharisees which were a veritable ' yoke' ; yet even Christ' s commands must be submitted to, though easier to be kept
2) a balance, pair of scales
Part of Speech: noun masculine
Relation: from the root of zeugnumi (to join, especially by a "yoke" )
Citing in TDNT: 2:896, 301
Usage:
This word is used 6 times:
Matthew 11:29: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of"
Matthew 11:30: "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is"
Acts 15:10: "tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the"
Galatians 5:1: "hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
1 Timothy 6:1: "servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy"
Revelation 6:5: "on him had a pair of balances in his hand."
Strong's #5923: `ol (pronounced ole)
or mowl {ole}; from 5953; a yoke (as imposed on the neck), literally or figuratively:--yoke.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon:
/
‛ôl
1) yoke
Part of Speech: noun masculine
Relation: from H5953
Usage:
This word is used 40 times:
Genesis 27:40: "when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck."
Leviticus 26:13: "of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go"
Numbers 19:2: "and upon which never came yoke:"
Deuteronomy 21:3: "been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;"
Deuteronomy 28:48: "and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until"
1 Samuel 6:7: "which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart,"
1 Kings 12:4: "Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service"
1 Kings 12:4: "service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put"
1 Kings 12:9: "who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put"
1 Kings 12:10: "thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto"
1 Kings 12:11: "whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to"
1 Kings 12:11: "yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips,"
1 Kings 12:14: "saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to"
1 Kings 12:14: "and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I"
2 Chronicles 10:4: "Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude"
2 Chronicles 10:4: "servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put"
2 Chronicles 10:9: "me, saying, Ease somewhat the yoke that thy father did put upon"
2 Chronicles 10:10: "unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it somewhat lighter"
2 Chronicles 10:11: "my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to"
2 Chronicles 10:11: "you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I"
2 Chronicles 10:14: "them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I"
Isaiah 9:4: "For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod"
Isaiah 10:27: "shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck,"
Isaiah 10:27: "thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because"
Isaiah 14:25: "and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden"
Isaiah 47:6: "the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke."
Jeremiah 2:20: "For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst,"
Jeremiah 5:5: "these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds."
Jeremiah 27:8: "put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation"
Jeremiah 27:11: "bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain"
Jeremiah 27:12: "Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people,"
Jeremiah 28:2: "saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon."
Jeremiah 28:4: "for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon."
Jeremiah 28:11: "Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from"
Jeremiah 28:14: "the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all"
Jeremiah 30:8: "the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst"
Lamentations 1:14: " The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck:"
Lamentations 3:27: "for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth."
Ezekiel 34:27: "when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served"
Hosea 11:4: "of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat"
14:24-27 Let those that make themselves a yoke and a burden to God's people, see what they are to expect. Let those that are the called according to God's purpose, comfort themselves, that whatever God has purposed, it shall stand. The Lord of hosts has purposed to break the Assyrian's yoke; his hand is stretched out to execute this purpose; who has power to turn it back? By such dispensations of providence, the Almighty shows in the most convincing manner, that sin is hateful in his sight.
From our anchor Scripture, it is clear that the Anointing is a supernatural lifting force that can lift burdens, yokes, and weights. The burden or yoke might be the burden of sin, depression, fruitlessness, poverty, empty-handedness, bareness, shame and disgrace, stagnation, sickness, and affliction or marital embargo. The Anointing is the Presence of God in the life of a Christian. The Anointing, therefore, refers to the power of God made available through His manifest Presence. The Bible says in Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Jesus was given the Anointing without measure. Whenever God decides to reveal His Power through the operation of the Anointing, natural laws become temporarily suspended, and we see miracles, signs, and wonders of great magnitude. In other words, God with anyone equals the Anointing.
The Anointing breaks every yoke of the devil and demolishes any spiritual mountain. It is the power of God that makes the natural supernatural and the ordinary do extraordinary things for God. Without the Anointing, many will struggle so hard and achieve so little. Without the Anointing, the best efforts of many people will go unrewarded, and frustration will set in. Many people are carrying different loads in life. There are weights, burdens, and yokes delaying many and stopping them from becoming what God wants them to become. God, through the Anointing, is interested in bringing every bondage, captivity, or curse to an end. The Anointing brings freedom, liberty, relief, refreshment, deliverance, provision, healing, and restoration. The Anointing announces Divine favor and destroys every burden, weight, or yoke on one’s life. With the Anointing, God becomes your Supplier, Provider, and Defender. To access this form of Anointing, we must live a life that pleases God. A Righteous Life! Living a righteous life can cause the Anointing of God to flow without ceasing. The Anointing also activates whatever God has ordained. Whatever yokes the Anointing has destroyed cannot resurface, except the person involved goes back to sin, opening the door to bigger yokes of the enemy. In John 5:14, Jesus told the healed man at the pool Bethesda to go and sin no more lest a worse thing comes on him.
Beloved, desire the Anointing to break every yoke or bondage in your life. Avoid anything that will hinder you from experiencing the supernatural. When God anoints you, He will stand behind you and ensure you never lose a battle or lack any good thing; what is not enough now will be more than enough tomorrow. The Anointing will make you a terror to the kingdom of darkness and a notable representative of the Most High God. As a child of the Almighty God, you can be sure that there is no weapon formed against you spiritually, physically, or administratively that will prosper because of the Anointing. Whatever has been weighing you down, the Anointing of the Holy Ghost can lift that yoke off your life. Every burden in your life shall be lifted off you today in the Name of Jesus Christ. Today, live a holy life to experience the Oil of Gladness in your life! Be a true worshipper who worships God in spirit, and truth adheres strictly to His pattern and instructions as revealed in the Bible. Fatten up your spirit by spending time praying, studying the Word of God, listening to power pack messages, and anointed music so you can outgrow any affliction or challenge in your life. To increase the Anointing on your life, refuse to gratify the lust of the flesh and do your best to avoid carnally minded people. Receive deliverance from all yokes from the Anointing, the yoke Breaker in the Name of Jesus. Remember, if your garment is not white, the Anointing cannot flow, and if the Anointing does not flow, the power to break the yokes would be lacking because the Anointing is the secret of power.
A yoke is no longer a piece of equipment that we are all familiar with, but in Isaiah’s day everyone would have witnessed animals working in the fields with a bar of wood joining them at the neck. A yoke is a symbol of slavery and bondage.
You must recognize and destroy the bondages that the enemy of your faith places on you! You must recognize spiritual battles for what they are! Only the anointing of God destroys your yoke! God has given you a spirit of love and has commanded you not to fear.
Romans 8:15 reminds you, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves…” Notice it says “received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.” Slavery, whether emotional, physical or spiritual, is always accompanied by a spirit of fear! Fear is more than an emotional response, it is spiritual in nature!
2 Timothy 1:7 reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” The Greek word translated here as “spirit,” is translated “devil” and “demon” in almost every other passage. Consistent fear in any area of your life will prevent the will of God in your life. That is why the angels of the Lord always said, “Fear not” before they delivered the Word of God. You cannot receive the will and Word of the Lord when you are living under the spirit of fear.
God has not given us the spirit, or demon, of fear and timidity. Notice that fear and timidity usually work together. They are never from God, and always place a yoke of bondage in your life! The world calls this yoke a phobia, and most believers have accepted their phobias as normal. God sets His own standard of normal, and that does not include fear and timidity!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, let Your spirit of power, love, and self-discipline rise up in me in full strength! Fear in my life is not from You, and I bind it in the name of Jesus. Your perfect love casts out all fear, and I claim that love in all areas of my life. Let me be used boldly for Your kingdom and remove the enemy’s works of fear from my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Every Yoke Has to Go!
I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.
Leviticus 26:13
A yoke is a symbol of servanthood! The weight of the yoke brings loss of strength, causing the head to be lowered. Bondages drain your spiritual strength! Bondages lower your head to rob your vision! Looking down, you can only see where you are, not where you are going! God always desires to take you where you should be!
A yoke is a symbol of submission! The bondages of sin, along with the spirit of slavery and fear, cause you to give in, give up and submit. When you choose to submit to bondage, you make a decision to stay in bondage!
The yoke is a symbol of a burden! The farmer would secure the yoke tightly to the oxen. At first, the oxen felt very uncomfortable in the yoke. They knew it was unnatural, it was heavy, and throughout the day it robbed them of their strength. It caused their heads to hang low. The longer the oxen wore the yoke, the more they became accustomed to it. Finally, they accepted it. If you are not careful, you can live with a yoke for so long that you no longer discern how messed up you really are. God has to send someone with an anointing to ask why you are wearing the enemy’s yoke. The heavier your burden, the harder your life! It is just that simple.
But I have good news today! Christ died for you and wants to remove the burdens you are carrying. There is no yoke of bondage in your life that the anointing of the Lord cannot destroy! Today, tell every yoke in your life to go in the name of Jesus! Declare the anointing of the Holy Spirit and your freedom that Jesus purchased with His precious blood!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see bondage clearly. I choose to step out of bondage and walk in Your freedom. You set me free, so I am free, indeed! I take on Your rest for my weariness, Your joy for my sadness, and Your life for my death. Remove bondage from me. Lift my head to see Your vision. Give me Your strength to carry out Your will. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Further Reading: Jeremiah 27:11, Isaiah 9:4, Matthew 11:28
What Are You Giving Birth To?
For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian.
Isaiah 9:4
The yoke represents oppression! Webster’s dictionary defines oppression as, “The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. The feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.”
Believers cannot be possessed by demons, but they can be oppressed, that is, attacked from the outside, by demonic activity! The Bible says there are evil spirits in an unseen world! If you looked into that unseen world, you would find that many of the problems facing you are connected to the oppression of evil spirits! But God has not left us helpless, He gave us everything we need to live in victory, if we will follow His Word.
A yoke is a symbol of bondage to sin! If you continue to live with sin and do not resist or repent, it can turn into a prison from which you alone have no power to escape. Never forget that all sin leads to death! As James reminds us, “These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.” (James 1:15)
The power of the life-giving Spirit freed you from this prison of sin! It is the Spirit-filled life, the power of walking in the anointing, that frees you from the power of sin, from every yoke of bondage! Praise God!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the life and freedom that is available to me in You! You have given me freedom from spiritual oppression and from the deadly consequences of my own wrong choices. I belong to You, and any spirits that would oppress me must leave. I declare freedom in You! My spirit rejoices in Your love, and I live in right standing with You! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Further Reading: Ephesians 6:12-15, Lamentations 1:14, Romans 8:2
The Battle Is the Lord’s
And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!
1 Samuel 17:47
Like the prophet’s words told Israel and King Jehoshaphat, the battle is not yours, but God’s. So many Christians learn the truth of the Bible and then attempt to apply it to their lives by self-discipline and will power! The battle to live in victory over sin is not an intellectual battle, it is a spiritual battle! God’s truth has to move from your head to your heart! The Spirit-filled life is vitally important!
1 John 2:27 tells you, “the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you….” The anointing and power of the Spirit-filled life was never intended to be intermittent. The anointing and power of the Spirit should abide in you continuously!
This anointing did not cease when Jesus ascended into Heaven. Joel prophesied concerning the anointing, “Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.” (Joel 2:28-29)
The anointing removes all burdens from you and destroys the yokes of the oppressor. The Bible teaches that Jesus not only came to remove your burdens, but also to destroy the works of the devil’s yoke.
Praise God that the anointing of Jesus heals all! No mountain is too great for God to remove. No oppression is too strong for His glory to break from your life. No spirit of fear is too powerful for faith to conquer. Even the name of Jesus speaks of this. In Hebrew, it is “Yeshua,” which literally means “salvation” and speaks of deliverance, healing, and restoration to prosperity and wholeness.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your anointing! Above everything else that I may ask of You, I ask that Your anointing will abide in me. I need Your presence in my life every day. I need the deliverance, healing and restoration that You bring! You have opened my eyes to my need, and You are the only one who can meet that need! I ask that You continuously fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Let Your anointing oil flow over my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Further Reading: Acts 10:38, 1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14-15
Anointed and Free
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
Isaiah 61:1-2
In these two verses, six things are mentioned as the result of the anointing of Christ. Three of them have to do with breaking bondages.
- Comfort the broken hearted
- Proclaim freedom to the captives
- Bring release to those who are prisoners
Remember that Jesus is the Christ, the One anointed by God. Jesus came to lift every burden, and to destroy every demonic bondage in your life. He came to restore you to wholeness in every way. The divine flow of the Holy Spirit will break every yoke in your life!
Look at what is recorded in Colossians 2:15, “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.“
He shamed them publicly. He literally led them in a triumphal procession. The Roman army celebrated a great victory with a triumphal procession. The victorious Roman general led his humiliated captives into the conquered city. The image vividly captures the glorious victory that God, through the cross of Christ, won over all spiritual powers against us!
Jesus died and rose again, not just to give you eternal salvation, but to redeem every day of your life. His victory ensures your freedom today! Your eternity starts now!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge only You as my Lord. There is no other spiritual authority, no fear, no yoke, that stands above Your authority. You have declared that I am free, and in Your anointing, I live free! Thank You for leading the ultimate triumphal procession! In Jesus Name, amen.
Further Reading: Jeremiah 30:8
I Declare Freedom!
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
John 8:36
What would happen if the entire Body of Christ took on the anointing and broke away from yokes around their necks? Praise the Lord, you have the same Holy Spirit anointing that Christ has. You don’t have to let the devil trample all over you! You have the power of the anointing that will break every chain. Christ came to deliver you from fear, doubt and all oppression.
Isaiah 1:6 describes how too many Christians have been living, “You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages.“
If you keep hiding hurts under bandages instead of anointing them with anointing oil, today is your day to draw a line in the sand. Let the devil know enough is enough! Today is your day to know that Jesus died on the cross to set you free from every work of sin, sickness and oppression in your life.
Declare of yourself: I AM FREE BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
I am free from failure, for “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
I am free from want, for “my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
I am free from fear, for “God has not given us the spirit fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
I am free from doubt, for “God has given to every man the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3)
I am free from weakness, “for the Lord is the strength of my life.” (Psalm 27:1)
I am free from defeat, “for God always causes me to triumph in Christ Jesus.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)
I am free from sin, “for the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin.” (John 1:7)
I am free from worry, for I am to, “cast all my cares upon him.” (1 Peter 5:7)
I am free from bondage, “for where the spirit of The Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)
I am free from condemnation, “for there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
Protect these declarations with the shield of faith! Don’t let go of your freedom!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, in You there is freedom for the oppressed. I declare today that I am free! The enemy has no claim here! I know that You broke the yokes that I had allowed in my life. The strength of Your anointing sweeps aside anything that wants to enslave me. You set me free, and I claim that freedom forever! In Jesus’ Name, amen.
God warns the Israelites that, if they failed to serve Him properly, He would allow their enemies to fit them with a "yoke of iron." Clearly, the yoke of iron—a heavy, uncomfortable, unyielding, confining restraint—is an implement of destruction used by God to punish His people for their sins. As this passage indicates, people bring this yoke upon themselves through disobedience to God's law. If we are feeling that our yoke is too heavy, maybe we are wearing the wrong yoke. If so, we need to examine ourselves (II Corinthians 13:5). Have we brought the yoke of iron upon ourselves? If we do not repent, a heavy yoke of sin will destroy us! How many times do we blame God for our trials, when in fact, by our ingratitude and worldliness, we have fitted ourselves with an iron yoke! When we refuse to recognize our sins or to evaluate our spiritual condition soberly, we are returning to the bondage from which we have been so graciously freed. Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 1:14: "The yoke of my transgressions was bound . . ., and thrust upon my neck. He made my strength fail; the Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand." I Corinthians 10:13 is a familiar scripture where God tells us that He will never give us a trial that is more than we can handle. He will never allow us to be tempted without providing a way out. In other words, we do not have to sin! We do not have to bring the curse of the iron yoke upon our necks! The apostle John tells us that keeping God's commandments is not burdensome (I John 5:3). Our "burden" is not as burdensome as we may think; we can always lighten it by doing what God says is right. Even so, it is not easy. The discipline required to be a disciple of Christ is hard work. Anyone who thinks that the Christian life does not involve work is wrong. Contrary to popular belief, God never said that we would not have to work. He never said we would not have to endure. He never said that the Christian life would be without pain or weariness—but He did say that He would supply our needs and that He would finish what He started in us. “Obviously the prophet is looking down the stream of time, to a time of a thorough reformation, a time in which only those who forsake every sin and embody Truth and righteousness will be left in the church. None others will be found in the congregation of the Lord. Then Assyria shall fall and thus shall her yoke be removed from the neck of God's people.
“The Assyrian is to fall because of his wickedness, and because God's people return to Him, because of a thorough revival and reformation.” Isa. 31:9 -- "And he shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, Whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem."
“All these calamities overtake Assyria as soon as God's people turn to Him, as soon as they cast away their idols. In rabbinic theology the yoke is a metaphor of great importance. It is the symbol of service and servitude, and in accordance with the principle that the Jew should be free from servitude to man in order to devote himself to the service of God, the "yoke of the kingdom of man" is contrasted with "the yoke of the kingdom of heaven." The doctrine is fully enacted in the statement of *Neḥunya b. ha-Kanah : "Whoever takes upon himself the yoke of the Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns, and whoever breaks off the yoke of the Torah, they place on him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns" (). The "yoke of the Torah" here presumably refers to the duty of devoting oneself to study but "yoke" is used in a more specific and restricted sense. The proclamation of the unity of God by reading the *Shema is called "accepting upon oneself the yoke of the kingdom of heaven," while the acceptance of the fulfillment of the Commandments as a whole, referred to in the second paragraph of the Shema. is called "accepting the yoke of the Commandments," and it is this which determines the order of the paragraphs. In the phrase "bearing the yoke with one's fellow" means "sharing his burdens." This was a very Hebraic thing that we westerners do not understand. Disciples would take the “yoke of Torah” that their Rabbi taught upon them, like two animals bound together, they were bound to him, to obey his teachings. They studied their Rabbi's every move and memorized every word that came out of His mouth. Yeshua said his “yoke of Torah” was easy and light, not heavy and burdensome. He often criticized the Pharisees and Sadducees for the heavy burdens that they placed upon the people. He condemned them for taking "traditions of men and making them doctrines of Adonai", thus weighing the people down with heavy burdens that they were not able to bear (Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:1-9, Mark 7:11-13). Fulfilling the law (Torah) was the goal of the Rabbi’s. The term used for this in English is “fulfill”. To interpret scripture so that it would not be obeyed correctly was to “destroy” the law. Yeshua used this word “fulfill” in Matthew 5:17-19. The word, and you can study it for yourself, means to fill up, or to bring to a higher level of understanding, to accomplish, completeness. He came with authority to show us the correct interpretation of scripture, that man had corrupted, and to teach the right interpretation and meaning of everything that his Father had commanded to Moses. Contrary to popular belief he did not come to do away with the law, scripture says so (vs. 18), but to teach and interpret it correctly. At that time, as today, the scriptures had been corrupted by the traditions of man. Yeshua wanted to correct those wrong interpretations.
Luke 6:40 states that “a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Will we take his “yoke” upon us? What was His yoke? We must study His word, pray, and imitate him, if we are to be like him. Remembering, that He was in the image of His Father, and so are we, to be HOLY. We must give our whole lives to becoming like Him and taking His yoke upon us.
When the Rabbi believed that his disciples were prepared to be like him in all manners, he would send them forth to make disciples, hence, more little Christ’s, little Messiah's, all in his and God’s image. Yeshua sent his first disciples forth in Matthew chapter 28:18-20, instructing them to keep everything that He commanded them, to keep His yoke, the "yoke of Torah" as He taught it to them!
In the Newer Covenant, (New Testament), we find John making and baptizing disciples. It signified that they had taken the yoke (teachings and instructions) of John upon them and that they were following him, or accepted the message he brought. Hence, John's disciples were baptized unto what John preached (a baptism of repentance). However, John referred his disciples to the "one coming after him" who had a much greater "yoke of Torah" or who was greater than himself. That, of course, was Yeshua. The KJV version translation does not bring out the correct meaning of the last part of this verse. It says the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. The meaning it conveys, which we have typically used when this verse is quoted, is that God’s anointing or power will break the yoke from our necks. Well, this is not what this verse is saying. The Israelites were under the terror of the king of Assyria, and he had a burden on their shoulders and a yoke around their necks. He had them in captivity and oppression. The Lord was speaking prophetically to comfort His people and give them hope in the face of Assyrian pressure. He said the yoke of the king of Assyria would be destroyed because of fatness. The metaphor is an unusual one and probably the reason why the KJV translators choose the word “anointing”. The idea here is that of an ox with a yoke around its neck. The ox flourishes and grows so fat that the yoke around its neck gets broken! God said you will be so blessed that any yoke or bondage of the enemy will no longer fit on you! You become bigger than the yoke so it just falls off! Zechariah 2:5 “For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.”
The ministry of anointing with oil is one of the most mysterious things that we can find in the Bible, yet it is one of the most powerful.
The anointing oil can be applied to kings, to priests, to sacraments, to places, and as we see in our opening text, to cities as well.
In the case of Jerusalem, we cannot see it with our carnal eyes, but God has anointed that city and if we could look through the eyes of the Spirit, we would see the anointing that covers Jerusalem as a wall of fire that surrounds her and covers her with God’s mighty protection. Isaiah 10:27 “It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.”
But more important of all, as far as we humans are concern, the anointing with oil has the power to deliver us from the burden of transgression and the yoke of slavery to sin.
James 5:14-15 “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”
What is the mystery of the anointing with oil besides what might be obvious to us? So that if we are walking under Christ’s anointing, and since Christ means Anointed One, when a demon looks at us under the anointing they cannot tell whether it is us or Jesus Christ who they are facing.
Luke 10:19-20 “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions (demonic entities), and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.”
I believe that what Jesus is teaching us in Luke 10 is that as born again believers, born again means to be born of the Spirit of God, there is an aura around us that all spirits recognize and that they must submit to.
In other words, Jesus is telling us not to rejoice in the fact that we have power over the demonic spirits, but rather, that we rejoice in the anointing that is over us and that covers us, because of our position in the spiritual realm due to the Anointed One dwelling in us through His Spirit.
Psalm 105:15 “Saying, ‘Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.’”
So that there is a de-facto anointing that personally covers all born again believers and that all demonic entities must recognize.
But the ministry of the anointing with oil varies greatly and the greater our understanding of how it works the more powerful and effective that we can become in our ministries, and the better that we can protect ourselves, our families, and our properties from the evil one.
Let us take a look at a few of the many applications of the anointing with oil. Let us begin with the anointing for peace.
Jeremiah 29:7 “And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace.”
One thing that I do recommend for churches to do, and individual believers as well, is to take oil and anoint the places where your city begins and ends, what the Bible calls the city gates or entrances.
The way that we did it in the past is to go east and west, and north and south of the city, and pour anointing oil on the entrances of our city and pray for God’s anointing of peace to dwell in that city where we live.
Then we proceed to anoint our property lines, by pouring anointing oil all around the perimeter of what we own or rent, the place where we live, and we pray for God’s protection over it and ask for His peace to abide there as well. Why is that important?
Romans 8:21 “Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
Since we, the children of God, are walking under the liberating covering of God’s anointing that preserves us from the corruption of this world, we can proclaim liberty over the part of the creation that we do occupy.
How does that work, spiritually speaking?
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks (roams) about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Since wicked spirits tune in to areas that emanate gloominess and darkness, where spiritual disorder and chaos reigns, and since they roam about looking for innocent victims that they can lure into their traps without repercussions, it is important for the believers that inhabit those areas to anoint with oil those same areas that they occupy.
Spirits can instantly discern the places where believers have prayed for God’s peace to reign, and if they anointed the places where they prayed with oil, that anointing oil in the spiritual realm, shines like a mighty fire from God that warns those malevolent sprits to watch out, for there is swift retribution coming their way if they trespass over the anointing that covers those areas that believers have placed under their anointing.
Is the same for our homes, where we have anointed our boundaries with anointing oil, for it will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.
We are also to anoint our home with oil both inside and out, now why do we need to do that?
Deuteronomy 23:14 “For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.”
Just like the anointing oil shines in the spiritual realm to drive away predators, it also serves as a welcome sign for God’s holy angels that also move around the earth to do God’s bidding.
But even more precious than that, God takes pleasure in walking is our midst during our times of repose, and a home or a room where the anointing oil has been placed indicates to our Lord that this place has been reserved for His presence, and that He is always welcome there.
And then we are also to anoint ourselves personally as a sign of gratitude before the Lord, to show not only to ourselves, but to show others as well, and to show God Himself, that we will always belong to Him, our entire person, spirit soul and body are His habitation.
Isaiah 65:16 “So that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My eyes.”
What is it in us that is hidden from God’s eyes?
And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
The true anointing, for that is what we bless ourselves with while here in the earth, covers all of our infirmities and sins, the burden of sin and the yoke of oppression that is still in our mortal flesh and are driven away by the anointing oil that we bless ourselves with.
Mark 6:13 “And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.”
The anointing oil preserves us until the day of redemption.
Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Jesus the Anointed One walked about doing good and searching for those who were oppressed by the devil, and then He set them all free, for God was with Him. The anointing in the Bible was used to consecrate as in separate for use, or servatude to and of God. The Hebrew “mishchah” or “moshchah” it is derived from the primitive root “mashach” that often means to “smear or spread a liquid.” Exodus 30:31-33 says, “And thou shall speak unto the children of Israel, saying, this shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations. Upon man's flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. Whosoever compounds any like it, or whosoever puts any of it upon a stranger, shall be cut off from his people.”
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
The verse says the yoke is broken because of fatness, or “because of the anointing,” as the King James Version puts it. In other words, the fatness is the anointing, and the anointing breaks the yoke of oppression. Now consider the fact that 1 John 2:20 says you have received an anointing from the Holy One. This is not the anointing on your pastor or on your prayer partner. John is saying you are anointed. That means you have what you need to break free of everything in your life that is keeping you bound. Jesus wants you to be free. You have to believe that. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31–32). Beloved, you were created and saved to stand up and break every yoke that is preventing the Spirit of God from being fully manifest through your life. Don’t stop a quarter of the way up the mountain. Continue on to the top of the mountain. God wants to break every yoke off our lives by His anointing. The Bible says Jesus has come to make us free (Gal. 5:1), and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). I pray that you will believe this and that you will set your mind to overcome in this world. Freedom and liberty are your portion. Don’t settle for anything less. Keep on pressing in and pressing on. It often happens little by little, but you are being changed day by day. Keep your eyes set on Jesus. The Prophet Isaiah spoke about a yokedestroying anointing that was going to be introduced to mankind. When something is destroyed, it cannot be fixed, repaired or restored. It has been totally done away with. When we get saved we experience that anointing. We are set free from addictions, oppression and depression. Some get set free from suicidal thoughts and religious mentalities. People can have questions about what happened to make the change in us. I’ll tell you what happened: it was the ANOINTING that destroyed the yoke of bondage that was on your life, and now you are FREE to serve the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul! JESUS, THE ANOINTED ONE: Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Jesus was anointed to the bone, and all who heard him marveled at the authority he spoke with. It was the ANOINTING that gave him boldness. People were astonished at his miracles, and it was because of the ANOINTING of the Holy Ghost that he could do wonders. They were in awe when he cast out demons, and they would come out crying. It was the power of the ANOINTING of the Holy Ghost. YOU ARE ANOINTED 1 John 2:20 “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.” The Apostle John told the church that we have an unction (anointing) from Jesus. If you are a born-again believer, there is an anointing on you. God gave it to you when you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior. We need to quit playing church and start tapping into the anointing that Jesus has given us. WHAT THE ANOINTING DOES: The anointing will give you boldness to speak what God is saying, and will destroy yokes of bondage. The anointed hem of Jesus’ garment healed a woman of her infirmity. Even Peter’s shadow was anointed, so that people would be healed just by stepping into his shadow. The Apostle Paul’s handkerchief was so anointed that demons would come out of people. The prophet Elisha was so anointed that even when he was dead and buried, they threw a dead man into his grave and the man got up when he touched Elisha’s bones! (2 Kings 13:21) The anointing is real, and its for you! ANOINTED TO PREACH Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” To preach is to proclaim, to declare and to emphasize. The Holy Spirit will anoint you to preach good news to the needy! Actually, Jewish literature speaks of the Shema as a demonstration of three yokes. This was something very familiar in the first century. It is very likely that when Jesus said: “Take my yoke upon you” He was making a reference to the teachings of the Shema. The three yokes of the Shema are first to be yoked to God. Then you are yoked to the Torah. The Torah teaches you to how you can be yoked to God. The Laws of the Torah are really guidelines. As the Apostle Paul said the law is a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:24: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” There was no redemption in keeping the law, the redemption was in Jesus Christ. The law only told us how to have an appropriate relationship with God. As a bride lays down the law for her new husband. You will not look at another woman, you will not confide with another woman, you will spend at least one full day a week with me so we can develop our relationship, etc. The bridegroom is only more than happy to comply with these “laws.” Actually, this wife is not trying to be dictatorial, she is only revealing her heart to her husband and telling her husband those secrets of her heart’s desires, her fears, and the things her husband can do to please her. So too, the laws of God are not meant to be dictatorial, but to be a guide to the heart of God so we will know what to do that will please Him. The third yoke is to be yoked to mitzvahs or good deeds. As James said: James 2:26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Good works are only a sign of your faith, it is not the end in itself. The real endgame is your relationship with God and that is what Jesus was explaining to the Jews that of the three yokes in the Shema, you really only need to consider the first yoke, the yoke to heaven or God. Jesus said that that is the easiest yoke of all for once you have yoke yourself to heaven, the yoke to the Torah, and good works will follow. The key to understanding this verse is the context begun in V12 where Isaiah utters a prophecy about:
The "remnant" will be saved because God loves them as His special people. The oil is a reference to Israel being anointed and chosen of God. Note the comments of Benson -
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