If you’ve read the Bible, you’ve probably heard the word “yoke” used. But what is a yoke? A yoke is a wooden crosspiece attached to the neck or head of two animals and attached to a cart. Allows two animals to share a load and bond. And what does this have to do with our Christian life? In a moment you will know.
Perhaps you’ve also heard of being unequally yoked, especially when you start a relationship or when you have problems. Later we will also explain what this means and what you can do to release a little the burdens that you carry in your daily life.
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What is a yoke?
A yoke was a supposed beast of burden that was placed around the neck of one or more animals, like an ox, for example. This accessory was worn around the neck to allow the animal or animals for the purpose of pulling loads. It typically consisted of a curved piece of wood with leather straps as a tether that would allow them to pull a cart or other transportation tool.
Sometimes a yoke symbolized being in captivity or under slavery or servitude as in Leviticus 26:13 when God said, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you were no longer slaves; I broke the bars of your yoke.”
Symbolically, a yoke in the Bible may suggest simply hard work (Lamentations 3:27), but more often indicates slavery or servitude, as we see in the slavery of the children of Israel in Egypt (Leviticus 26:13). We all put ourselves under the yoke of the slavery of sin (Lamentations 1:14). This word is also used to indicate the union of two (II Corinthians 6:14).
a royal yoke usually made of wood that has been molded or carved to fit around the neck of two cows, oxen, or other beasts of burden, allowing them to pull heavy loads, carts, or carts.
Animals are often yoked for plowing as well. Due to their anatomy, cattle are more suitable to work with this element. Yokes are easy, effective, and inexpensive ways to harness the locomotive power of the ox.
Yoke Types
In fact, there are three basic yoke designs, based on the way the yoke is used to capture the power of animals. These variations are called the “head yoke”, “neck yoke” and “cross yoke”. The task at hand often determines which yoke is best suited for the animals to maximize their effectiveness. Let’s see:
1. Yoke head
It is equipped to use the hard part of the forehead to pull the load. This yoke provides better animal control and better cart or wagon management in hilly terrain. An interesting feature of the head yoke it is that it prevents the united animals from fighting and biting each other, since it prevents their heads from moving a lot from side to side.
2. Neck yoke
As the name implies, it fits around the neck, giving animals comfort on rough terrain and more maneuverability in the field or woods, allowing them to push with their shoulders, neck and chest.
The neck yoke also allows animals to move faster and with more flexibility. The disadvantage of the neck yoke it is that it allows the two animals to fight, and if they are not well matched, it allows them to separate from each other. It’s also not as well-suited for hilly terrain.
3. Cross yoke
It’s more suitable for cattle that have a hump. The yoke conforms to the withers or hump, keeping the shoulders free of the staves and thus not interfering with the movement of the shoulders. Around, the yoke of the cross is more flexible.
4. The iron yoke
Another type of yoke is the human yoke. These, too, were made of wood and fitted to the shoulders so that a person could carry a load more easily. In Deuteronomy 28:48God warns the Israelites that if they failed to serve him properly, he would allow their enemies to apply an “iron yoke” to them.
Clearly, the iron yoke—a heavy, cumbersome, inflexible, and restrictive restraint—is an instrument of destruction used by God to punish his people for their sins. As this passage indicates, people burden themselves with this yoke by disobeying the law of God.
If we feel that our yoke is too heavy, maybe we are using the wrong one. If so, we must examine ourselves (II Corinthians 13:5). Have we brought upon us the iron yoke? If we don’t repent, a heavy yoke of sin will destroy us!
How many times do we blame God for our trials, when in fact, through our ingratitude and worldliness, we have fitted ourselves with an iron yoke! When we refuse to acknowledge our sins or seriously assess our spiritual condition, we revert to the slavery from which we have been so graciously freed.
Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 1:14: “The yoke of my transgressions was bound, and pushed upon my neck. He made my strength fail; the Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I cannot resist.”
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1 Corinthians 10:13 It is a familiar passage in which God tells us that he will never give us a test that is more than we can handle. He will never allow us to be tempted without providing a way out.
In other words, we don’t have to bring the curse of the iron yoke on our necks! The apostle John tells us that keeping God’s commandments is not a burden (I John 5:3). Our “burden” is not as heavy as we think; we can always alleviate it by doing what God says is right.
Still, it’s 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 we wouldn’t have to work.
Our Lord never claimed that we would not have to endure it. He never said that the Christian life would be free of pain or weariness, but he did say that it would meet our needs and finish what was started in us.
5. The easy yoke
Jesus, in Matthew 11: 27-30, encourages us to carry his yoke and rest on it when we are tired. Our Savior Jesus Christ fully understands the burdens of this world. He fully understands the burden of sin and the devastation it causes.
Sin has the power to destroy what God is creating, your Family. But Christ has already overcome sin. We don’t have to carry that burden. He did it totally and completely, because when God does something, we don’t have to redo it!
When we think of a yoke, we often go into slavery, servitude or backbreaking work that will sink us into the ground. However, a yoke is nothing more than a tool to get a job done, and as we have seen, if well designed, it allows the user to work with maximum capacity and efficiency.
The most important thing is that our Savior has offered us His yoke. Would some other yoke suit us better? Remember the previously mentioned details of two oxen working together in a yoke, and then consider how closely Jesus is working with each of us.
we need to imagine sharing the same yoke as Jesus, like a pair of oxen with a load to pull. We must also add to this scene God the Father as the conductor. He has given Christ “all things” necessary to do the job. Jesus stands by our side in the yoke, working diligently to guide us and take his share of the burden off of him to ensure we get the job done.
What is our reward? Verse 28 says that He will give us rest, “rest for his souls,” as verse 29 adds. The yoke of Jesus is of restthe same rest that is analyzed in Hebrews 3-4: God’s rest in His Kingdom!
Then in verse 30 there is the encouraging proclamation of Jesus: “For my yoke it is easy, and my burden light”. Jesus has already opened the way, so all we have to do is follow his example and we will find rest from all our burdens.
What to take into account regarding the yoke?
No matter what the task, the most important part is how well the yoke is made to fit the particular animals. Heavy work in the field or on the road will quickly show where the weaknesses are in any yoke system.
a good yoke The harness system is one that minimizes damage to both the animals and the equipment. A properly fitting yoke will not cause any discomfort or sore formation, but will allow the animal to work to its full potential. Of course, the yoke does not take away the work, but rather helps the animal to perform the task.
A yoke unites two animals and they must work together, or the job will not be done. Beef cattle make good working animals because they are a natural herd type and usually work well together. When cattle interact, one will establish dominance over the others, becoming the leader.
A trucker or farmer may have several animal yokes, but there will only be one leader. In 1 Kings 19When Elijah called Elisha to succeed him as prophet, the young man was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen. However, when oxen are teamed together, even though one animal is dominant, it should not be recognizable when they are working. Each animal has to pull its own weight.
Animals must also be the same size, age and race. If they are “in unequally yoked“(II Corinthians 6:14), the team will face great difficulties to get the job done. For example, an ox and a donkey are good work animals, but they don’t work well together at all. They are different breeds, different sizes and have different temperaments. When used together, they are unequally yoked.
take my yoke upon you
Jesus once used the word yoke in a very special way saying: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me” (Matt. 11:29). Did you mean by this? In the context of this, Jesus had preceded this statement by saying: “Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
He was talking about the fact that only He can give us rest from the heavy burdens and pains that this world can sometimes bring. We can rest in the fact that, like a yoke with animals, our burden is shared and made less of a burden for Him. You may have heard the phrase that a shared joy is doubled, but a shared burden is reduced to half.
unequally yoked
Paul also wrote about a yoke, but in this case it was a unequally yoked having to do with relationships. In 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 He said, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do justice and evil have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
Next, Paul clarifies what he is saying by quoting the Old Testament verse from Isaiah 52:11 but which is also repeated in Revelation 18:5 “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord” (2 Co 6, 17). First of all, this means that “we should not associate with sexually immoral people.”
the law of the yoke
God…