What the Bible says about Yoke of Bondage
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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.
Ronny H. Graham
Take My Yoke Upon YouRelated Topics: Christ's Yoke | Christ's Yoke is Easy | Evaluating our Spiritual Condition | Recognizing Sin | Repentance | Yoke | Yoke of Bondage
The issue in this conference was whether Christians needed to keep the ceremonial aspects of the law of God to have salvation. At no time was the question of keeping the Ten Commandment ever even raised. Because of this, it should be clear that the Sabbath is not a ceremony.
Since believing Pharisees are directly noted in verse 5, the term "circumcision" may very well include the unwritten "Oral Law" that was a part of Pharisaic tradition and not part of the Word of God. In other words, the Pharisees wanted the Gentiles to obey the oral traditions. This is why Peter uses the terms "tempt God" and "yoke of bondage" in verse 10.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Eighteen)Related Topics: Ceremonial Aspects of the Law | Ceremonial Laws | Jerusalem Council | Tradition | Tradition of Pharisees | Traditions of Men | Yoke of Bondage
The yoke of bondage is an approach to justification and salvation, or righteousness, that relies on a syncretism of Jewish ritualistic legalism and pagan practices (usually rites of purification), while at the same time avoiding the sacrifice of Christ. This means that what we believe and who we believe in will determine whether we will be justified. Why is this approach a yoke of bondage? It cannot free a person from the penalty of sin or from Satan. It does not provide forgiveness. It will not put one into a position to receive God's Holy Spirit.
Paul is not writing to do away with the law! He is writing to clarify lawkeeping's relationship to justification and what a person believes through justification. If Paul were writing to do away with law, much of what he wrote later on in chapter 5 would not be there.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Eight)Related Topics: Bondage | Bondage to Sin | Bondage, Spiritual | Judaizers | Justification | Law "Done Away" | Legalism | Pagan Religious Practices | Paganism | Penalty of Sin | Purification | Purification, Rites of | Rites of Purification | Ritual | Salvation | Syncretism | Syncretistic Religion | Yoke | Yoke of Bondage