Free Indeed, Give Your Past To God

Nahum 1: 13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away."

A yoke is used to connect two animals, usually oxen. The yoke fits around the head and neck of the oxen so that they will have to work together. It allows no free movement and restricts the range of vision as well because they cannot move their heads. God often used the term yoke to describe what we have been tied to in our past, before we came to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Often we are tied to a past that was restrictive as well, allowing no free movement and restricting out vision. Even if the past was not so restrictive, often times the guilt we carry around floods our field of vision as we remain yoked to our past.

This is not how God intended us to live of our lives. He has a work for us to do, as the farmer has a work for the oxen to do. We see this truth in Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus:

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

What a powerful verse! We are the work of God Himself! We are His workmanship, created to do good works, which God has already prepared for us to do in advance! There is a work that God has for you to do but sometimes we can delay or prevent that work because we remain yoked to a past that restricts our vision of the future God has in store for us. God realizes of course that letting go of our past is sometimes the hardest thing we face. It is what we are familiar with and often it is how we identify ourselves. Jesus Himself recognized the immense burden we carry around in this life and in the Gospel of Matthew He instructs us:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30

When we come to the Lord we are usually quite weary and burdened. We are weary of a merciless world. We are burdened with our past failures and weary from the pain that life can inflict upon us. We have learned from this yoke. We have learned to be distrustful. We have learned to not have faith. We have learned to be closed off and unwilling to share our pain and disappointments. We have learned the ways of the world, because we were yoked to it. We were yoked to how the world defines love, faith, and goodness. This was an unforgiving yoke. It was a yoke that hardened our lives and allowed doubt and fear to seep into who we are. It wearied us and the burden often is what led us to Christ in the first place!

And what does Jesus tell us? He will give you rest! Take His yoke and learn from Him for He is gentle where the world was harsh to you. He is humble in heart where the world was proud and remorseless. Jesus promises if you exchange your worldly yoke with His that you will find rest for your souls. The world may make promises of peace but only God can provide you with the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)! Jesus promises that His yoke is easy where the world was harsh. He promises that His burden is light where the world weighed so heavily on your soul. He wants you to learn from Him now. What a promise from our Lord and Savior!

Yet there we stand sometimes. Saved yet walking in our past. Delivered yet bound all the same. You must note that Jesus does not say He will come to you. You must come to Him. You must make a decision for Christ. You must also note that Jesus does not say, "I will give you my yoke"; He says you must take it. You must make a conscious decision to be yoked to Christ instead of the yoke of your past. You can be saved and never understand the victory you are supposed to walk in. God does not want you circling the same mountain over and over again; He wants you to move that mountain with your faith! He does not want you going through life just trying to keep your head above water; He wants you walking on the water! Too often we take care of the first part, we come to Christ but we have a more difficult time with the second imperative, taking His yoke.

The prophetic promise in Nahum 1: 13 applies to our lives today as well. The prophet Nahum was speaking to Judah about their enemy, Nineveh. The city of Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had already destroyed Israel and now Judah was under threat as well. The Assyrians were renowned for their aggression and brutality. In one of Judah's most fearful moments, Nahum prophesies the destruction of Nineveh. The very name Nahum means comfort. He comforted Judah in this verse by prophesying that God will break the yoke of Nineveh from off their necks and tear their shackles away. The Assyrians and Nineveh represented oppression for Judah. They represented fear for Judah. They represented pain and suffering for Judah. But God told them that He was going to take that oppression, fear, pain and suffering away from them. He comforted them.

He wants to comfort you too today. God is telling you that the yoke you have been tied to He is willing to break from around your neck. God does not want you yoked to the Nineveh of your past. He is wants to take your oppression and fear and leave it in your past. He wants to take your pain and suffering and replace it with His yoke. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He wants you to learn from His yoke. He wants you to learn trust and faith. He wants you to learn hope, comfort and love. Too many Christians have the assurance of salvation but are shackled to their pain. They are shackled to their fear. God is comforting you today. Take His yoke and leave the shackles of your past in your past. There is a future God has saved you for. Step into it today in Jesus name!

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36

Anthony Wade April 28, 2008