Today we are continuing our study of Deuteronomy 22:9-12.
Last week we determined that there are four parts to this passage and in the interest of understanding both the practical and spiritual applications to each of these parts we have split them up and are looking at them all separately.
We also noted that the rest of this chapter of Deuteronomy teaches some things about morality that should be applied to every Christian’s daily life.
It is our intent to discuss the physical/practical aspects of each segment of the passage first; then examine how it all plays into a higher spiritual summary later in the Chapter.
This is how Jesus taught us.
He often started with the basic foundations then laid layer upon layer of reason and understanding so that we would have time to absorb it properly and remember his applications.
The second part of this passage says “Do not plow with an ox and a donkey yoked together.”
UNDERSTANDING YOKES
Most common people have never even seen a “yoke,” much less understand what it would have been used for. Our high-tech, high-spending society would get into a car and drive to the supermarket to spend money earned from a professional job in order to obtain food.
No need for “yokes” in our daily lives now.
Right?
Fortunately; I grew up on a farm. I’m so happy to be able to say that. Even those living on a farm during the times of my youth though did not experience the use of a “yoke” because we used modern day equipment like tractors and other such vehicles for planting and gathering our crops.
The only place I might have encountered a yoke was in an antique store. I do remember seeing them in antique stores and having older people explain how they were used in harvesting crops.
The ancients really had to work for their food. They had to turn the ground by walking behind a plow and that plow was usually tied to a strong animal such as an ox or a donkey.
The farmer would hold the plow behind the animal and together they would dig the sharp parts of the plow into the ground and turn the soil for planting.
Some farmers had it easier because they owned a yoke. The yoke would allow them to place two animals in front of their plow instead of one. Two would accomplish so much more in a day when they both worked yoked together.
THE YOKED PARTIES NEEDED TO BE OF EQUAL STRENGTH
“Together” is the key word though.
If you placed an animal of great strength inside the yoke next to an animal of only half of it’s strength; you had a terrible problem.
One animal would not be able to keep up.
One animal would become frustrated with the one it was yoked to. Nothing would be accomplished; except perhaps to ruin the spirit of the animals and make a mess of the garden.
For a yoke to work properly; both parties within the yoke have to be equal in strength and endurance.
Remember the old worn-out passage of scripture that says; “Do not become unequally yoked?”
This passage is speaking of more than animals.
People that are “yoked” are locked into a situation together; such as a marriage, a partnership or an organization. If one is weaker than the other, or if one cannot hold up his part of the work; things tend to fall apart and both parties of the yoke become very unhappy with one another. Both parties will feel mistreated and misunderstood. Neither party will think that his life is fair or equitable, or as wonderful as it could be.
This always happens when two are unequally yoked together.
SOME THINGS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE MIXED
There seems to be more of a meaning here than just the strength of two animals.
The deeper spiritual meaning would also apply to the results of mixing religions. True worship of The One True God and pagan worship cannot work together effectively. One will always be crossing out the other. Like the impurities caused by the mixing of two types of seeds; spiritual purity (holiness) needs to be maintained in all worship situations.
If true worship is strong; pagan worship is weakened and eventually eliminated.
If paganism is mixed into true worship; all of the worship gets contaminated and nothing is pure anymore. Worship is fake or false; because you can only worship The One True God with the worship that He initiates and approves. God will turn away from pagan situations; He cannot look upon them and still be holy; neither can we.
So much paganism has crept into our society today.
This has weakened the strength of our spirits and caused our worship to be weak and unacceptable before God. Several generations have participated in this “mix” and it is hard for them to have the proper discernment needed to move ahead spiritually.
If the scriptures say that something is wrong; men can’t redefine them and make God conform to man’s wrong ways. Men are to conform to God; not the other way around.
If a person is standing in the congregation on a Sabbath and going through the motions of pure worship; but has sinned all of the rest of the week and not confessed those sins or come clean before God; he worships in vain.
You can’t call on the name of God on His Sabbaths and expect Him to answer your prayers if you are not keeping his ways the rest of the week.
If you are killing babies by supporting abortion; you cannot stand before God with clean hands.
When you lie and cheat to make a profit at the expense of others; you do not enter the gates of worship and suddenly become clean and holy.
If you hate your neighbor because of the color of their skin, or the amount of money in their pockets, or their political persuasions not exactly matching yours; you cannot stand before a holy God and know that your prayers will be answered.
Your prayers will not rise past the ceiling.
Here in America we do this though; we tend to overlook EVERYTHING unholy and expect God to hear our prayers whenever we feel like lifting them up. It is comparable to plowing with a donkey and an ox at the same time; whatever is the strongest in our lives will overshadow whatever part of our lives that are weak.
WHY COUNTING THE DAYS IS HELPFUL
How do the scales of weak and strong tip in your life?
This is yet another great aspect of counting the omer from Passover until Pentecost. If we are humbly and truly looking at the attributes of God and considering how well our own lives are going compared to the holy examples before us; we begin to open our eyes a whole lot wider.
Our souls are exercised and stretched.
We gain the spiritual strength that we need to become stronger Christians.
If we don’t take the time to stop and examine our souls before God and ask Him to help us grow in spiritual strength; we become weaker and weaker and eventually we are no longer thinking of God’s best ways to live; but we fall into the pagan traps of the world around us.
Just like that farmer that tries to plow with a lopsided team; the places where the gardens of our lives grow become chaotic and out of order. The weeds take over and there is no spiritual food available to nourish our souls.
STAYING SPIRITUALLY BALANCED
We need to keep spiritually balanced. A person following Jesus will learn how to build up his spirit and to seek the fuel for his soul from God’s Holy Spirit. That is what we are doing right now in this time between Passover and Pentecost.
We are building and being nourished to grow stronger.
The gardens of our lives are being weeded and cared for and our souls are seeking the proper sun and water that they need to grow in God’s ways.
So God reminds us not to be unequally yoked.
The closer we walk into end times; the more this good advice guides us.
What once sounded like empty words becomes clear and rings out as perfect instruction.
STAYING WITH THE DAILY WALK
It is our Father in heaven; reminding us of how He has given each of us a perfect path to follow; we just have to keep on listening to him and walking daily.
Jesus helps us.
He comes along side of us and tells us to take His yoke upon our backs. With Him on the other side of everything that we are doing; nothing can fail. Everything becomes easier. We will have all of the strength that we need for every possible situation.
Matthew 11:28 – 30 shares the words of Jesus that remind us to lean on Him when we think we cannot go on. Let’s keep these words ever close to our hearts and always in our actions:
“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 of heart; and you will find rest.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”