“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27 ESV).
There is a worldly saying that describes a way of life that has destroyed many a young person which says, “Sow your wild oats before settling down.” But the Bible says the opposite. The prophet Jeremiah must have observed many a young person who wasted his life following after the flesh. He saw the Babylonian invaders come and either kill or enslave the youth of Judah. So he encouraged young people not to waste their youth, but to “bear the yoke.” The concept of “putting on a yoke” was often used in ancient cultures to describe entering into an apprenticeship under a master in order to learn a trade or religious instruction. “Bear the yoke,” was a way of telling young people to dedicate themselves as apprentices of God’s Word and to follow the Lord from an early age.
Those who submit their lives to the Lord while they are still young avoid many a needless hurt. I have never heard an older person wish they had been more worldly when they were young, but I have heard many express regret at having waited so long to follow Christ.
In Matthew 11:29-30, Jesus invites people to “take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,” which echoes the idea of apprenticeship. He offers a way of discipleship that, while it involves commitment and learning, is also gentle and light compared to the burdensome legalism of the time. His use of the yoke imagery speaks to this familiar concept of learning through an intimate, guiding relationship.
Don’t waste your youth. Choose to bear the yoke of Christ from an early age.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have taken the yoke of Christ and gladly bear it. For we are His disciples. We have come under His apprenticeship, desiring to become like Him. We submit our day to You today. Strengthen us to be the hands and feet of Christ today. In Jesus’ name, amen.