ESOCS Devotional 9 November 2023 – The Anointing that Breaks the Yoke
MEMORY VERSE: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.” Isaiah 10:27
TEXT: ISAIAH 10:20-27 (KJV)
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.
22 For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
26 And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
27 And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
The prophet Isaiah describes the anointing as the power of God that removes every burden and destroys every yoke. This prophecy came as a promise of freedom to the children of Israel from their oppressors. A yoke is a sign of defeat and bondage. It is used to limit a person’s movement or growth. A yoked person can only be released by an external force because in that state of bondage he cannot help himself. The anointing is revealed as God’s power that destroys every yoke and lifts every burden.
The word ‘anoint’ simply means to rub into or to smear upon. In the Old Testament scriptures, the anointing of oil on those who have been selected for priesthood and God’s services was used to symbolize the presence of God upon them. The anointing served as a symbol of God’s presence and favour upon them. Isaiah in another prophecy revealed that this anointing is the promised Holy Spirit. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).
Though this prophecy spoke about our Lord Jesus the Anointed One, it also extends to as many who through His work will come into redemption and receive same anointing. In the above text we see again that the work of the anointing among many other works is to set free the captive. This text further reveals what the anointing is; which is the person, presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus never began His earthly until he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. This was to demonstrate that the battle against the power of Satan can only be carried out by the power of the Holy Spirit. The anointing is the power of God that delivers the children of God from the power of darkness. The anointing is divinity working through humanity because by natural strength shall no man prevail over the power of darkness.
The anointing serves two purposes in our lives: first is to deliver us from the bondage of Satan which happens the moment a man is born again by exercising faith in Jesus Christ. At that very moment the Holy Spirit which is the presence and power of God comes into him and destroys every shackle of darkness. Second is to aid ministry; the man who has been delivered is also at same moment recruited into the army of the Lord to join others to take the message of liberty to the end of the earth. To do this, there’s need for total reliance on the anointing which is the presence and power of God. This is why the disciples were told not to embark on any ministerial journey until they had received the anointing. The anointing is the key to both our salvation and our ministry.
FURTHER READINGS: Acts 10:38; Colossians 1:12-13; 1 John 2:27
ESOCS Devotional 9 November 2023
