12 “Is it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any [o]pain like my [p]pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the Lord inflicted on the day of His fierce anger.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my bones,
And it [q]prevailed over them.
He has spread a net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me desolate,
[r]Faint all day long.
14 “The yoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [s]fail.
The Lord has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The Lord has rejected all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [t]time against me
To crush my young men;
The Lord has trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I weep;
[u]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion stretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is righteous;
For I have rebelled against His [v]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And behold my [w]pain;
My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to restore [x]their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress;
My [y]spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very rebellious.
In the street the sword [z]slays;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I groan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my [aa]calamity;
They are glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You;
And deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
In the midst of Jeremiah’s lament, as he speaks for the people of Israel in their captivity and exile, there is a truth we would do well to remember in v. 14. He speaks of yoke of transgressions that is bound and knit together. In case you’re not familiar, a yoke is what you put on cattle (or horses) when they are plowing a field or pulling a heavy load. It’s a heavy burden, and represents servitude, your life is not your own.
It’s funny how those latter things we use to speak of serving God at times also, but there is a key difference. See, we often like to think that when we are living for ourselves, that life is carefree and there are no bonds, no claim on our lives. That couldn’t be further from the truth, which always comes home to roost, and Jeremiah rightly calls it a yoke of bondage.
Unlike that heavy burden, Jesus called His followers–and us today–to take His yoke upon us, calling it light and easy. I saw a video the other day that explained it well, because serving God isn’t easy in some ways, but there is a lightness still because of something very important. Hopefully, I can summarize so that you get the point… In life, the people (and things) we look to for fulfillment are needy. Not their fault, that’s just the way all of us are. In truth, God made us to need each other anyway, so it isn’t a bad thing by itself.
But when we look for fulfillment from people who need something for us, that burden becomes heavier and heavier. However, God doesn’t need anything from you. For sure, He wants you to love and follow Him, but it doesn’t make God any more complete. He is already perfect, in need of nothing. Really, the benefit is all on your side, because He is your ultimate need.
Look at some of the things the people of Israel were seeking in this passage: comfort and restoration in v. 16, cleansing in 17, love in 19, comfort again in v. 21. All of these things (and more) are found only in Jesus who alone can restore your soul (v. 16). The Spirit also is described several times as our Comforter, and He brings us true and lasting peace.
It is a sad example, but Israel looked for all these things everywhere except the one place they would be found. In the end, they had none of them, but only bondage and captivity as their reward. The same is true for us, and we are lost without the saving might of our Savior, who is mighty indeed–so says the old hymn. In those words, “nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing, nothing is too difficult for Him.” God is everything you’ve ever wanted, and like nothing you’ve ever seen, humble and gentle, and at His feet you will find rest for your soul.