Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Dr. David M. Berman

Isaiah 10:27 “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.”

What is the reference we make in the slothful Church?  What is the insinuation concerning the word “anointing”?  It is as so many sacred words and passages are in the modern Church.  Words relegated to a place of casual meaning permeate our modern thinking.  It is significant that God uses the written word to proclaim His will and truth to His people.  In fact this is shown greatly in his proclamation found in the gospel of John chapter one in verse one “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Words pertaining to that which is eternal are not simply the words of human reason or flawed human wisdom.  The eternal words of the giver of life are to be meditated on and allowed full access to our soul and spirit.

The word anointing is the culmination of this eternal verse of God’s desire and design for all who believe.  The announcement is made here that it shall come to pass that the burden of the Assyrians (the ancient enemies of the Israelites who practiced vile things) shall be broken off of God’s people.  It may also be properly applied in principle to the burdens that all of God’s people suffer with concerning the evil forces that attack the redeemed.  The weight of sin  and the persecution of this world against the will of God that dwells in the heart of the Christian shall be lifted.  For Christ himself said “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  The oppression of empty religiosity as well as sin is lifted from the true born again Christian.  This should never be understood in terms of personal perfection.  The yoke of oppression from persecution, sin, and empty religion comes from a word that when properly understood has the fullness of the gospel found in it. The word is “anointing.” It speaks of the provision and power of the only one who can pour out what is necessary to bring freedom from that which binds us up. The anointing is the power of God due to his acceptance of us who know Him. We do not know him by our own ability or works.  We know him because he poured out His Spirit upon us when we received him and our Lord and Savior.  The substance of his anointing on us came from His own blood that he shed for us.  That single and most powerful act of love that he made on the cross forever broke the yoke of sin that held us.  So we now  live not simply waiting for the anointing.  We who know Christ are the very temple of his Spirit and thus he has broken the yoke of bondage as we, by his blood, have become his anointed.