Matthew 11:28-30
Rest for the Weary
28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
We are going to look at the BIBLICAL DEFINTION of a few words spoken here by our Savior. We have always misunderstood what being “meek” meant. It has been taught over and over that being “MEEK” is humble…NO! It is not.
Jesus AT ALL TIMES kept every single one of His Characteristics what we call the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT never at anytime did He sit one of them aside. Please read the Biblical definitions of a few words written in these verses.
This IS NOT ONLY FOR REPENTIVE SINNERS, this is also for those who are born again but become burdened weighed down with things that the LORD did not want them to be. He is the burden bearer not US! He promises He will give us REST!! He also tells us to take HIS YOKE WALK WITH HIM AND LEARN OF HIM, AND HE WILL GIVE US REST FOR OUR SOULS! Are you resting? Or are you burdened? Give it too HIM!
MEEK
Strong’s Concordance
praus: mild, gentle
Original Word: πραΰς, πραεῖα, πραΰ
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: praus
Phonetic Spelling: (prah-ooce’)
Definition: meekness
Usage: mild, gentle.
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 4239 praýs (also listed as 4239a/praupathia in NAS dictionary) – meek. See 4236 (praótēs).
This difficult-to-translate root (pra-) means more than “meek.” Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God’s strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue harshness.
[The English term “meek” often lacks this blend – i.e. of gentleness (reserve) and strength.]
MEEKNESS
Strong’s Concordance
praotés: meekness.
Original Word: πρᾳότης, τητος, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: praotés
Phonetic Spelling: (prah-ot’-ace)
Definition: meekness
Usage: mildness, gentleness, meekness, kindness.
HELPS Word-studies
4236 praótēs– properly, temperate, displaying the right blend of force and reserve (gentleness). 4236 /praótēs (“strength in gentleness”) avoids unnecessary harshness, yet without compromising or being too slow to use necessary force.
For the believer, 4236 /praótēs (“meekness“) is the fruit (product) of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:23), i.e. it is never something humanly accomplished (or simply “biological”).
LOWLY
Strong’s Concordance
tapeinos: low-lying, fig. lowly, hence lowly in spirit
Original Word: ταπεινός, ή, όν
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: tapeinos
Phonetic Spelling: (tap-i-nos’)
Definition: low-lying, lowly, lowly in spirit
Usage: humble, lowly, in position or spirit (in a good sense).
HELPS Word-studies
5011 tapeinós (an adjective) – properly, low; (figuratively) inner lowliness describing the person who depends on the Lord rather than self. See 5012 (tapeinophrosynē).
5011 /tapeinós (“lowly, humble”) means being God-reliant rather than self-reliant – which ironically always exalts a person (brings them true worth, cf. 1 Pet 5:6).
YOKE
Strong’s Concordance
zugos: a yoke
Original Word: ζυγός, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: zugos
Phonetic Spelling: (dzoo-gos’)
Definition: a yoke
Usage: a yoke; hence met: (a Jewish idea) of a heavy burden, comparable to the heavy yokes resting on the bullocks’ necks; a balance, pair of scales.
HELPS Word-studies
2218 zygós – properly, a yoke; a wooden bar placed over the neck of a pair of animals so they can pull together; (figuratively) what unites (joins) two people to move (work) together as one.
[2218 (zygós) unites two elements to work as one unit, like when two pans (weights) operate together on a balance-scale – or a pair of oxen pulling a single plough.]
To be equally yoked is very important, if two oxen are not equal in size, they would be unequally yoked causing them to run around in circles. To be yoked with Jesus our Savior and LORD means we are united, joined in Him and we are working with Him as a single being. IF we are not walking in LIGHT as He is LIGHT and we are walking in darkness (sinning willfully) then you are not equally yoked.
A verse in Amos says it very well:
Amos 3:3
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
BURDEN
Strong’s Concordance
phortion: a burden
Original Word: φορτίον, ου, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: phortion
Phonetic Spelling: (for-tee’-on)
Definition: a burden
Usage: a burden; the freight of a ship.
HELPS Word-studies
5413 phortíon – properly, a burden which must be carried by the individual, i.e. as something personal and hence is not transferrable, i.e. it cannot “be shifted” to someone else.
5413 (phortion) in Galatians 6:5
Gal 6:5: “For each one will bear his own load (5413 /phortíon)” (NASU).
When we are YOKED with Christ, our burden is HIS BURDEN!! I NEVER really read these verses as they are written.
I do A LOT of heart examinations on myself, when I say A LOT I am not even kidding. Sometimes several a day, to make sure I have no resentment, hate, unforgiveness, lust, pride, self-righteousness and on and on. I repent all the time for a thought that enters my mind, or looking at something I shouldn’t, saying something not in love, or foul dreams. This is how I work out my salvation with fear and trembling. May not be like other people but this is just me. I very rarely think of Heaven or hell, the fear and trembling that motivates me is if I sin and do not repent or have wickedness in my heart I will not be able to worship Jesus as I so desire or look upon His Glorious face or experience the greatest love ever known in real time so to speak. That SCARES me, that makes me TREMBLE! I love Him, I need Him, I adore Him, YES, I have a holy fear of Him too because I do not want to see disgust in His eyes when He looks at me.
So, these past few weeks I have been attacked by a couple of people. I have been called a liar, a hypocrite, unchristian, evil, and possibly the devil. Yet in the next breath be told they love me.
I have been told that the Bible is a lie, and Lilith really existed, then I explained, no she was not created with Adam, but Eve was made from Adam’s rib. Then was asked well then who did their sons marry? I said sisters, that the bloodline was pure at that time. Then I was accused of making their faith even worse because that was incest and something she was fighting against! Amazing how people twist things around and try and blame others as well as God for their life. It is beyond pathetic but when you do not have a new heart by God then, it is the same as all of us, at one time or another we were the exact same way.
So here I was so burdened down, weighed down, very heavy not over the name-calling or the accusations but over their souls as well as their mental health. On top of that my sister had heart surgery and now is on two blood thinners along WITH aspirin to keep her blood very thin because she needs more stints put in. But if she misses a dose, she could have a heart attack because her artery is that clogged, but if she cuts herself, she could bleed out quickly as well.
Then a friend of mine is in desperate need of help with prayers and learning the Bible. She doesn’t know much of anything, but the Christians she does know have turned her off from God. But she says she reads my stuff and heard she was to get a hold of me that I could help her. She said that I am genuine and do not ask or want anything from her. Which I do not and the place she is staying at is haunted. She has been sleeping with a Bible on her chest and door barricade for fear. She said you can hear people talking very clear even during the day, and at night around 2-3 you can watch dark figures walking.
Then I was told I was an attention seeker and overdramatic because I asked for prayer. That I want pity? That I put too much stuff on Facebook for people to read, yet, then I am thanked for being transparent and human showing others I am no different I still battle sin.
So, I have had quite a bit of thing on my plate, but the LORD has shown me HE did NOT PUT THEM THERE I DID! He was not kidding when He said to give it all to Him and He will give us rest for our souls!!! Sometimes in our delusional way of thinking, we think that He already removed our sin that we don’t want to add more to Him! That sounds stupid, yes, but I know I AM NOT the only one who has thought He already did so much for me! We are YOKED TOGETHER REMEMBER?
It’s like this story I heard, and since going to Turkey I can picture this more clearly now.
There is a man who is carrying a huge bundle on his back it is so huge that he is stooped over walk as if bowed down. A man pulls over and asks him if he would like a ride, the man thanks him and hops in the back of the truck. After going a couple of miles, the driver looks in his mirror to the back of the truck and to his amazement the man was sitting there but still had the huge load on his back. He stopped and asked the man why doesn’t he put the load down? The man answers him, “I thought you already did a lot by picking me up I didn’t want to add this huge load on you as well”!
Yes, we think HOW STUPID! But guess what? That is exactly what we are doing with Christ!!
Amid teaching me to let go of my burdens that He did not tell me to carry, He walked me through what meek and lowly meant. And OPENED MY EYES how Jesus may have not looked meek or lowly to the natural eyes of some people while He walked on earth. But He was MEEK AND LOWLY IN HEART where ONLY THE FATHER CAN SEE!
Just like the Wild Horse study I did the LORD was showing me that I am meek and lowly in my heart, that He does love me and I have been forgiven and still when I repent being forgiven. That meekness or humility is NOT something outward by washing toilets or sitting in the back rows and such. People try to hard to “look” meek and lowly Jesus said we must be in HEART! In Gods eyes man’s opinion means zero!
Watchmen On The Pod 