| “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:26-27). |
| The book of Lamentations is a rather sad book, for the very name of the book tells us what it is all about. To lament about something is to be sad about it, and maybe to cry about it. It was written by the prophet Jeremiah, and in it he expresses all the unhappiness he felt at the condition of his people Israel, when they had been carried into captivity as the result of their sin. However, there is some encouragement in it, and some good advice. In verse 25 of our chapter, we are reminded that “the Lord is good unto them that wait for Him,” and later on, in verse 31, we read that “the Lord will not cast off forever.” In all His judgment the Lord remembers mercy. |
| In the verses we are reading today, we have good advice for those who have problems in their life. First of all, we must accept them from the Lord, and trust the Lord to bring us through them. Especially when we are young, we are sometimes in a hurry for things to happen, and are not willing to wait for the Lord. (I was often that way when I was young!) But the Lord does not always act on our time; we must wait for His time. |
| More than this, we read in our second verse for today that it is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. What does this mean? A yoke was used to enable a team of oxen to pull a plow or other farm implement, and of course no young ox wanted to be introduced to working in a yoke. It meant that he had to stay connected to that plow, and to pull steadily. But if he were introduced to it when he was young, he would get used to it and be able to do it all his life. |
| It is like that for us too. Life is difficult in this world, for sin has imposed hard work on us, and brought trouble into the world that was not there in the Garden of Eden. However, if we become accustomed to work when we are young, we will be able to work well all our lives. Those who have never had to work when they are young are at a real disadvantage, for as they grow up, they resent authority, and tend to quit if they are asked to do some real work. I hope all of you learn to “bear the yoke” in your youth. |
