The Yoke of God Does Not Fit Stiff Necks (Proverbs 19:20)
Remember when farmers used a collar to harness a team of horses or mules to pull a plow or wagon? This collar was made of leather with padding to protect the animal’s neck and forequarters so he would not become disabled. The collar was made with a leather strap and buckle at the top, and the bottom was rounded to provide comfort to the animal. When the harness was put on the collar, it was designed to get the most even pull and least pressure on the horse. If the equipment shifted, the horse would develop a sore. Then the animal would become so stiff-necked that you could not turn him at all. He would go one way only. Brethren sometimes get the same way. Some will not adjust to situations when they know they should but will not because of custom or tradition and become stiff-necked, instead of doing what God wants done. Proverbs 19:20 says, “Hear counsel and receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” Let us wear the yoke of God with pleasure and breach not against the harness that guides us in His way. “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression” (Prov. 19:11). Think long before you rebel.
AMG Bible Illustrations, Bible Illustrations Series (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2000).
