Often in Charismatic and Pentecostals churches we often hear the saying that “the anointing breaks the yoke”, and while this is completely correct, it is based on a mis-translation of the Bible from Isaiah 10:27 . What the original Hebrew text says is much much more powerful!
Does the anointing break the yoke?
Absolutely YES!
Yes, the anointing of the Spirit of God does break the yoke of captivity! As Jesus powerfully declared in the synagogue at Nazareth, the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him because the Lord had anointed Him to “proclaim good news to the poor … to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” ( Luke 4:18-19 and Isaiah 61:1-3 ).
The Spirit’s anointing brings liberty to captives, and that means breaking yokes (see also Acts 10:38 Jesus anointed with power). At the same time, it is a mis-translation in the King James Version of Isaiah 10:27 that gave rise to the saying “the anointing breaks the yoke.”
In the KJV, the end of the verse reads, “and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”
Transliterated from Hebrew to English , the passage reads, “The yoke shall be destroyed because of shamen” (pronounced Sha-Meyn).
What does the word shamen mean? The KJV translators understood it to be the equivalent of shemen [oil], which seemed to lead them to think of oil for anointing, and then to the anointing of The Spirit itself.
Nowhere in the Hebrew Bible where the word shemen [oil] by itself means “anointing”. (it is okay for the KJV translators to equate shamen with shemen as they have the same shoresh (root) but different vowel pointings; the error is when they translated it “anointing”)
So what is the correct translation?
It is best to understand shamen ( שָׁמַן ) here as “fatness” (pronounced Sha-Meyn), which would produce a literal translation of, “The yoke will be destroyed because of the fatness.”
The New International Version expresses it well:
“In that day their burden will be lifted from your shoulders, their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be broken because you have grown so fat.”
So what does this look like?
Here we see an ox with a yoke on its neck, enslaving it to the will of its master, forcing it to a life of servitude.
But eventually, it gets so healthy, strong, bulked up, and fat that the yoke simply bursts from off its neck. That ox is now completely free! This is the freedom that Christ has bought us.
Another illustration is the Marvel comics character Bruce Banner, who transforms into the Incredible Hulk. Imagine Bruce Banner trapped in a yoke, and then he transforms into the Hulk and absolutely smashes the yoke into pieces.
And that is a picture for each of us when we find ourselves bound or oppressed or beaten into submission by the enemy.
We need to feed our spirits with the living Word of God day and night, we enter into His courts with praise, we continue in worship, we pray in faith, and share communion; and little by little we get so healthy, strong, full, and “fat” that suddenly the yoke of oppression has to be shattered. The fatness destroys the yoke!
Three things we need to action to be fat in the Spirit.
First, Psalm 100, especially verse 4 also Ephesians 5:19-20. We enter His courts with praise and thanksgiving. This is so essential that we praise and give thanks. We need to sing and shout His praises. Maybe read a Psalm a day if you need help in praise and thanksgiving.
Secondly, we need to feed on His word. John 6:51, 1 Peter 2:2, Hebrews 5:12-14 all show us the need to be full of His word. We graze on His word, chewing it over and over by mediation on His word. This is how we become fat and strong.
Thirdly, we need to speak the truth in faith. Matthew 17:20 tells us how mountains are moved by faith. We also need to persist, hang in there, keep knocking, even when circumstances don’t align with His word. Matthew 7:7-8 (ask, seek, knock). He is faithful and true and we put all our trust in Him.
Now we have the full revelation of this verse we can put it into full action in our daily walk. As we do so we are blessed.
It is time to smash the yokes that are holding us back!
It is a time to see Australia turn around and thousands come to Christ and be set free from the yokes of unbelief, humanism, and materialism.