BRING NO BURDEN THROUGH THE GATES

"And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain forever" (Jeremiah 17:24-25). I believe this entire passage is prophetic of Christ and His church!

We know that Christ is the seed of David. And we know He sits as King on David's throne. But who are the kings and princes Jeremiah describes here, the inhabitants of Jerusalem riding on horses and in chariots?

We are those people and we have been given an incredible promise: By taking all our burdens to the burden bearer, we will live in peace forever, free of all bondage. Indeed, Jesus’ command to lay our burdens on Him is not an option. We are to do it as a matter of trust in Him.

"If ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched" (verse 27).

The prophet is saying, "If you will not obey God's command to stop carrying your burdens, you'll end up being consumed by them." Tragically, this describes many believers today. Some can hardly sleep at night because they never stop thinking about their problems. They turn things over and over in their minds, wondering, "Where did I go wrong? How can I make things right?"

When they wake up, their minds go straight to their burdens—in the shower, while getting dressed, then at the breakfast table. By the time they walk out the front door, they're so burdened down they can't even smile.

Such Christians never know even an hour of rest in Jesus—rest that He freely gives!