Text: Isaiah 58; Isaiah 10

The Septuagint renders “to undo the heavy burdens,” ‘Dissolve the obligations of onerous contracts.’ The Chaldee, ‘Loose the obligations of the writings of unjust judgment.’ The Hebrew means, ‘Loose the bands of the yoke,’ a figure taken from the yoke which was borne by oxen, and which seems to have been attached to the neck by cords or bands. The yoke, in the Scripture, is usually regarded as an emblem of oppression, or compulsory toil, and is undoubtedly so used here. The same word is used to denote ‘burden’ is elsewhere employed to denote emancipation from servitude. The phrase here employed would properly denote the release of captives or slaves, and would doubtless be so understood by those whom the prophet addressed (Barnes).

Jesus, reading from the Isaiah scroll said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19 KJV). As part of the body of Christ, that anointing is applied to you in sharing Him to those held captive—and in Him they can be delivered.

Pray over those held captive by the prince of this world—be it individuals, neighborhoods, nations, cultures, religions—declaring the delivering power of Jesus Christ for every sin and destroying every idol that opposes the living God.