Is God an Ox, or Are We?

"And one sea, and twelve oxen under the sea" (1 Kings 7:44)

Before stoning me for my slightly sacrilegious title, let me explain myself.

The Israelites made a golden calf below Sinai. It has been suggested that the calf was a pagan method of worship for Jehovah, that the calf was supposed to represent the God of Israel. Of course, that is just shows how incorrectly some of Israel understood the Lord. But, we also see an echo of this in Solomon's temple, where the only figures, besides engravings of flowers, were "lions, oxen, and cherubim" (1 Kings 7:29). And the great "molten sea" was carried on the backs of twelve oxen. I'm just trying to point out that there is a connection somewhere, somehow, between God and oxen.

Let me suggest something. Perhaps one of the most beautiful scriptures is Christ's invitation:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matt. 11:28-30)

Christ has a yoke, so do oxen. We are told to come unto Christ, that we might be like Him, and also share His yoke. His yoke is easy, because when you have God Himself pulling with you, all things are possible. But, we know what His yoke is, a cross. It is the yoke of salvation, the cross, the suffering, of salvation. As Elder Holland said, "Salvation is not a cheap experience...it was not easy for the Christ, so tell me why it should be for you--the road to salvation always goes through Gethsemane" (taken from my notes of Elder Holland's August 24, 2010 devotional at the MTC).

Now, the oxen in Solomon's temple were held up by a giant basin of water. This could have been an ancient baptismal font, it could have been for ritual washings, either way, it would have been associated with waters used for cleaning and purification from sin and uncleanliness. Is that not Jesus, the Savior of mankind? The oxen's burden was to hold purification water that would make priests clean to enter the temple, the symbolic presence of God; Christ's cross would see the blood flow that would wash men clean from their sins, allowing them into the presence of God.

And we are to share this yoke. According to the Abrahamic covenant, in his "seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 26:4). This points not only to Christ, but that Israel will be responsible to take the word of redemption to the world. They are saviors with lowercase 's' (Obadiah 1:21). Israel is responsible to take the yoke of Christ, to take the cleansing power of Christ's atonement, to the four corners of the world.

"It stood upon twelve oxen, three looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the sea was set above them" (1 Kings 7:25)