It’s the same with us. If we are not taught (by the Holy Spirit), we are without understanding, like a horse or a mule running wild and without purpose.
The question is: How do we bridle ourselves?
Aligning with the Lord
We wait upon the Lord. The word translated as "wait" much rather means to bind or align oneself to. This isn't a passive waiting, but an active alignment, a drawing near to Him, much like a horse being bridled for purpose.
Let's look at how David, a man who understood how to harness power and authority even against giants, wrote in his psalm:
Psalm 32:1-11 (KJV)
A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
David speaks a lot about sins, transgressions, iniquity, and confession. While he lived under the Old Covenant, he was also a prophet. He was able to look ahead towards the New Covenant, the point where God not only forgives every person's sins, iniquities, disease, adversity, and trouble, but goes even further. In the New Testament, God does not impute iniquity (reckon us our sins anymore); instead, He imputes righteousness. This is the finished work of Christ – a complete and perfect work that has dealt with sin once and for all.
Do you want to read the last two sentences again?!
God's Imputed Righteousness Through Christ
The Apostle Paul, living in the New Testament realm, quotes David in Romans 4 when he describes God's imputed righteousness. This righteousness comes not by works of keeping the law, but by faith in Jesus (Romans 4:6-8). Paul makes it clear that this righteousness is a gift of grace, freely given through Christ, independent of any human effort or adherence to traditions, even those of the Jews (Romans 3:21-24, Ephesians 2:8-9).
Bridling Through Divine Instruction
God shows us exactly how to "bridle" (align) ourselves with Him. Speaking in the first person through David, Abba says: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8).
This perfectly aligns with what Jesus said in John 14 and John 15 – that He would leave us His abiding Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to guide us and teach us all things and even show us things to come (John 14:26, John 16:13). The Holy Spirit is our divine Teacher and Guide, enabling us to walk in the freedom and power of the finished work of Christ.
Binding by Teaching: The Meaning of "Yârâh"
The Hebrew word for teach here is yârâh (יָרָה), a primitive root word pronounced YAH-rah. It means "to direct the flow of water (also like rain falling); to lay or throw or shoot straight, especially an arrow; to point out precisely (as if by aiming the finger), to teach or direct rightly, to lay out."
The ancient word-picture or pictograph for יָרָה is the Hand of the Highest Authority revealed (or is Grace). This is profound! The Hand of the Highest Authority is revealed perfectly in Jesus Christ, and now, through His indwelling Spirit, in us! We are empowered by His grace to live a life of purpose and alignment.
Other derivatives of the word yârâh are yoreh (rain) and moreh, both pointing to rain and teacher – "the One who points out the truth" or "One who throws his directives in a straight way." These words further emphasize the divine instruction that comes from God, nourishing us like rain and guiding us with precision.
There is yet another Hebrew word derived from the root word yârâh, and that is the word torah or law. Although torah is often translated as law, its actual meaning is instruction or teaching. This re-emphasizes that even the "Law" was originally intended as divine instruction to guide humanity. However, through Christ, we are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). His instruction now comes through His Spirit, written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10).
How We Bridle Ourselves
We bridle ourselves by submitting to the guidance and direction of the Teacher, the Holy Spirit. By His Eye (also fountain, face, favor) of knowledge and understanding, we are guided. The Teacher shows the way, not through external rules, but through an inner leading that empowers us by grace.
Against Sin: Missing the Mark
The Psalmist also speaks of sin, châṭâ' or חָטָא (Hebrew root word). According to Strong's Lexicon, it means "to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference to forfeit, lack, expiate, (causative) lead astray, condemn: - bear the blame, commit [sin], by fault, harm, loss, miss, offend (-er), even to be without form." It is to miss the way or miss the mark.
The ancient word-picture for sin is to shut out through deception, the Authority. This deception makes us believe we have no authority. However, through the finished work of Christ, this deception is broken! We have been given authority in Him (Luke 10:19, Ephesians 1:19-23).
We stand against sin (which includes sickness, bad health, poverty, adversity—anything that misses the mark and is not part of God's perfect will for us) by being bridled up with the Teacher. By Him, we are sure to shoot straight and hit the mark! When we speak His Word and Truth, we hit the mark every time, not by our own power, but by His indwelling Spirit and the grace that empowers us.
Our original design is to be inhabited by the Spirit of Abba, to spend the coolness of the day with Him, to be taught and directed by Him, to speak out the authority given to us in the Garden of Eden and restored by the Teacher Himself dying on a cross, rising and defeating death on our behalf, and giving us His abiding Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)! This restoration is the core of the finished work of Christ.
So, …
Be not without understanding. Be bound up in Him and be doers of the Word (James 1:22)!
Psalm 32:10-11 (KJV)
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart
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