Tag: stiff-necked

II Kings 17:14-15 ” But they would not listen and were stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.”

Stiff-necked is a great word picture.  It comes from oxen resisting the yoke placed on them by the farmer.  And when we turn away from God and His Word…we’re essentially doing the same thing.  We stubbornly think God’s yoke is too difficult to bear and so in rebellion we throw off the yoke of obedience.  But it warns us in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”  For we become totally deceived  when we think that the yoke of sin is easy to escape out of…for in reality, the bondage of its yoke is far heavier and  more difficult to carry.

Nehemiah 9:16 “But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commands.”

Stiffed-necked…that’s quite a word picture in my head!  When your neck is immobilized by a cervical collar, you can’t swivel your head independently without moving your whole body also… for you lack the flexibility and capacity to turn.  When we’re stiff-necked towards God, we’re unwilling to turn away from sin…refusing to listen and heed His Word.