-September 30, 2023-
Good morning, happy Saturday,
“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and without remedy.”
(Proverbs 29:1).
We can learn so much from rebuke if we are willing to humble ourselves and accept it. Usually rebuke and correction go together. Sadly, even Solomon in his latter years wouldn’t listen to God, but followed the false gods of his many wives.
The key to our verse is “often rebuked” but hardening one’s heart. Hardening of the neck denotes stubbornness and resistance against God’s authority. Obstinacy is a bad and sad word. The word obstinate is defined as, ‘stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.” Normally it is negative but it can be positive if we are standing strongly for the Lord. Today, however we are thinking of the negative aspects of obstinacy.
Some of us by nature are stubborn and resistant. When we get saved the Lord changes us into surrendered, obedient, and willing servants of Christ. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, we need to listen and take action. God often uses people who are saved or even unsaved to rebuke us if we go off course. You who are parents know that children can be obstinate. They won’t listen to your advice, they want their own way.
We are God’s children and we can also be obstinate, but praise God when we repent, ask for forgiveness, and change our ways, we are restored. Someone once said, “obstinacy refers to the trait of being stubborn, unyielding, or resistant to change. It is characterized by a determination to stick to one’s opinions, beliefs, or actions despite any persuasion, evidence, or logical reasoning presented to the contrary.” The cults prey on people and they become obstinate in terrible ways. It is very hard for them to break free from the cult.
King Saul was an example of obstinacy on steroids. He wouldn’t give up his plan to kill David. The opposite of obstinacy is compliance. David wasn’t perfect, but he was yielded to the Lord. Let us not be obstinate but compliant; not stubborn, but yielded; not resistant, but obedient.
Have a blessed day. Stay safe and healthy.
Yielding to God in every way, obeying Him every single day,
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 