“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1
Stiffnecked?
This neck-stiffening is a metaphor for not adhering to the Lord
Pharaoh had a hard heart toward God, but then so did the grumbling Israelites
God mentioned that quite a few times in the Bible
and not in a complimentary way
The stiff- or hard-necked were considered to be prideful,
not listening to the Lord, to wisdom, to the word
“Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” Acts 7:50
Notice the consequence of being stiffnecked in the above scripture: Shall suddenly be destroyed and without remedy.
“Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God.” 2 Kings 17:14
But here is direction from the Lord about how to not be stiffnecked: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” Deuteronomy 10:16
“And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Deuteronomy 30:6
The value of circumcision was an act of obedience. I have not done a study on it so you may know more than I do. I know the act was not the most important part, but the humility that came from obeying the Lord in what He was asking. Paul later said, “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” Galatians 5:6
God is so faithful to give us a way out of our wicked ways. Pride is a constant battle of the flesh against the spirit. Humility. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18
So, if it’s pride, how do we recognize it so it doesn’t creep in?
Into our lives, into our thoughts
How do we keep ourselves pure from such idealizations?
God called the Israelites stiff-necked (Exodus 33:3)
The Pharisees were definitely among them (Matthew 23:13)
They thought they knew it all and didn’t even listen to Jesus,
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords when He spoke to them
I’m sure it doesn’t happen instantaneously for those of us who walk with Him
There has to be an opening, a way for us to get there that we can be aware of
Keep us humble O Lord that we may remember who You are and even who we are in comparison to You. Let us keep your word in our hearts and realize Your Majesty and all Your wonderful attributes that are too numerous to mention. Let us not resist wisdom or Your Holy Spirit that teaches us about Yourself. Teach us to recognize our arrogance. If there be even a small portion of pride in our hearts, please reveal it to us that we may offer it to You so you can cleanse it. In Jesus’ Might Name, Amen.