STUBBORNNESS

 

 

1 SAM 15: 22 -23

22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

 

stubbornness      to set the mind, to be dull, unresponsive

                                Webster:  refusing to yield, obey, or comply

 

iniquity            empty, worthless, vain,

                                 especially as related to false gods - idols

 

idolatry            HEB word used exclusively to identify

                                 a personal (family) idol

 

 

STUBBORNNESS IS THE IDOLATRY OF SELF   Idolatry is SIN !

 

 

TWO MANIFESTATIONS

 

1) RESISTING GOD

 

2) EMPHASIZING SELF

 

 

EXAMPLES:

 

EX 32: 7 - 10      

7  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8  They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

9  And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people:

10  Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

 

stiff-necked   impudent, obstinate, stubborn

PROBLEM:  Hebrews didn't "see" God working or Moses acting as they

expected so they took matters into their own hands. God got angry.

 

1 SAM 8: 1 - 3    

1  And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

2  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.

3  And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

 

Wickedness was result of Samuel choosing his own sons to

         succeed him as judge in Israel  (Samuel's idea not God's anointed)

 

 

1 SAM 8: 4 - 7, 19        

4  Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

5  And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6  But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

7  And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

19  Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

 

The people refused to obey and demanded to have their own  (NOT God's) way.

 

 

2 CHRON 30: 7 - 1O    

7  And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see.

8  Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

9  For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

10  So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

 

yield    lit: to give the hand, fig to pledge fidelity and submission to God

 

RESULT:  Some laughed to scorn and mocked, some humbled themselves and came;

       to these God gave them one heart (unity, accord)

 

OBSERVATION:  stubbornness is directly opposed to, and a prevention of, unity!

 

 

JER 32: 33 - 34

33  And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction.

34  But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.

 

they have turned unto me the back and not the face   fig. disdain and disregard for the Word and admonition of the LORD; a turning toward self, doing what they wanted

 

they have not hearkened to receive instruction   even though the Lord himself

gave them teaching faithfully

 

 

RESULT:  God sent judgment; Babylon, sword, siege famine, and pestilence sickness

      (HOWEVER, God also promised restoration to the remnant who repented)

 

 

ZEC 7: 8 - 12      

8  And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

9  Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother:

10  And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

11  But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

12  Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

 

they refused to hearken        showed that they were unwilling

 

pulled away the shoulder       to withdraw from common purpose, out of

                                    agreement, would not walk with God)

 

stopped their ears                  word often used in HEB  as "harden the heart")

 

 

 

 

ACTS  7: 51         (Stephen's proclamation)

Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the

Holy Ghost

 

resist    oppose, strive against; characteristic of flesh, the carnal selfish nature

 

 

 EVIDENCES OF THE IDOLATRY OF SELF

 

 

SEEKING REPUTATION

 

MATT 6:2, 5,  16

2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

16  Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

 

         glory of men, seen of men, appear to men    self-exaltation

 

 

PHIL 2: 5-7        

5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 

 

SEEKING VISIBILITY

 

LUKE 20: 46       

46  Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;

 

         beware    fig. to hold the mind towards, i.e. pay attention to, be cautious about,

                      apply oneself to, adhere to:  not only are we to not do what they do

                       but we are also to put distance between us and them!

 

 

 

LUKE 14: 7 - 11  

7  And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

8  When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him;

9  And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10  But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11  For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

 

Jesus taught us to willingly (and joyfully) choose the lower (more obscure) place

 

 

SEEKING POWER OVER OTHERS

 

MARK 10: 35 - 37        

35  And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

36  And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

37  They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

 

         they sought exalted places and power for themselves

 

 

LUKE 22: 24 - 27

24  And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.

25  And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.

26  But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.

27  For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.

 

         Jesus set the example that, in the Kingdom of God, the greatest leader shows

         himself to be the best servant.

 

 

 

 

 

1 COR 3: 1 - 3    

1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2  I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3  For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

 

         Paul was not writing this to the unbeliever, he was writing to the church

         at Corinth.  These people were acting out of their lower nature, not being

         led and influenced by the Spirit of God , but by self. The proof was strife.

 

 

 2 COR 1: 24               

24  Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

 

         dominion    controlling power

 

         helpers       companions in labor, coworkers

 

stand          (be established secure in a covenant; position and power held as a

result of the actions of God not man or self)

 

 

 SEEKING MAN'S APPROVAL

 

JOHN 12: 42 - 43

42  Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

43  For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

 

         loved          (unconditionally regarded, prized, esteemed)

 

 

JAMES 4: 4          

4  Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

 

friend                  fond, dear, associate as in the sense of a brother to

 

enemy                 hostile, adversary, a word often used of Satan's work

 

 

 

ROM 8: 6 - 8      

6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

carnal mind         sense and reason apart from the Holy Spirit (Amplified Bible)

 

enmity                hostile, opposing

 

Here again the carnal nature, the self-centered flesh is seen as the problem

 

 

SEEKING PREEMINENCE

 

MARK 9: 33-35  

33  And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?

34  But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.

35  And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

 

disputed     arguing, strife, contention, disunity, flesh

 

 

3 JOHN 9 - 10     

9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

 

loveth                  to be fond of being first, i.e. ambitious of distinction:

 

Diotrephes loved the preeminence to the degree that he rejected

valid ministries and expelled those who disagreed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEMANDING YOUR RIGHTS   (I'm under grace, I can do whatever I want to do)

 

1 COR 10: 23     

23  All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

 

         expedient   to bear together (contribute)

 

edify           advantageous, beneficial

 

 

GAL 5: 13 

13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty (in the Spirit)for an occasion to the flesh( lower nature, self), but by love serve one another.

 

 

1 COR 8: 9         

9  But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

 

         stumblingblock    to cause someone to act against his conscience, an

                                    obstacle, a hindrance, occasion to fall)

 

 

 DEMANDING TO BE SHOWN "RIGHT"    (not necessarily righteous)

 

The effect of our pet opinions, doctrines, traditions, interpretations

 

You are saved by grace;

 

plus going to my church

plus believing exactly as I believe

plus stopping smoking

plus circumcision

plus _______________

 

 

 

 

APPLICATION   Decision to put Kingdom and Body of Christ concerns above self,

                            especially when  interacting with others.

 

 

 

 

RESISTING GOD'S PLAN

 

PHIL 2:13

13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

 

"But I don't want to do that, I want to do this"

 

 

1 COR 12. 18

18  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

 

"But I want to go to this other church, its more convenient, etc"

 

 

ACTS 2: 42, 46   

42  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

 

"But I don't want to belong to a Home Fellowship"

 

 

1  PET 3: 11                   

11  Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

 

eschew evil shun, declare, go out of the way to avoid

                          

         "But I can watch anything I want to on TV"

 

 

1 COR 15:33               

33  Be not deceived: evil communications (relational interactions) corrupt good manners.

 

1 COR 5:11        

11  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

 

called a brother   a professing Christian in open, unrepentant sin

 

         "But he's just my friend I'm not doing what he's doing"

 

HEB 10: 25         

25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

        

         "But I can worship God just as well by myself"

 

 

HEB 13: 17         

17  Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

 

         "I don't have to submit to any man's authority, my authority is God alone"

 

 

JUDE 11-13        

11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

 

way of Cain                           substitutions for God's way

 

         error of Balaam            riches

 

         gainsaying of Korah              ambition

 

spots in your love feasts        hidden rocks, not seen or recognized,

 causing shipwreck

 

"But my way is just as good,  I can do what I want"

 

 

ROM 12: 3

3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

 

soberly       to see and acknowledge things just the way they are,

context - position - gift talent

 

         "I'm OK - it's everyone else that's wrong"

ACTS 10: 34                

34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

 

         respecter of persons     God never shows favoritism

 

         "But those words don't apply to me - - I'm a special case person to God"

 

 

 DEMANDING UNDERSTANDING    (before accepting God's dealings with us)

 

ROM 11: 33 - 34          

33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?

 

         God sets conditions & boundaries - not us

 

 

DENYING THE NEED FOR CHANGE  (when faced with clear evidence)

 

2 C0R 13: 1        

1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

 

established made certain, confirmed

 

Note: this principle eliminates the concept of individual opinions being

valued by themselves

 

 

WARNINGS IN THE WORD

 

PS 32: 9

9  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.

 

         bit and bridle                pain applied to produce obedience

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PSALM 78: 7 - 8          

7  That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:

8  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

 

stubborn and rebellious   turned away, hardened, withdrawn, backslidden

 

         set not their heart right    not upright, not faithful, not committed

 

spirit not steadfast               not firm, not permanent, wavering, unsteady,

        not trustworthy, unstable

 

 

ISAIAH 46. 12             

12  Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:

 

stouthearted        self-willed, established in their own thoughts, centered on self,

inflexible, set in their ways

 

 

ISAIAH 48. 4-5

4  Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;

5  I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.

                          

obstinate             unyielding, impudent, stubborn, hard

 

 neck as iron sinew       not submitting to righteous authority

 

brow as brass                not submitting to reason or appropriate entreaty or sense

 

 

JER 5: 3-4 

3  O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4  Therefore I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, nor the judgment of their God.