By: Dr. Jimmy Young
Ever been called “hard-headed”? How about “stiff-necked”? Well, I am both.
But it appears that I get honestly, though it is still ugly. I read something this morning that made me sad about my own tendencies. It was in Genesis 26. Abraham is dead and the Patriarch that is now on center stage is Isaac. God speaks with him in verses 2-5 and reminds him of His relationship with his father. Verse five points out that Abraham had been blessed “because (he) obeyed my voice.”
Now we both know that my obedience is in no way meritorious. But obedience does make life go better, even if only in the sense that my whole enjoyment of God is enhanced.
The thing I want to point out is that in the next two verses (6 & 7), we find Isaac choosing to disobey. He was just told of God’s great interest in obedience, and the very first thing he does is disobedience. That’s what I call “stiff-necked”…just like me.
