BBD 05.17.05 Stubborn and Wrong
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
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05.17.05
Stubborn and Wrong
He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed,
and that without remedy. - Proverbs 29:1.
Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this
day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up
early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but
stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. - Jeremiah 7:25-26.
For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf; now the LORD will let them
forage like a lamb in open country. - Hosea 4:16.
Stinson Bailey trying to explain after starting a fire that destroyed three
buildings in a town in Arkansas said, "I would've been all right if the wind
hadn't changed." Maybe it happened because of Bailey's stubbornness? A fire
chief did see some smoke and investigated finding Bailey trying to finish
the demolition of the building by burning. The fire chief advised Bailey
that it was illegal and Bailey advised him that his services were not
needed. The fire chief then told the people at the site that he was
requesting a fire truck to put out the fire. The fire chief was told not to
be concerned and that he should just come back later.
Some people do appear to be stubborn and set in their ways even when their
course of action is disastrous. An elderly man I know has promised his wife
that is bedfast that she will never have to go to a nursing home. Four years
ago, she was placed on hospice believing she would soon die but she is still
alive. On the surface, the promise of the man to his wife is admirable;
however, sometimes you have to give up on some promises and dreams. Why? In
this situation, the woman is receiving poor care due to the inability of
those caring for her to properly give medication. As a result, the woman is
hallucinating and is violent. Every time the giving of the medication is
corrected to the proper dosages, it quickly and rapidly deteriorates. This
particular man is unable to see that his wife is very miserable and would
have a much more pleasant life in a different place than home.
When given advice how do you react? Do you harden your neck as Solomon puts
it? Does it just make you more determined to continue on your original
course and actions? Does it make you hate the one having the nerve to give
advice to you? (Of course, to all of us advice givers, does it make us hate
the one rejecting our good intentioned words of wisdom?)
The prophets of the Old Testament had a most difficult calling! They had to
continue telling forth the Words of God even though the people rejected
those Words over and over again. What did God say about those people who
were given opportunity after opportunity to turn to God? "Yet they did not
obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than
their fathers." "For Israel is stubborn like a stubborn calf." What was the
consequence for those stubborn people? ".now the LORD will let them forage
like a lamb in open country." The stubborn God rejecting people were left to
their own devices outside of the protection of the Shepherd "like a lamb in
open country." There in that "open country" they were vulnerable to all
kinds of predators and evil.
Have you been rejecting God? Have you been rejecting godly counsel, wisdom?
Maybe it is finally time to drop that stubbornness and become instead
teachable and malleable under the protection of the Great Shepherd?
Copyright © 2005. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
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