ON BEING STUBBORN (2)

I mentioned that we can learn some things by observing the stubbornness of children. When children trust their parents’ judgment and respond to their love, they find that the parents have their best interests at heart, and they may not be so stubborn.

Imagine, for example, a child who takes a dislike to oatmeal, surely not atypical, and who will therefore not eat it properly or at all. The child is stubborn about it, and the parents may become equally stubborn: “Sit there until you eat it”, or “Go to your room until you decide to eat it.” Or they may promise rewards for eating the oatmeal, rather than punishment for not eating it. With both extremes, the child can see no direct benefit of eating oatmeal. If athletes or comic figures ate it or if peers sang jingles while happily gulping it down, perhaps the child might be persuaded to do so.

The best way, it seems to me, for us to teach children to eat oatmeal is to sit down and eat oatmeal with them. If it is supposed to be so good, we better eat some, too. And, if it isn’t good at all, we should acknowledge that as well. We become willing oatmeal eaters to help the stubborn oatmeal eater.

In Romans 11:25, we read that Israel was stubborn for a time. They were unwilling to learn and had a closed mind. The opposite of a closed mind is an open one, in which we are willing to learn and evaluate. In Acts 17:11 we read that the people at Berea (in the synagogue) were more open-minded than the people at Thessalonica. The latter caused an uproar trying to find Paul and Silas; the Berean people listened to the message with gladness. Open-minded people are not prone to stubbornness because they want to learn. 

Some kings were especially stubborn, and their officials equally so. This can be seen in the story of the Egyptians in Exodus and by the Israelites themselves later in the book of Kings. However, God accomplished His purposes through these stubborn rulers.

However, their stubbornness manifested itself in evil and violence, the natural outcome for anyone who consistently and persistently ignores the commands of God.

Nevertheless, the Israelites as a nation were stubborn. God sums it up when he tells Moses to tell them: “You are a stubborn people” (Exodus 33:5). God, loving His ‘people, goes further and says, “I will break your stubborn pride if you do not obey me.” (Leviticus 26:19). In 2 Chronicles 30:8, the stubbornness of their ancestors is used as an extreme example by King Hezekiah in calling His people to repentance and worship.

King Pharaoh became more stubborn each time that God dealt with him. The recurring pattern was stubbornness (not allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt) and then punishment by God (the disasters of blood in the rivers, frogs, gnats, fleas, death of animals, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness). There was temporary repentance by the king and then stubbornness all over again. Finally, with the death of the firstborn, the king gave in, but it was at enormous cost, including the death of his own son.

The real lesson can be seen in the result of stubbornness: there is no repentance, instead, there is rebellion, viciousness, and evil. The heart becomes as if it were made of bronze and iron (Jer.6:28) or stone.

Even in this sad state, or perhaps because of it, we are finally “able” to let God take away the stone and iron. Stubborn as mules and donkeys (Heb. 4:16, 8-9) we finally ask God to change us – to give us a new heart.

Stubbornness is contrary to what God wants. It is opposite and incompatible with His will. We become so headstrong that we are immovable.

To “be stubborn” is not a compliment!

But God can change us.

Karl Franklin