Exodus 32:9 “I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” [New International translation]
Acts 7:51-53 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the HOLY SPIRIT! Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the RIGHTEOUS ONE. And now you have betrayed and murdered HIM---you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels, but have not obeyed it.”
[New International translation of Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin]
Scripture Discussed
Numerous times in the Old Testament, GOD refers to the Jewish people as a “stiff-necked” people. GOD would try to lead the people in the right direction—a direction that would be beneficial to them and lead to blessings, but like obstinate oxen under a plough yoke, the people simply refused to be led. “Stiffing their necks,” the people were willfully disobedient, unrepentant, set in their own ways and unresponsive to GOD’s word and HIS commandments. The people would not listen to Moses, or any of GOD’s other spokespersons. They would not even obey GOD.
In Acts 7, Stephen, one of the first deacons of the early church, gives a rousing speech to the Jewish Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin, the “Supreme Court” of ancient Israel, was made up of 71 men. Each city could have its own lesser Sanhedrin made up of 23 men, but the Jerusalem Great Sanhedrin was considered the High Court. In Acts 5, Stephen accuses the Jewish leaders of being just like their forefathers---namely stiff-necked, in heart and head. Because of their own self-righteousness, and their stiff-necked behavior, they turned a blind eye to CHRIST and a deaf ear to HIS message. They had, like their forefathers, missed their blessings. Stephen tells the Sanhedrin that they killed the Messiah, THE RIGHTEOUS ONE, and that they resisted the HOLY SPIRIT. Stephen, a man “unusually full of faith” (Acts: 6:5, Living Bible translation), speaks boldly and without fear, exercising his faith to the end.
In an article “Eight Marks of A Stiff-Necked People,” Dr. Ray Prichard describes the following “marks” or characteristics of a stiff-necked people:
- Certainty that you are right.
- Refusal to listen to anyone else.
- Defensive when criticized.
- Making excuses for your shortcomings.
- Lashing out at others.
- No desire to examine your own life.
- Repeated pattern of misbehavior.
- Prayer without repentance
Dr. Prichard notes that being stiff-necked can happen to any of us! When we become hardened in our ways, so GOD’s HOLY SPIRIT and the LOVE of CHRIST cannot reach us, we are stiff necked! Unless we obey GOD and exercise our faith, it can happen to any one of us.
Exercising to Ease Stiffness
Exercise is crucial for people suffering from arthritic pain and stiffness. Exercise can:
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- Strengthen the muscles around your joints
- Help you maintain bone strength
- Give you more strength and energy to get through the day
- Make it easier to get a good night's sleep
- Help you control your weight
- Make you feel better about yourself and improve your sense of well-being
See, “Exercise Helps Ease Arthritis Pain and Stiffness,” Mayo Clinic Staff, www.Mayoclinic.com. Although you may think exercise will aggravate arthritic joint pain and stiffness, but that simply is not the case: According to Mayo Clinic:
Lack of exercise actually can make your joints even more painful and stiff. That's because keeping your muscles and surrounding tissue strong is crucial to maintaining support for your bones. Not exercising weakens those supporting muscles, creating more stress on your joints.
As always, you should check with your doctor before starting an exercise program, if you have been diagnosed with a medical condition. A doctor who is familiar with your condition or a physical therapist can recommend exercises that are best for you. These exercises may include:
Range-of-motion exercises - Range-of-motion exercises involve moving your joints through their normal range of movement, such as raising your arms over your head or rolling your shoulders forward and backward.
Strengthening exercises -These exercises help you build strong muscles that help support and protect your joints. Weight training is an example of a strengthening exercise.
Aerobic exercise - Aerobic or endurance exercises help with your overall fitness. They can improve your cardiovascular health, help you control your weight and give you more stamina.
Other activities - Any movement, no matter how small, can help. If a particular workout or activity appeals to you, don't hesitate to ask your doctor whether it's right for you. For example, you might consider gentle forms of yoga and tai chi. Tai chi may improve balance and help prevent falls.
See, www.mayoclinic.com.
Exercising for Physical Spiritual Fitness
All of us, and if we are honest with ourselves, have experienced times when we are “stiff-necked.” Digging in our heals, resisting change, always insisting on our own way, refusing to listen, not checking “it” against the WORD of GOD, can be signs, “marks” and symptoms of “stiff-neckedness.” It can happen and does happen to us all. So, let us “exercise our faith” and engage in “prayer aerobics,” good for overall fitness. Let us study GOD WORD, pray that the LORD “break us” and “plow up the hardness of our hearts.” (Jeremiah 4:3, Living Bible.) Let us ask GOD to renew a right SPIRIT in us (Psalm 51:10) so that we willingly and obediently follow HIM and BE BLESSED.
