I must confess that one of my favorite phrases of conviction today comes from one of several sermons which was not well-received by its audience: Stiff-necked!

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.

Acts 7:51 ESV – from Stephen preaching to the jews

σκληροτράχηλος – stiff-necked

Strong’s G4644 – sklērotrachēlos –

Pronunciation
sklay-rot-rakh’-ay-los

(Has a rather guttural insulting tone to it, don’t you think?)

We might easily dismiss this insulting word from Stephen in the New Testament of Jesus Christ.

But not so fast; for Luke tells us in Acts that Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit.

(If you or I were to say that to someone they might think us full of something other than the Holy Spirit, wouldn’t they?)

girl looking in mirror What does it mean to be stiff-necked? Toi be so self-absorbed that you do not see God or others.

To accuse another of being ‘stiff-necked,’ while making our ‘religion‘ an idol, may look like hypocrisy.

“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel,
‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’
  • σκληροτράχηλος, σκληροτράχηλόν (σκληρός and τράχηλος), properly, stiff-necked;
    • tropically, stubborn, headstrong, obstinate:
    • Acts 7:51; the Sept. for עֹרֶף קְשֵׁה, Exodus 33:3, 5; Exodus 34:9; (etc.)

Stephen’s single use of ‘stiffneckedpeople in the New Testament points to those who CLAIM the Old Covenant of the LAW of Moses.

Roger@TalkofJESUS.COM

Looking back to Moses – Stiff-necked Hebrews

pillar of fire in the midst of Moses and the Hebrews

קָשֶׁה

אֶל־אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ כִּי עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹרֶף אַתָּה פֶּן־אֲכֶלְךָ בַּדָּרֶךְ׃

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way,

for you are a stiff-necked people.”

Exodus 33:3 WLC, ESV

קָשֶׁה adjective hard, severe; — absolute ק׳ Exodus 18:26 +; construct Exodus 32:9 +; feminine singular קָשָׁה Deuteronomy 26:6 +; construct קְשַׁת 1 Samuel 1:15; masculine plural קָשִׁים 2 Samuel 3:39; construct קְשֵׁי Ezekiel 2:4; Ezekiel 3:7; feminine plural קָשׁוֺת Genesis 42:7, 30; —

  1. hard, difficult, of a legal question (דָּבָר) Exodus 18:26

Stephen has proposed a legal question to you. Are YOU also a stiff-neck worshiper who will NOT listen to any, even the LORD your God?

Roger@TalkofJESUS.com

Stiff-necked?

Now that I’ve shared MY Short Take on these Scriptures, WHAT’S YOUR SHORT TAKE on them?

Hammurabi praying - source article from cover photo


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