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?)

Stephen: Witness and Martyr

• 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 ‘stiffnecked‘ people 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

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

• Strong’s H7186 – qāšê
  • KJV Translation Count — Total: 36x from the LAW, History and the Prophets

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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