Stubbornness
Notes
Transcript
The Steadfast Spirit
8.29.21 [Exodus 7:8-13] River of Life (14th Sunday after Pentecost)
Stubbornness comes in many forms. Stubborn weeds. Stubborn stains, & stubborn animals. But nothing and no one is a stubborn as people.
We don’t have to look to find stubbornness. It’s all around us. But no matter how hard we look, I’m not sure we’ll find a better example of stubbornness than what we have in Exodus. Pharaoh’s stubbornness is the stuff of legends. Except it’s all true.
Exodus 7 is an early expression of Pharaoh’s stubbornness. But it’s not the first. A few chapters back, Moses came to Pharaoh with God’s demand: (Ex. 5:1) Let my people go so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness. Pharaoh was not impressed and replied (Ex. 5:2) Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.
This second visit is when God demonstrates his omniscience and his omnipotence. God knows all; nothing is impossible for the Lord. He knows Moses is frightened. He knows Pharaoh is arrogant. So he sends his servant into Pharaoh’s palace with an unusual sign. (Ex. 7:9) “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” (Ex. 4:3-4) This was the same sign God gave to Moses when he called him at the burning bush. And just as the Lord told Moses then, Pharaoh—though he demanded Moses perform a miracle—was unimpressed by that sign. Instead he signaled to his wise men & sorcerers to duplicate it—which they did.
So many read this and want to know how they were able to perform this sign. A sign like this can only have two sources: God or the Devil. The devil’s power is always limited by the Lord and it can never defeat God. That’s why Aaron’s staff (Ex. 7:12) swallowed up the staffs of the wise men and sorcerers.
Then we are given an ominous diagnosis about Pharaoh. (Ex 7:13) Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart is a running theme in the next 7 chapters of Exodus.
The next morning, Moses turns Egypt’s waters to blood. The fish in the Nile died. The waters began to stink. The Egyptians had to deal with this for seven days. All because Pharaoh was stubborn. Then God sent frogs and Pharaoh seemed to come to his senses for a second. Even though his own sorcerers could do this sign too—and this was the last they could duplicate—Pharaoh summoned Moses and asked him to (Ex. 8:8) Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away form me and my people and I will let you go offer sacrifices to the Lord. Moses did as Pharaoh requested, but as soon as there was (Ex. 8:15) relief from the plague, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
This pattern continued. The Lord would send a plague and it would bring Egypt and her Pharaoh to their knees. Pharaoh would beg for relief, even at times admitting he had sinned, and then try to bargain. The Lord would bring the plague to an end and Pharaoh’s heart would harden all over again. It didn’t matter what God did, whether he sent gnats or flies, whether only the Egyptian livestock died or boils over the whole land, whether he warned of the hailstorm or the locusts that were to come, or if he sent three days of darkness without a word to Pharaoh—Pharaoh remained stubborn. He would not yield. His heart was hard.
It goes beyond reason, right? Consider where we started. Pharaoh didn’t like the Israelites. He only wanted them for slave labor. If the only reason you to keep them around is free labor to boost your economy—when their presence brings plague and pestilence, you get rid of them. Which is what eventually happens. But not until after Egypt is devastated as a nation. And even after he finally does the right thing, he has second thoughts. He goes after them with his chariots and soldiers and they all drown in the Red Sea.
Pharaoh’s stubbornness has few if any peers. Even Napoleon looks at Pharaoh and thinks, you gotta know when to fold ‘em. But the reason that Pharaoh’s stubbornness was so outstanding was because he had a lot at his disposal. But stubbornness like that is locked away in a pyramid in ancient Egypt. We see it everywhere today.
Study stubbornness in Pharaoh and you will find that it is alive and well in our day. Pharaoh reveals four things about stubbornness. First stubborn Pharaoh #1) makes demands—and outlandish ones. Perform a sign. Then he rejects the very thing he said he needed. That’s not a sign! My guys can do that! And they could, but their signs were not of the same strength as the Lord’s. But even that didn’t matter. Because of the second characteristic of stubbornness—#2) a refusal to listen. Time and again, Pharaoh refused to listen. Why? Because stubbornness is #3) self-deception. Throughout these plagues Pharaoh knew he was up against something greater than himself. But even when he was humbled, he tried to bargain with Moses. Before the plague of locusts Pharaoh told Moses: (Ex. 10:10-11) Fine, we will let you go worship, but only the men can go. Leave the women and children behind. After the plague of darkness, Pharaoh was willing to let the people go to worship the Lord, (Ex. 10:24) but not the livestock. The self-deception of stubbornness goes beyond just being unreasonable! Pharaoh was trying to negotiate with God as if he and God were equals. That brings us to the fourth thing we learn about stubbornness through Pharaoh. Stubbornness is #4) self-destructive (and often hurts others, too!). Egypt was ravaged by these ten plagues. When the Lord sent the angel of death to strike down the first born males of every household, (Ex. 12:33-36) Egypt paid their slaves to leave. The Israelites plundered the Egyptians on their way out the door. And then, a little while later, (Ex. 14:28) the entire army of Pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea. Not one of them survived.
You see stubbornness everywhere, don’t you? In fact, as the children of Israel left Egypt and stubborn Pharaoh behind, they fell prey to stubbornness. Over and over again they made demands of God, they refused to listen to Moses, they deceived and destroyed themselves. The whole book of Exodus is exposé on stubbornness.
And we see it in our day, don’t we? People making demands, refusing to listen, deceiving themselves about what they know and are capable of doing and then hurting themselves and others? This stubbornness affects everything from how people approach money, politics, matters of health, and their relationships with God and with one another.
But we must not think this is a problem that only plagues other people. Stubborn people struggle to admit they are being stubborn.
How do I know this? Because I am a stubborn person. I can admit that. But here’s what I noticed when I do—and maybe you see this in you, too—I say things like I can be a stubborn person. I have a stubborn streak.
What I don’t hear myself readily admitting is I am being stubborn right now, can you help me? Do you know why I don’t hear that? Because the problem with stubbornness isn’t merely that I’ve dug my feet into the ground on some matter and I won’t relent, it’s my motivation. Stubbornness is less about the what and more about the why. God bears witness to that when he speaks about Pharaoh’s stubbornness. You might notice that Exodus never calls Pharaoh stubborn—though we all recognize that he is. Pharaoh is called hard hearted because stubbornness is a problem of the heart.
Stubbornness sings a seductive song called: I know I’m right. Just you wait! Stubborn people have arrogant hearts, defiant ears, and boastful lips. Stubborn people talk back to God, and they often talk like Satan—questioning God’s wisdom and motives and plan.
Do you struggle with stubbornness? Do you find yourself humming stubbornness’ seductive song in your head? I know I’m right. Just you wait! Do you bring your stubborn heart to work? Do you find yourself constantly fighting with people about how things have to be done?
How about your friends? Have they just found ways to tip-toe around your stubborn nature? How does your spouse like your stubbornness? Are you always looking for those I told you so! moments? Our stubbornness may come in many forms, but it only serves one god—the idol of ego. Whenever my stubbornness is exposed—and I suffer—my stubbornness wants to blame God and tell him this is all his fault.
Which makes God’s dealing with our stubbornness all the more shocking. When we encounter stubbornness, we want to eradicate it. We want to break the will and the spirit of the stubborn person. But God looks to rescue stubborn sinners through his steadfast love.
Jesus’ steadfast love is the polar opposite of stubbornness. Jesus is not quick to make demands, but #1) quick to meet the law’s demands and keep God’s promises. #2) He is eager to listen and loving in his responses—even with those who disagree with him. #3) He is devoted to the truth and #4) he is committed to sacrificing himself so that we might be rescued from eternal destruction.
Stubborn people make demands. Our steadfast Savior met the demands of the perfect law and kept all of God’s promises. Jesus’ innocence and righteousness were obvious to anyone who spent any time with him. Even his enemies couldn’t find a single sin he was guilty of. But Jesus did not live a spotless life so that he could say to people I know I’m right! Just wait and see! He lived a holy life because he knew that God’s law is always right. In every situation. He did not wait and see if God’s commands made sense in this situation or that one. He loved God wholly. He loved his neighbors unconditionally. He spoke and lived truth—whether people were watching or he was all alone.
Our steadfast Savior was eager to listen and loving in his responses. The Gospels gives us a prime example. There was this woman who had been battling a bleeding issue for twelve years. (Mk. 5:26) She spent everything she had in pursuit of a cure, but no one could help her. In fact, instead of getting better she grew worse. She hoped just touching Jesus’ cloak would be enough to cure her. And it was. But it wasn’t enough for Jesus. Even though he was busy and dealing with another urgent matter, he stopped and had a conversation with this woman. He wanted her to know that she had not stolen anything from him, but that he loved her and had the power to miraculously heal her physically and spiritually. In John 4, we read of an extensive conversation Jesus has with a Samaritan woman at the well. Even though she is deceitful about her marital status and argumentative about matters of worship, Jesus takes the time to listen to her and respond thoughtfully and lovingly. He wanted nothing more than for her to know that he was the Messiah that she had been waiting for.
Jesus was eager to listen and loving in all his responses, but that doesn’t mean he told people what they wanted to hear. Being steadfast meant that he was devoted to the truth. He never told someone their sins were no big deal. He denied all attempts to make himself a political Messiah. Even when his life hung in the balance as he stood before Pontius Pilate, he continued to testify to the truth.
The final aspect of Jesus’ steadfast love was his commitment to being our Substitute and our Savior. He knew the awful punishment that awaited stubborn and rebellious sinners. So (2 Cor. 5:21) he became sin for us so that we might be credited with his steadfast obedience, through faith. Our wickedness meant his wounds. Our stubbornness, our selfishness, our sinfulness was the reason he was sacrificed. And he knew it was coming.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus wrestled with this painful reality. What was absent from those fervent prayers to the one who could save him from death was this: Jesus never questioned saving us. He knew our stubbornness—he had lived among it for thirty plus years. But Jesus was steadfastly committed to our salvation. The only thing he prayed was If there is any other way, take this cup of suffering from me—but not my will, yours be done. And they he did what it took to redeem us from all unrighteousness. He put his neck on the line for our stiff-necked ways. He died the death our stubbornness deserved. His holy precious blood atoned for our hard-heartedness. And just as he was raised to life, so we, too, live a new life. We have been set free from the shackles of sin and our stubbornness. Because we no longer have to be right about everything. We no longer have to do things our own way. We know God’s Word is right and his will is what is always best.
God’s steadfast love has transformed us and we have been given new hearts. Sure we struggle with stubbornness from time to time—like we do with so many other sins—but God has worked a steadfast spirit within us. This steadfast spirit is quick to acknowledge our inherent stubbornness and ask for help. We confess our sins and trust in the forgiveness Christ has secured for us through his sacrificial death and powerful resurrection. Create in me a new heart, O God! This spirit that is not eager to say I know I’m right, just wait and see! but a spirit that God is right. Let us taste and see—together!
This steadfast spirit is quick to listen, eager to learn, and overjoyed to put what we have heard and learned into practice in our daily lives. Steadfast parents will discipline their children even when they are busy and tired—because this pleases the Lord. Steadfast spouses will strive to put the needs of the other first—because this models Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. Steadfast worshipers will seek to worship God in spirit and in truth—spending time in his Word and prayer each day; treasuring whatever time we spend in public worship and Bible study. There are many other things that may be good and important, but the steadfast spirit always makes the one thing needful their greatest priority.
This steadfast spirit, at times, may seem like stubbornness to those who don’t share this spirit. There are times when a steadfast spirit must hold fast to God’s Law and Gospel no matter what others may say, no matter what pressures or consequences we may face. In these moments, our motivation must be clear. We are not standing firm because we are stubborn—because we want to be shown and known as right. We are standing firm, as our Savior has first for us, because God has shown us what is right. We have come to know the truth of his precious Word and we remained devoted to that truth. Lord, keep us steadfast in your Word. Amen.
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