Heart of Stone
The Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, but have walked after the stubbornness of their heart and after the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” Jeremiah 9:13-14 NASB
Stubbornness – Obstinate – “refusing to change one’s opinion.” Headstrong – “self-willed.” Obdurate – “refusing to change one’s course of action.” Perverse – “showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way.” Recalcitrant – “having an uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.” Contumacious – “stubbornly or willfully disobedient.”
All apply.
The Hebrew summation is sherirut, “šĕrirût is always found with lēb ‘heart,’ ‘mind’ and refers to a people who stubbornly refuse to respond to God’s admonitions.”[1] Jeremiah makes the definition a bit clearer. The people refuse to respond to God’s Torah. They are obstinate, headstrong, obdurate, perverse, recalcitrant and contumacious. All apply.
The question is whether or not “all apply” to us. The people Jeremiah calls sherirut were not irreligious. They were not evil oppressors, sexual predators, tyrannical authorities. From their perspective, they were just doing what they had been taught. YHVH is very specific about this. Their fathers taught them the way of life and they simply followed it. But the result was disobedience to God’s instructions. These people still worshipped, prayed, helped each other, baptized, married, raised children. They still followed the traditions of their culture. They just didn’t follow God’s instructions.
The common Christian explanation (and rationalization) for God’s words through His prophet is, “These were judgments for Israel. They don’t apply to us.” But don’t we drift into the ways we were taught by our fathers? Don’t we live according to the religious customs and practices of our culture? Don’t we ignore God’s instructions, with two thousand years of theological justification?
Aren’t we also sherirut?
Just like Israel in the days of Jeremiah, we cannot determine if we are stubborn by looking in our mirrors. We can only determine if we are stubborn by asking what God thinks of the way we live. Maybe we don’t ask because we don’t want to know. The ways of the fathers are just so comfortable.
Topical Index: sherirut, stubborn, Jeremiah 9:14
[1] Austel, H. J. (1999). 2469 שׁרר. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (957). Chicago: Moody Press.
The words of Jeremiah 16:19-21 come to mind immediately.
“O Lord , my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods? Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause the
m to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord”.
Thankfully we are being set free from those lies of traditions; due in much part to your teaching Skip-thanks again. Eternally. Michael
Part of Paul’s confession (Gal.1:14) was that “I was especially zealous in the teaching of my fathers.”
He then repented and through Yeshua returned to true TORAH.
What? When did Paul “repent” of his zeal for the fathers and the Torah?
I don’t know about the rest of you out there but this is something very close to my heart.
Indeed, the ways of my fathers are comfortable and what I know. I do good, comfort others and help whenever help is needed. I love God and pray/talk to Him constantly.
The list goes on BUT, now why is that particular word there?
Could it be because there are things I struggle with in obeying what God commanded of those who truly love Him?
At times I really don’t want to know so I don’t ask or search for a certain answer because I know the answer will mean change.
There is another part of me in that I am married. Any change effects my husband too. And yet I will not be called to answer for his choices when I stand before the Lord-only my choices. This could be viewed as simply an excuse but it practically effects my life and my choices! I know, my love of God needs to be greater than my love for anyone/anything else.
See what I mean?
I have been called stubborn a few (LOL) times during my life and perhaps that is part of the problem. I am just not stubborn for the correct things. My words are not eloquent as I am a simply person. I don’t even know if this makes sense to anyone but me. This post hits home and makes me groan things that only God can understand. He sees my heart and He alone knows what is in there. That terrifies me because I cannot hide from Him at all!
I am grateful to know that I have made some changes pleasing to God. I have many more to make and more of those comfortable ways to leave behind. I suspect that God’s ways will become much more comfortable to me in time as I continue to yield to Him. It seems that the problem areas for me are daily things that just fly under my radar. Sometimes it is only after I have done it that I realize it was not a choice pleasing to God. More groaning! But each time my awareness grows and slowly the changes come.
It comforts me to know that He knows this about me. He has not given up on me either but continues to teach me and uses the occasional smack upside my stubborn head to get my attention!
Praise Him for this return to considering my choices and why I so choose.
These teachings and this community are a great help to me.
I’m in the same pickle. Only I’m the husband. But do I ever relate. Thx. This is a powerful teaching and has so many ramifications. Serving YHVH is continual wrestling it seems. Can we ever enter into rest in this life? Beginning to wonder.
Can we ever enter into rest in this life?
Isn’t that what Shabbat is for? 😉 <3
Hi Dawn, I think any of us who are married can totally relate. Your comments made me think about all the married couples I know (including my own marriage), who are walking in the same direction, but each of them, as individuals, are in different places. Does that make sense? I had developed a pattern of disregarding what my husband said, because I thought he wasn’t standing in the same place that I was – but the Lord rebuked me in the last year and has caused me to listen to what my husband says with different ears. There is wisdom there that I was missing before, because I let preconceived ideas block my hearing. Now, I am amazed sometimes at what comes from his mouth — appalled sometimes, too, but that’s all part of growth, isn’t it? 🙂
I sure do understand the being on the same journey but at a different point. My husband is very wise and I have had to learn to listen. God has been a gracious teacher even when the hubby or myself was not!
Thanks. It is a good reminder that there ARE others out there on the same journey.
It scares me to think of all the times I failed to confront people and how many of those times I will be held accountable for.
Stubbornness is an attitude toward authority or discipline. If believers claimed to be Bible-believing, yet will not walk in YHWH’s ways, seeking Him, in spite of many who diligently seek their deliverance from falsehoods, ABBA will feed them bitter-food/wormwood לַֽעֲנָה, in order that they may seek after Him. And that is chen/grace extended to us.
Being set in our ways/attitudes, unwilling to make changes make relationships difficult, particularly in YHWH’s ways when we have been so settled in our unacceptable and unpleasing, unset-apartness as folks delivered from bondage.
Seeking ABBA for eyes to see, and ears to hear for those who are still bound in the hardness of their hearts in following all His instructions for living.
Hi Skip
Thanks for sharing this. It is a timely reminder that we should be wary of imposing our own context to what has been written for our benefit. By doing so we can so easily side step the benefit and resume life as usual!!!