And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people. Exodus 32:9
I found Ted Eaton chuckling one day when he was still the publicity director at the Kings Landing historical settlement in New Brunswick. ‘The oxen ran away today’, he told me. ‘And it was funny.’ The huge beasts, still in their wooden yokes, had rebelled against their master, and began running, or trying to run, across a field. They did not get far; most of us can walk faster than an ox can run in a yoke. Foolish animals, we might say. But not as foolish or as stubborn as the children of Israel.
For months, the Israelites had experienced the miracles and the guidance of God as they made their way from Egypt toward the land of promise. And they had seen and heard Mount Sinai shake and thunder and smoke as God spoke to them. But when Moses spent longer than they thought he should in the mountain, they decided to get themselves another god. We wonder how they could be so foolish and so stubborn. But people are just the same today.
God is still on His throne; His Word is still true; His Gospel still saves souls, and His people still worship and serve Him. But the world around us has turned aside to other gods. The pursuit of possessions, power, and pleasure has replaced any interest those around us might have in the things of God and their own eternal welfare. The cults and false religions are attracting many who reject the truth in favour of something that tickles their ears. Sadly, even the Lord’s people are allowing the false gods around us to affect our attitudes.
God sees the stiff-necked attitudes of the world these days, but does He see any of it in us? -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/zqxXZeeZvHo