Bullheaded

Today’s Passage – Isaiah 48 – 52 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text)

(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14Psalms 46 – 50Proverbs 10)

Scripture Memory for July – John 3:1 – 21

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –1 John 4:7 & 8

Read a previous post from this passage – “Determination”

Read “Five Graces of Servant Leadership” by Pastor Chappell

“Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;” – (Isaiah 48:4)

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” – (Isaiah 48:10)

We have a man in our church, named Gerald, who often tells me stories about his childhood, and his relationship with his dad growing up. His dad was a great man who had the uncommon ability to demonstrate love and tenderness, but could also be very strong, and was not afraid to correct his children when necessary. When Gerald was a teenager, he and his dad would sometimes butt heads. His dad would say to him, “Son, you have a pretty hard head, but that’s OK because I am going to soften it up for you.” I think this is exactly the idea found in our text today. God was telling Israel that they were “bull headed”, but He knew how to take care of that problem.

Stubborn, stiff-necked, bull headed: these are all words that are synonymous to the words that God used to describe Israel in Isaiah 48:4. They are also words that could be used to describe most of us. We are a stubborn lot by nature. We are very slow to learn, yet quick to declare that we are right. We are not very teachable, because we think that we know everything that there is to know. God oftentimes is forced to soften us up through the vehicle of affliction. Isn’t it amazing that we tend to learn much better while enduring a trial than we do when we are on the mountaintop. If fact, many people come to Christ at times in their life when they are going through a tough time. God often has to break us before He can teach us. If you find yourself going through an unusually difficult season in your life, it may just be that God is working “in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. (Phillippians 2:13) He may be trying to get you to see something that you could not see otherwise. God loves you, but whom He loves, He corrects; and correction is good; it helps us yield to a God who knows much better about what is good for us.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” – (James 1:2-4)

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” – (Hosea 10:12)


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Katelyn
Katelyn
11 years ago

Throughout the hard times of my life I wanted to become better, not bitter. By realizing that God allowed the hard times to happen in order for me to become more like Him is what got me through. I counted it a privilege that my God trusted me to take the “molding” of making me better and not become bitter from it.

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