Stubbornness Kills

TEXT: Deuteronomy 21:18-23

Key Verse: “And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear” (Deuteronomy 21:20,21).

Among the most detestable vices before God are stubbornness and rebellion. In fact, God equates rebellion and stubbornness to witchcraft and idolatry, respectively. Not surprisingly, both are punishable by death in the Old Testament, and in the new dispensation, they lead to eternal separation from God. But these misconducts are so common today, that many people no longer see them as God does.

Whatever our attitude is to stubbornness and rebellion in this age of permissiveness and liberty, God is unrepentant in His disdain for such misconducts. They are so serious that He commanded the Israelites that if a man had a rebellious, disobedient or stubborn son, the onus was on his parents to report him to the authorities. They were to lay out in detail, the offences of their son. They would also inform the elders if their son was a glutton and a drunkard. In other words, that he was disorderly, and therefore, a threat to the rest of the society. His offences confirmed, the elders of the city were to pass the sentence of death on the offending person. The entire people of the city would stone him to death, and in so doing, put away that evil from their community, “and all Israel shall hear, and fear.”

Don’t let anyone deceive you: rebellion and stubbornness are deadly sins. They make you look down on everyone else, including your parents; disregard good counsel; think of yourself more highly than you should; and arrogate to yourself powers that belong to God. When you lead such a disorderly lifestyle, you pose a threat to the orderly functioning of the society. You are therefore, not qualified to continue to inhabit the community of decent, law-abiding, and peaceful persons.

Children who are stubborn to their parents would invariably be shortening their life-span, as they draw on themselves a curse from the Lord. Other persons who rebel against constituted authorities, whether at home, the society or church, would eventually be visited by the long arm of the civil or spiritual laws. Either way, death awaits such offenders. The only option out is to forsake wicked ways, ask the Lord for pardon, and begin a new life of righteousness, submission and humility.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Rebellion puts one on danger list.