Stubborn as a Mule

Promise breakers. Stubborn. Obstinate. Stiff-necked. Traitors. Rebels.

I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to be described by any of these adjectives. Sadly, these very words spoken by the Prophet Isaiah were used to depict Israel, God’s very own chosen covenant people. The people chosen as a result of one man, Abrahams yes to God in a world filled with men and women who had long since rebelled against Him. During Isaiah’s time as Prophet over Israel, the hearts of the people were found to be wayward and unfaithful to God their King – just like the nations surrounding them.

“…You don’t keep your promises, even though you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel, whose name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Long ago I told you what was going to happen. Then suddenly I took action, and all my predictions came true. For I know how stubborn and obstinate you are. Your necks are as unbending as iron. Your heads are as hard as bronze.” Isaiah 48:1-4 AMP

I cringe just reading these words, as I know that they are now descriptions that apply to the condition of much of the American Church. Not to mention I’ve been that person before! Offended and hard hearted, resistant to His spirits correction and stubborn as hell in my heart. It’s nothing nice to have the riot act read to you by the Lord! It’s overwhelming how stubbornly resistant and opposed to the spirit of God that many churches are. I’m hearing about it from ministers all over the place. (Granted, there is a remnant that are repentant and seeking after the will of God in fasting and prayer like never before. I’m not referring to this group.) Much like Isaiah described, have not many places become as those who “call themselves the holy city and talk about depending upon the God of Israel”, but are more dependent upon their man made systems and idolatrous religious traditions of man than the Spirit of the Almighty? We’ve grown comfortable in many of our houses of worship without the fresh move of His Spirit. We have worked our systems out to such a science that we have confused a well run organization with the leadership of the Holy Spirit! Please do not misunderstand. Organization, excellence of stewardship, and good leadership is necessary to sustain a lasting move of God! But it was never the Will, Plan, or Purpose of God that anything we could do for Him would replace His Sovereign Lordship over said organizations. Somewhere in all our planning, God has been given a back seat!

And yet the King in HIS FAITHFULNESS and for HIS NAME SAKE redeemed stubborn and stiff-necked Israel. Those who had offered him lip service while there hearts were far from Him. Those who made oaths never to uphold them. Those who had broken Gods heart by refusing intimacy with Him.

There is a part of the human heart that feels gratified when judgement falls on a people who refused to listen, though warning after warning rang out. Knowing good and well that what has been justly deserved has finally caught up to someone. It sounds horrible but it’s the truth. In our flesh we feel satisfied. Isaiah declared prior to the judgment of The Almighty falling upon His People what would happen to them if they wouldn’t listen.

“That is why I told you what would happen; I told you beforehand what I was going to do. Then you could never say, ‘My idols did it. My wooden images and metal god commanded it to happen!’ You have heard my predictions and seen them fulfilled, but you refuse to admit it. Now I will tell you new things, secrets you have not yet heard.” Isaiah 48:5-6 AMP

It’s interesting how we can be warned about something negative coming, and then when said negative thing occurs due to our own stubborn failure to heed the warning, we find every other reason to justify why it happened except the main reason. The main reason being our own stubborn foolish hearts were unwilling to listen to God. Isaiah expressed that God knew how rebellious and stiff necked Israel was and that’s why He told them in advance what the results would be if they kept rejecting His Commands; in this way, no one could say “I didn’t know.”

God is saying even now over the United States that we were warned about what we are now experiencing. Our own rebellion against Him has led us to the place we are, and yet many would prefer to place blame on the political system – our American idol. The blame, however, falls on an unrepentant backslidden Church. One that has married systems in place of Holy Spirit. Traditions in place of His Divine Authorship of how we live and move and have our being as a people. REDEMPTION follows REPENTANCE. However, we’ve created systems that enable organized religious structures to avoid making the course corrections and adhering to the repentance that God has been calling for over and over to little avail. The course corrections that will restore our hearts to Him over every systemic idol we have depended upon over His Lordship and Governance over us. Likened to Israel, Isaiah declared that God would redeem, but that redemption would come by way of SUFFERING.

“Yes, I will tell you of things that are entirely new, things you have never heard of before. For I know so well what traitors you are. You have been rebels from birth. Yet for my own sake and for the honor of my name, I will hold back my anger and not wipe you out. I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.” Isaiah 48:8-10 AMP

I can hear you saying OUCH! Yep. Israel’s own stubbornness wasn’t enough to push God to abandon and totally destroy them. In His Great faithfulness and for the sake of His Name that He had placed upon Israel, He would relent in His anger. However, The Lord’s way of redeeming them was going to happen through a “furnace of suffering”. Trial by fire. Saved as if through fire. (1 Cor.3:15) This was not going to be a tip toeing through the tulips experience. Israel would learn to listen the hard way.

We can all acknowledge this, as we have all been born with stubbornness in our hearts. (Proverbs 22:15) Every one of us. There isn’t one man or woman who can claim to have walked the perfect sinless submitted walk in all areas and to have always listened. (Isaiah 53:6) I certainly can’t! I know good and well that there have been times that I learned by “touching the proverbial hot stove” that I had been warned about. You learn things on a whole other level when it follows an OUCH. This was how God was going to redeem Israel – with the discipline that accompanies suffering. We all have need to reflect deeply on the state and condition of our own hearts before God. If you would be willing, pray this prayer of repentance with me on behalf of the Body of Christ and the nation.

“Almighty Just Ruler of Heaven and Earth, we have transgressed your covenant. We have placed our hopes in man made religious traditions over your Righteous Commands. We have replaced the leadership of your Spirit with well run man made systems. We have placed the hope of our salvation in Political Systems, Parties, and Politicians. We have stubbornly resisted your plans, purposes, and ways. We acknowledge your Just Judgements that have befallen America and that are shaking your Church – a shaking that will leave behind only what you have ordained. Have mercy and bring us back fully to you in spirit and in truth! Break our hearts over what has broken yours. Redeem us from our backsliding and stiff-necked ways.

In Yeshua’s Magestic Name,

Amen.