Question 1

What makes people stubborn?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 1:43“This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight.”Nehemiah 9:16“Our ancestors were proud and stubborn, and they paid no attention to your commands.Stubbornness is almost always rooted in pride, thinking we always know best.Judges 2:19When the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.Stubbornness can come from our resisting authority. Those who are enjoying their lifestyle of sin and don’t want to give up sinful habits are stubbornly resisting God’s authority in their lives.1 Samuel 8:19The people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said.Stubbornness can come from a fiercely independent spirit that causes us to be overly self-reliant. Ironically, the pursuit of stubbornness often leads to slavery or loss of freedom.2 Kings 17:14The Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.Stubbornness may be a sign of self-defense—the inability to admit we are wrong or have a problem. Traits like stubbornness can become generational attitudes toward God.

Question 2

Where does stubbornness lead?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 81:11-12“But no, my people wouldn’t listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas.”When we persist in stubbornness, God may let us have our way, and allow us to suffer the consequences that follow.Exodus 33:5The Lord had told Moses to tell them, “You are a stubborn and rebellious people. If I were to travel with you for even a moment, I would destroy you. Remove your jewelry and fine clothes while I decide what to do with you.”Psalm 95:10-11“For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”An attitude of stubbornness makes it very difficult for God to help us.Jeremiah 11:8“‘Your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”Those who are stubborn against God will be punished, because stubbornness is not only a sin in itself but also a quality of most other sins. We tend to stubbornly do wrong even when better options are presented to us.2 Samuel 24:4, 15The king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel. . . . So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days. A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation.When the leaders of a nation are stubborn, it can lead to national disaster.Hebrews 6:4-6It is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened . . . and who then turn away from God.Persistent stubbornness may bring eternal separation from God.2 Samuel 2:21-23“Go fight someone else!” Abner warned. “Take on one of the younger men, and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel kept right on chasing Abner. Again Abner shouted to him, “Get away from here! I don’t want to kill you. How could I ever face your brother Joab again?” But Asahel refused to turn back, so Abner thrust the butt end of his spear through Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He stumbled to the ground and died there.Proverbs 29:1Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.Stubbornness may blind us to dangers that can even lead to death or other disaster.

Question 3

How can I keep from being stubborn?

Accepted Answer

2 Chronicles 30:8“Do not be stubborn, as they were, but submit yourselves to the Lord. Come to his Temple, which he has set apart as holy forever. Worship the Lord your God so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.”We need to submit to God’s leading in our lives by obeying him and not insisting on doing things our own way.1 Chronicles 16:11Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.We need to begin by seeking God’s wisdom and guidance, before we form wrong opinions and make decisions to pursue sinful paths.Hebrews 3:13You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.Fellowship with other believers, which includes exhorting and warning one another, can keep us accountable for our actions and preserve us from developing hard hearts. We all need people in our lives who can call us out if we are being stubborn.Exodus 7:13Pharaoh’s heart, however, remained hard. He still refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted.1 Samuel 1:15“Oh no, sir!” she [Hannah] replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord.”Pharaoh had a hard, stubborn heart. No matter how much he heard about God or how many miracles he saw, he refused to believe. Eventually, stubbornness became his only response. Hannah, however, continued to pray to God even when nothing seemed to happen. We need to examine the condition of our hearts. Is it hard and stubborn, or does it reach out to God whatever the circumstances we face? When we cut ourselves off from God, we are cutting off our lifeline to the only One who can really help us. A stubborn heart rejects the only thing that can save it—God’s love. A tender heart will seek God’s help and notice his perfectly timed responses.Hosea 12:6So now, come back to your God. Act with love and justice, and always depend on him.We need to admit that we have been resisting God in order to return to a life of trust and dependence on him.Colossians 1:21-22You were his [God’s] enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body.Jesus Christ can remove our spiritual stubbornness and reconcile us to God.

Question 4

How are people stubborn in their relationship to God?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 8:19“This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.Stubbornness involves seeing God’s work around us and refusing to believe it is God doing the work.Exodus 9:12The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the Lord had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen.A habit of stubbornly refusing to acknowledge God may cause him to leave us alone. What hope can we have then?Matthew 17:17Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”Stubborn resistance to Jesus and his ways is a persistent rejection of God himself.1 Corinthians 10:6-12These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day. Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.Stubbornness can show up in many ways, but it has the same effect of cutting us off from everything God has for us. We can see it in others but need God’s help to see it in ourselves. Sometimes we think we are standing strong when we are only being stubborn.

Question 5

What’s the difference between stubbornness and strong convictions?

Accepted Answer

2 Kings 17:13-14Again and again the Lord had sent his prophets and seers to warn both Israel and Judah: “Turn from all your evil ways. Obey my commands and decrees—the entire law that I commanded your ancestors to obey, and that I gave you through my servants the prophets.” But the Israelites would not listen. They were as stubborn as their ancestors who had refused to believe in the Lord their God.Stubbornness is the result of foolish pride that rejects the will and word of God.Joshua 14:6-12Caleb said to Joshua, “Remember what the Lord said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me when we were at Kadesh-barnea. . . . For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God. So that day Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever, because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.’”Our convictions should be based on the promises of God, not on the pride that comes from personal achievement.Daniel 1:8; 6:1-10Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.Daniel’s convictions about purity and prayer were based not on self-preservation, but on obedience to God. Convictions should be based on our faith and expressed with humility.

Question 6

How do I know when I am being stubborn?

Accepted Answer

Exodus 8:15-19When Pharaoh saw that relief had come, he became stubborn. He refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had predicted. So the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Raise your staff and strike the ground. The dust will turn into swarms of gnats throughout the land of Egypt.’” So Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded them. When Aaron raised his hand and struck the ground with his staff, gnats infested the entire land, covering the Egyptians and their animals. All the dust in the land of Egypt turned into gnats. Pharaoh’s magicians tried to do the same thing with their secret arts, but this time they failed. And the gnats covered everyone, people and animals alike. “This is the finger of God!” the magicians exclaimed to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.Stubbornness often involves refusing to admit the truth even in the face of overwhelming evidence.Proverbs 13:10Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.When our position is rooted in our personal opinion, even in the face of obvious proof to the contrary, we are being stubborn.

Question 7

How should I deal with stubbornness in others?

Accepted Answer

Jonah 2:1-10Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’ “I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.” Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.God dealt with Jonah’s stubbornness with both patience and confrontation. We can always pray for someone who is being stubborn; it may not be our role to deal with their stubbornness directly.Mark 6:7-11He [Jesus] called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, . . . “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”Jesus recognized there are times, regrettably, when we must leave people to the consequences of their own stubbornness.