Stiff Necked

"I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people.

Exodus 32:9

Noah Webster's Dictionary

(a.) Stubborn; inflexibly obstinate; contumacious; as, stiff-necked pride; a stiff-necked people.

If an ox was hard to control or stubborn, it was "hard of neck," or stiff-necked. Hence, the figure was used in the Scriptures to express the stubborn, untractable spirit of a people not responsive to the guiding of their God

I just did a quick search at www.Biblegateway.com for the term stiff-necked. I found 19 references. Then I looked up the meaning. I did know what it meant, but I wanted something easy to cut & paste! I must say I have never heard the word "contumacious" in my life. I knew what stiff-necked meant years ago, but I saw the word lived out when I had an EXTREMELY colicky baby. Our first child screamed non-stop when she wasn't nursing. She did NOTHING by the book. We now think part of that could have been food issues (through my milk) or just autism already showing itself. It could even have been from something I was exposed to in Africa (we were in Nairobi when God put her inside of me!). Most babies have wobbly heads (think weebles), but this child would stiffen her neck, and push against me trying to hold it so carefully. She was set on crying, for whatever reason, and was the perfect picture of STIFF-NECKED! Not that she was stubborn and non-responsive to God. In her case she was frustrated for some reason, but I saw the word illustrated.

Our next child was the wobbly type who wanted to be cradled and rocked. However, as it turns out, she is our TRULY "stiff-necked" stubborn kid! LOL!

While this all sounds like it's leading to some great spiritual lesson I've learned, I really just decided it was time to blog & I have the worst muscle pain ever in my neck & upper back right now on the left side. It's in the part between my neck & shoulder (what do you call that part? is it part of the shoulder?). I could hardly sleep last night. I've been trying to take meds & rest today. I just had Phil pick up a prescription for muscle relief that I take for fibromyalgia but was out of today. I'm feeling very STIFF -NECKED tonight. Hopefully it is only in the physical sense!