2 Chronicles 30:8 Do not be stiff-necked, as your ancestors were; submit to the LORD. Come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever. Serve the LORD your God, so that his fierce anger will turn away from you.
Today’s verse takes us back into the Old Testament to a time when stubborn pride interfered with fellowship and praise. At this point in the story, the people of Judah had forsaken the covenant they had with God and had not been celebrating festivities such as Passover, as the Lord had commanded them to do. This verse is Hezekiah’s attempt to bring the people back to that covenant and reinstate things the way God had intended them to be, the way they had been in the past when Moses gave them the Law direct from God.
And while we are not Israelites who are under the Law, we still have important points that can be learned from this time in history. Though it is true that this is a historical account and is a narrative that chronicles a time in their past, there is still truth to be learned from it. We see a “stiff-necked” people who were refusing to submit to the Lord. We, too, should be obedient and turn to the Lord. We should honor Him and obey His commands. We may not celebrate Passover or other Jewish holy days, but we can still submit to His will and follow His commands for our lives.
And through all of it, we are called to serve Him. Serve the Lord your God. His fierce anger may not be the same as it was to the Jewish people in Hezekiah’s time, but we can still grieve the Spirit with our behavior and lack of submission. And I don’t know about you but I for one, do not want to have the Lord grieved by my actions or lack there of.
Today let’s stop being stiff-necked and stubborn. Today let us return to the Lord, submit to His authority, and obey His commands.
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