What Does the Bible Say About Stubbornness?

Many people wonder what the Bible has to say about stubbornness. Some variant of the word "stubborn" appears 28 times in the Bible. The Bible also includes the word "stiff-necked," which means stubbornness, 19 times. God is deeply distressed by people's stubbornness. He cannot allow people to lead comfortable lives when stubbornness separates them from Him. The Bible says that God wants everyone to let go of stubbornness and return to Him.

History

According to the Bible, stubbornness is an issue of the heart. Multiple passages in the Bible talk about God's people following "the stubbornness of their evil hearts" (Jeremiah 11:8). The Bible warns in Jeremiah 17:9 that "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure," so being stubborn about the things that the hearts tell you is folly. The Bible tells us that following "stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts" only leads "backward and not forward" (Jeremiah 7:24).

Significance

According to the Bible, stubbornness leads people in the wrong direction (Jeremiah 7:24). Instead, God wants us to obey Him and walk in His ways so that things "may go well with you" (Jeremiah 7:23). Being stubborn brings a more difficult life upon ourselves. In Hosea 4:16, the Bible asks how God can "pasture [His people] like lambs in a meadow" when they are "like a stubborn heifer." If you want the easy life of a lamb, then you must give up your stubbornness.

Warning

The Bible states in Psalm 81:11-12 that stubbornness can lead to God giving His people "over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices." This means that God will then allow people to experience the consequences of their choices, which are usually painful. Stubbornness results in choosing a more difficult life path: "If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride..." (Leviticus 26:18-19).

Prevention/Solution

According to the Bible, the way to prevent stubbornness is to follow God's instructions. In II Chronicles 30:8, the Bible says, "Do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were; submit to the Lord." In Psalm 81:13-14, the Bible says, "If my people would but listen to me, Israel would follow my ways, how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!" Returning to God and choosing to obey Him is the way to end stubbornness.

Considerations

According to the Bible, God never gives up hoping that His people will end their stubbornness and return to Him. Stubbornness is deeply distressing to God. (Mark 3:5) Even when people are stubborn, God does not abandon them: "But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God." (Nehemiah 9:31) God always has hope that His people will turn from their stubborn ways and be in union with Him. (Jeremiah 3:14-18)

Resources

• God's hope that His people will turn from stubbornness