One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery. (29:1)
The bible makes it clear that God is love. He is a God of mercy, compassion, and faithful love that endures forever. Yet, we sometimes forget that He is also a God of justice who will not overlook sin. This is why we rejoice so greatly in the cross. In the cross, we see the complete picture of God’s love and God’s wrath—His love demonstrated to us as He sends His Son to die for our sins and His wrath as judgment is poured out on His Son who took our place on that cross. This is justice; justice is both love and judgment interwoven together where you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. With justice, He manages to show compassion to the guilty, and still satisfy His wrath and maintain His holy standard.
Yet, even God has set some boundaries around His limitless mercy. The nation of Israel in the Old Testament is a good example of that. They continued to go through that cycle of condemnation, repentance, begging for grace, receiving grace, sinning in the very same way, and facing condemnation again. God let them repeat that cycle many times until finally He drew a line in the sand and said, “No more!” In the end, their children received the promise and entered the Holy land, but the parents did not. God’s love and His mercy are deeper and wider than we can ever imagine, but sometimes He draws a line in the sand with us. Thankfully, for those who are in Christ, there is no more condemnation; yet, this doesn’t mean there are no more “consequences.”
Consider the verse above from Proverbs. God will let you run through that same cycle with that besetting sin in your life—conviction, repentance, forgiveness, falling, conviction, etc. No sin is “unforgivable,” but there are many who are suffering the consequences of sin in their life even though they have been “forgiven.” One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be shattered instantly—beyond recovery. Honestly, that scares me to death and makes me want to be careful to not test the limits of God’s goodness. I am not saying you should live in fear of His rejection… that won’t happen. I am saying you should live in awe of Him, and know that personal holiness is for your good. The consequences of being stiff-necked are more painful than you can imagine.
