Stubborn shoulders, hardened wills, and self-absorbed followers

By Dean Collins

Maybe it’s an age thing. I’d prefer to call it an athletic injury. Here’s my problem, I have a stubborn shoulder. It doesn’t want to cooperate with the rest of my body. And it’s messing with my plans. Every time I start to exercise, the rest of my body is willing to participate. Sure the other parts complain when I push them too hard, but this stubborn shoulder begins to complain from the moment I start. And it’s not just when I’m working out. This shoulder will sometimes complain randomly in the middle of the day.

I call my shoulder stubborn based on Webster’s second definition of the word; it’s difficult to deal with in the way some people speak of stubborn hair. (I have no complaints about stubborn hair, and if we know each other, then you know why!)

A word from the Lord

Zechariah had a word from the Lord for the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem and were involved in rebuilding the temple. They had asked the prophet about fasting and whether it was still necessary now that they were back from Babylon. The prophet asked them a couple of questions about their motives for fasting and for not fasting. The questions focused on whether their fasts and their feasts were self-satisfying or conducted as a part of their worship. The prophet reminded them of prophets who had spoken about these things before Jerusalem fell and they were taken in exile to Babylon. Zechariah was concerned that if God’s chosen were not careful, they could easily repeat the mistakes of their ancestors.

And then the prophet received a word from the Lord. It was clear and direct and spoke to the issue of what God desired in the past and in the present moment. It’s still God’s desire. I think it sounds a lot like things Jesus said we should do if we choose to follow him:

“Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Sounds a lot like the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Zechariah continued by reminding his audience this wasn’t new information. In fact, it’s the same thing the prophets told their ancestors before the fall of Jerusalem. But their ancestors all had stubborn shoulders. Their shoulder problems weren’t related to age or injuries. Their stubborn shoulders were more like Webster’s primary definition of stubborn, refusing to change your ideas or to stop doing something.

Covering their ears

It gets worse. Not only did they turn their shoulders in refusing to obey. Zechariah reminded his listeners that their ancestors literally covered their ears and quit listening to what God said through his prophets. Their stubbornness and refusal to listen was the reason the Jewish people went into exile and were dispersed to many different places.

Shoulder pain might be an age thing. Stubbornness isn’t. It starts early and is a condition that can persist throughout one’s lifetime. In fact, if it’s not addressed properly, one’s heart can become diamond-hard like Zechariah described in his writing. There is a remedy for stubbornness. I think James spoke about it in his little book.

Draw near to God

After spending several verses in the first two chapters reminding Christ-followers to listen to God’s Word and to act on what they hear, James gets to the prevention and protection he describes in chapter 4. He tells us that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humility will bring us to our knees where we can submit to God, resist the enemy, draw near to God, and have our hearts, hands, and minds purified. I think when we do that we also address our stubborn shoulders, which brings a very different response to following Jesus.

My shoulder feels a lot better when I give up being stubborn. If you’re having trouble with stubbornness, in a shoulder or otherwise, you might consider the Word of the Lord from Zechariah and James as well.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Zechariah‬ ‭7:8-14‬; James‬ ‭4:5-10 ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Afif Kusuma on Unsplash

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