Stubborn
When I was a child I was not a fan of vegetables. I could just about cope with carrots and peas, but disliked cabbage and sprouts. The most disgusting one of them all was parsnips.
My mum wanted me to try various vegetables and wasn’t sympathetic if I said I didn’t like them.
There was one occasion when I protested at eating some parsnip. My mum encouraged me to try a little, but I would not yield. So I had to stay at the table until I had eaten it.
I became very stubborn, refusing to eat it. My parents and sister, finished the meal and got down, leaving me alone in the kitchen, for what seemed like hours!
I tried to mash the small bit of parsnip up and make it disappear. Eventually I gave in, ate it, left the table and joined the family.
The two books of Chronicles in the Bible list the kings of Judah. One king, Asa, started off well, following God’s ways and bringing about Godly reforms for the nation.
However, when he became older, he neglected God and relied on another king’s support when threatened by an enemy. God sent a prophet who said…
“Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand.”
Asa relied on another king and not God. His behaviour changed from when he was a young ruler. He took matters into his own hands, he had become stubborn, with his heart hard towards God.
He imprisoned the prophet who spoke to him. Asa then contracted a severe disease in his feet, but he refused to seek God for help or healing.
This is a sad story, as we observe a man’s stubbornness taking control of his life. If only Asa had kept following God’s ways, I think it would have been a very different outcome.
So what can we learn from this?
Be someone who follows God’s ways and keep a soft heart towards Him. Don’t become stubborn, but continually yield and trust God.
I still don’t like parsnips.
God bless you :)
Gary Bastin - Hope Community Church leader