Being stiff-necked makes for a bad patient, a refusal to listen to the doctor. What is the treatment? Stiff neck cannot be cured in this life, but it can be managed under the care of the Holy Spirit. The primary treatment is a regimen of humility. Humility counters the malignancy of pride that is the chief contributor to the condition. 

Prescription for a Pervasive Problem

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”(James 4:6)

I have a neck problem. As I’ve gotten older I’ve encountered a number of medical maladies, but my neck problem is something I’ve wrestled with since my early 20s.

My neck problem is not the one diagnosed by doctors in my 40s related to arthritis. Rather, it’s the one diagnosed by the Great Physician as a stiff neck.

Evidently, it’s a pretty serious problem, one that leads to all sorts of complications. It’s prone to discontentment, rebellion against God, stubbornness, blatant disobedience, hardening of the heart, and even idolatry.

We find being stiff necked mentioned in all three sections of the Old Testament (Law, Prophets, and Psalms), and in the New Testament – so throughout the Bible.

My stiff neck was diagnosed when I first came to Christ in my early 20s. I’m not sure it’s gotten worse over the years, but I have certainly become more aware of it. One hymn captures the progression: “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.”

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