Deuteronomy 9:6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 16, 23, 24 Thou art a stiffnecked people…thou provokedst the Lord…ye have been rebellious against the Lord…ye provoked the Lord…thy people have corrupted themselves…it is a stiffnecked people…ye had sinned against the Lord…ye rebelled against the commandment…ye believed him not…Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you.
Moses rehearses the rebellious history of God’s people, especially noting the Golden Calf incident. All along the way, even after God’s miraculous Deliverance and Provision, the people that have been gloriously saved lived in stiffnecked rebellion against the Lord. We hear the story and wonder how they remain stiffnecked after experiencing God’s mighty salvation. However, Moses is telling our story as well. We have come believe in Jesus and receive salvation, yet we still remain stiffnecked and rebellious.
We may not want to admit it or see such rebellion in ourselves, so the Spirit must use the Word to convict us of sin and see the rebellion that is still with us. When the picture comes into clear focus we repent in dust and ashes, then God forgives, saves, and lifts us up.
We don’t say, How can they be so bad? But we say, He’s talking about me. The mirror of the Law illuminates our soul and points out our own sinful and rebellious response to the Love of God. Jesus responded for us by being obedient unto death, even the death on the cross.