A Stiff-necked People
Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary
Scripture Text: Galatians 3:10 and Exodus 34:8–10
Series: Comments on Galatians
No one can keep the law, not even Moses through whom the law was given to the people. In fact, we are not even interested in keeping it, even if we could do so. We are bent on moving away from God and his law.
When I take my 75-pound puppy for a walk, I am always watching for trouble he could get in, such as oncoming cars, other dogs, or the deer who like to move through our property eating acorns that have dropped in the fall of the year. I begin to lead him away from potential problems but he leans away from me, straining at the leash. His collar goes tight around his neck and his air is cut off. Does he care? Not a bit. He strains even harder because he is a stiff-necked and willful animal. But I love him, so I pull harder or give him a stern word. Sometimes I get mad at him and wonder aloud if he will ever grow up and be obedient. Moments later, I have forgotten his behavior and we are again enjoying our walk.
This is how we relate to God. We strain at the leash, choking to do what we want, oblivious to the danger that lies just ahead of us. God reprimands in word or action, sometimes becoming angry with us. But he loves us, forgives us, and would enjoy our company again. We are not only not perfect doers of the law, sometimes we do not even care to keep it. We just want what we want. We are a stiff-necked people. “O Lord...pardon our iniquity and our sin.”
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Rev. Dr. Mark E. Ryman has served as Pastor for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC, since 2021. Previously, Pastor Ryman served congregations in North Carolina and Ohio, as well as a call to specialized ministry with Sola Publishing.
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