Wisdom's Corner
A Stiff Breathing Tube

In Acts 7:51, we read, "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye." In this situation, Stephen is preaching to the Jews regarding Christ. The Jews were rejecting Christ and Stephen tells them that they are no better than their ancestors who rebelled against God.

In an earlier Wisdom's Corner we discussed how the heart at times needed it's "skin" circumcised. These Jews needed to circumcise their spiritual hearts. And he says they were "stiffnecked."

Stiffnecked comes from a greek word that could mean several different things. We will discuss a few of them in this Wisdom's Corner. The word could mean that the physical breathing tube, the trachea, had become narrowed and very hard. When this happens it becomes difficult to breath. Some individuals are born with their trachea too small and narrowed. These people can have a difficult time growing because they do not get enough air.

Another problem that can cause difficult breathing is any type of allergic reaction. This is when the body does not like a substance and reacts in a wrong way to it. One of the ways the body reacts is to close off the many breathing tubes in the lungs. The tubes swell up and get very stiff. The person cannot get enough air. In very bad cases the person can die.

Another possible cause is that a person has breathed in bad things over a long period of time. These bad things cause the lungs and trachea to become diseased. The breathing tubes can get swollen or very, very stiff. The person may even develop cancer in his lungs or trachea.

Stephen is telling the Jews that they have a stiff spiritual trachea and lungs. They are not able to properly breath in the teachings of Jesus. If they do not correct the situation, they will not get enough of the spiritual air that they need to live the proper spiritual life. And this will cause them to die spiritually.

Make sure you do not have a stiff spiritual trachea and lungs. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. Breath in the good air of God's Word.

Until next time, keep growing in your knowledge of God's Word. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Mark McWhorter

Copyright 1999

Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)