When I was a kid my brother and I watched All-Star Wrestling every Saturday. One of our favorite wrestlers was Rufus R. Jones. Like all wrestlers, he had a signature move, a lights-out-nobody-is-getting-up maneuver that would always end the match. Rufus’ move was the head-butt. Slamming his hard forehead into the head of his opponent always brought raucous behavior from us. We would act out the head-butt scene over and over, always a bit fearful of smacking each other’s heads. The hardest head always won.
God gave a message to the prophet Ezekiel concerning the stubborn hearts and hard heads of the Israelites. The Lord was looking for repentance, for the Jews to turn their hearts and minds back to true worship and a real humble relationship with their God. The prospect of facing such a task, such an opponent, seemed daunting to Ezekiel. So, the Lord assured him: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them… Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
Ezekiel was told by God to pull-out the signature wrestling move and do the lights-out head-butt maneuver. The promise Ezekiel possessed was that God was going to give him the harder head – there was no way he was going to lose the match. Like Ezekiel, we are to speak the Word of God with the promise that we will not lose. Prideful ungodly stubbornness will get us knocked-out, but godly, gracious, and bold stubbornness which determines to do the will of God shall always win the day.
Almighty God, you give strength to those in the wrestling matches of life. Embolden my witness for you so that I will speak and act boldly in the name of Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 