Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.

'STIFFNECKED'-4644. sklerotrachelos sklay-rot-rakh'-ay-los; from 4642 and 5137; hardnaped, i.e. (figuratively) obstinate: -stiffnecked.

-An accusation against the nation of Israel, as old as Moses (Exodus 2:5) 'is. figure taken from an animal that is refractory, and that will not submit to being yoked or bridled...Stephen was using the identical language of Moses when he conveyed God's rebuke to Israel.' (Reese pp. 298-299)

'UNCIRCUMCISED IN HEART AND EARS'-They prided themselves on being circumcised, but their stubbornness and defiance in the face of the will of God, made them act like the uncircumcised heathen, who did not possess the utterances of God (Romans 2:25). Again, this is the same language that Moses and the prophets had used against Israel (Leviticus 26:41; Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 2:4; Jeremiah 2:10) 'heathen still at heart and deaf to the truth' (NEB)

'YE DO ALWAYS RESIST THE HOLY SPIRIT'-i.e. the revelations given by the Spirit through inspired men (2 Peter 1:20).

'AS YOUR FATHERS DID, SO DO YE'-Now all the historical applications of the sermon start to hit home--resisting the Holy Spirit as your ancestors rejected Joseph, Moses and all the warnings from the prophets.

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Old Testament