Jeremiah 7:26
“Yet they didn’t listen to me or incline their ear, but made their neck stiff. They did worse than their fathers.”
What does Jeremiah 7:26 mean?
The prophet Jeremiah is describing how stubbornly the people of Judah refused to listen to God's warnings through the prophets. "Made their neck stiff" is an old expression for refusing to obey, the same way you'd describe a stubborn animal that won't be guided. What makes this verse particularly sobering is that last line, Jeremiah is saying their rebellion wasn't just a repeat of past failures but actually getting worse, each generation becoming more resistant to God's call to change direction. If you're in a season where you feel stuck in patterns of resistance, whether toward God or toward positive change in your own life, this verse reminds us that ignoring warnings usually doesn't lead to improvement. But it also shows why God kept sending prophets again and again, even when people rejected them, because He wanted them to turn around before it was too late.